How cold is TOO cold for a chicken?

[AkTomboy]

Mrs. AK-Bird-Brain :

I took a couple of birds to a "Chicken University" talk as show and tell a couple of nights ago... the building was heated to about 70°F inside, and after about a half hour my poor orpington rooster started panting and trying to lie on his side to cool off. He was too hot!!

I hear ya! I took a few birds to 4-H the other day and it was same for them. I even had one of my clover buds start to get upset thinking the birds were "kicking the bucket" as she ran around the chickens doing the same as your roo​

 

[MeechHen]

I'm right outside Boston, MA and its -4 degrees F today and isn't expect to reach up past 12 degrees F today. IT IS COLD!! I have a single hen that lives by herself in a coop outside. I have a heat lamp in the coop for her but her heated water bowl is outside. I feel like I should shut her in the coop today so that she stays warm today but then she wouldn't be able to get to her water. I hope she is OK....I'm at work now and can't stop thinking about it....makes me nervous that its this cold. Its supposed to be up to 32 degrees F tomorrow.

I wish she would get along with the 2 pullets that are inside so they could all keep each other warm but she still hates them. :-( Its going to be a couple months before they are big enough to put the all together and let them peck out the order.

 

[Canadian Chick 4 Ever]

We're in Alberta Canada where it can get - 40 degrees Celsius in the winter. The coop is not insulated or heated. As long as there are enough chickens present for body heat they do just fine. There needs to be a balance- enough chickens for warmth, but not too many for humidity to become a problem. (Since when it's really cold it's hard to provide much in the way of ventilation.) As a few people before me have said, as long as the temp drop is gradual they get used to it and acclimate quite well.
Luckily, this past weekend was around 0 degrees celsius (32 F) and the hens were loving it! We opened up the coop door and let them free range (their enclosed pen is under 4 feet of snow!) Gotta love warm, winter days!

 

[crawfordmama]

For the past two weeks it's been -20*F at night and no more than 15*F during the day. My girls still venture outside to play in the snow. On particularly bitter days I wait to open the pop door around noon. Granted, their combs are slightly frostbitten, but they're still happily chickening and laying eggs everyday.

 

[MeechHen]

Quote:
Poor things.....have you tried putting Vaseline on their combs to keep them from getting frostbit?

 

[crawfordmama]

Quote:
Poor things.....have you tried putting Vaseline on their combs to keep them from getting frostbit?

Yes, I began this evening. The frostbite is a new issue for us. They had developed favus from a thaw we had in late December (believe it or not!) and the moisture from the treatment caused the frostbite. So, as ddawn suggested, I mixed some miconazole with Neosporin and rubbed it on their combs and wattles. This way it treats both issues.

 

[chickness]

Thanks for all the good comments on this thread! I will be getting my chicks in 6 mo. so I am preparing myself with reading as much as I can about chickens in wisconsin. As I am building my coop this fall I want to make sure I build it so that my two birds ( plymouth rock and leghorn) will be comfortable for their winter in 2012.2013. It's a test this season with no birds! After reading most all of the posts I am a little bit more relaxed about the cold temperatures here in wi. I like the ideas of a deep litter system, staw bales around the coop, tarping the outdoor chicken run with tossed straw, feeding high protein late afternoon, warm water in the morning with warm oatmeal and eggs! The only part I am worried about is that I am reusing a plastic playskool playhouse which is about 4x4x5 for the two birds. (I live in the city, so this is all my permit allows me to have.) So even with the above suggestions and other suggestions posted in this thread... I am wondering still...how cold is too cold for a chicken... or two?! I haven't seen many posts where there are only two cuddling birds involved in this size hen house. Windows and doors will be covered with plexiglass, or wood. I wasn't planning on using any electricity as I'd have to run it with extention cords from the house. If I did, I guess I'd only feel comfortable with using say one of those rubber heated pet mats, if that would help. I'd like to have tough birds as those of you speak of...do you think 2 hens would be ok for the cold southern wi winters?

 

[nonsuch]

Hi I live in Wisconsin. You will definitely need an extension cord for electricity! When it's pitch dark and freezing cold, you'll need to see, even to give them water. This could also run a heated waterer. Somewhere on this forum was a link to wintering with Chickens.

 

[goldies99]

no heat lamp......NY and cold here.....if the lamp goes out for some reason the birds could suffer from
not being ready for the temp change and could die......they do fine without it!...they are livestock!
we are not!....of course we are cold in the snow!!!...but they do fine!

 

[Mrs MIA]

Quote:
I would recommend more chickens.

I have electricity in my coop, and I have a cord running outside and lights on a timer... to add light to their "day" and so I can see where I'm going.

Don't want to step on the birds! But they're 13w compact fluorescent bulbs, so they give off light but no heat. I use a heated dog bowl for water. But I have a lot more birds than you do... I don't usually have to add any heat to the coop. Just remember that the girls will use the coop to sleep, nest, and get out of the elements. So keep that space as small and insulated as possible, and they should be fine.