How cold is TOO cold for a chicken?

[Wildsky]

Quote:
Poor things, yes I bet it was the sudden change. I'm sorry for your loss, there was a heat set up thing posted just recently with a flower pot upside down and a light bulb inside it. Seems you might be able to put that pretty close to them and I'm sure it would help - like a warm body.

 

[Wildsky]

Another thing that "might" help a little bit.

I used fleece when I had my babies INSIDE and was turning the heat light off to get them accustomed to it. They would sleep curled up next to it. I rolled the fleece in a long sausage, then curled the sausage around so it made a circle.

Just something to try if you have some fleece or something like that, it will keep them all tucked in.

And close them into a smaller area at night, the smallest thats comfortable for them, with a top on so the top will keep the warmth down low.

 

[balticbabe]

That's some cold temperatures. When my dad was a kid in Latvia they brought the chickens in the house for the Winter and Latvia has warmer temps than the Midwest. I was going to say that my girls did OK last night with an overnight low of +15F. That's warm for alot of you but it's the coldest it's ever been here. The normal temp is 40F.

 

[chickenchickenbulkbulk]

It hasn't been cold in years. I would have never hatched them out if I had know how bitter cold it was going to be. What happened to global warming? We insulated the cage. We go out and check on them frequently. I haven't lost any more.

Thanks for the advice Wildsky..I am getting a flower pot and I am going to fix them up!! I would hate to be an out door animal of any kind with this weather.

 

[LynneP]

Those of us with cold-hardy breeds and expecting the winter seem to be doing well, but gosh it's been tragic for some who have never experienced an Arctic blast, and it's lasted so long. I'm so sorry about the difficulties you have faced with your birds and for the losses some of you have suffered.

I hope the burden is easing and that you have received some helpful suggestions here. Recently, though I haven't needed it, I acquired a medium-sized dog cage with a velvety cover to use in a cold emergency. I have a place under an indoor platform where it could be provided as a 'coop within a coop' against an insulated wall, possibly buffered with some bales of hay. I know that many of you suffered power outages during this emergency and that life has been hard in your homes as well as coops. Take care of yourselves, I hope all is well, soon.

 

[chickenchickenbulkbulk]

Your are so sweet! Thanks and the same to you and your family.

 

[wasatusay]

Here in the Carolina's it does drop down in the 20's sometimes. If it is going to be a really cold all night I turn on the heat lamps (100watt) each. One at either end of the roosts (4 total). If the chickens are gathered at the lights before I go to bed I leave them on all night and they automatically turn off in the morning. If they are not gathered around them I turn them off and set them to come on again around 3 or 4 am when it will start to be the coldest time of the night and they will go off at 7am. I think they tolerate different kinds of cold differently (dry or moist). If we get into the 20's I will usually piss some of them off because I grease all the combs and waddles with petroleum jelly. Some like it, some don't, but I never get frost bite problems.
If at the beginning of the cold season I get a chicken that was not prepared for it (not finished molting etc..) and I get a cough or sneeze they get to sleep inside the house in a toasty pen for a whole night, get some bird vitamins in the water and vet rx lightly sprayed on their chest and under the wings. Just as you would do with vicks for yourself to clear your stuffy head. After that I never hear a cough or sneeze out of them.
But then again they are all spoiled rotten as is all my animals.

 

[momofdrew]

I saw on the news that in Denver the fuel in the school buses turned to jell it was so cold...and they couldnt get them started...it seems we are all in a wierd place for weather except AK it would be weird if they got warm...
We are still in a state of emergency because of last weeks ice storm some people still dont have power...

sorry you lost your peeps

wasatusay how do you catch them all...if I look like I want to pick one of them up they slide away...

 

[Mrs MIA]

I would LOVE it if it got a little warmer.

When I worked on the North Slope, we left our diesel trucks running 24/7, so they wouldn't freeze up. To this day I hate the smell of diesel on icy cold air.

 

[BJ]

This has been my favorite thread of all. I am trying to be really tough this winter...not heating at night

. I do have a light over the waterer and the "fifth hen" flower pot heater for them during the day, because they spend most of their time out under the coop (the kids call it "the basement") during the day.

This thread has helped encourage me to be strong and not to give in to my "human" need of wanting to keep them extra warm!

Two winters ago, I was pumping out tons of heat into a makeshift coop and I still lost 95% of my chickens. I keep asking myself, "what have I got to lose?" If I still lost almost all of my chickens after providing heat, then what have I got to lose by providing little-to-no heat?!

Thanks everyone for your encouragement and great suggestions (and especially Mrs. AK-Bird-Brain)!!!