How cold is too cold - WI edition

[WI chickens]

Here are my young chickens, 12 to 14 weeks, in my Woods Fresh Air Coop. 8 F this morning and they are right at the front open window, happy and clucking away. Also note, none of them were standing on one foot, they were all just walking around, so it appears they were standing that way.

 

[ExoticPetOwner]

A chickens body temp stays around 105-107 degrees F. They also have hundreds of feathers covering their body, others to huddle up to, and walls to protect them from strong winds. It's a good idea to try to keep them a little more covered especially since you have naked necked chickens, and maybe give them some grains like corn in their feed because grains keep them warm during winter months. Since it gets that cold, try to keep them a little more covered from the cold/winds but definitely still make sure there's ventilation because their fecal matter is toxic to them.

 

[TooCheep]

My area is a *little* warmer than yours, but we still get negative temps, winds and snow/ice each winter. I put up clear plastic on the windward sides each year. Most* chickens are fine in cold/dry conditions, but windy/wet conditions are a problem. I put up the plastic using furring strips, so it is easy to take it down each spring. Obviously, leave sufficient ventilation, but it shouldn't be on the sides that allow wind/water in.

* I can't speak to naked-neck or silkies on their cold-hardiness.

 

[WIchickMama]

I think if they don't have any wind on them, they are probably fine for now. I would wrap at least half of that open side, just so they don't get any draft or snow that blows in. I would most be concerned about the naked necks and their flesh being exposed, but I have also never had any (but I want some).

Not sure where you are in WI, but we are west central. I wrap the chicken run except for 6 inches all the way around and a foot from the top on the door and mine were outside even during the last few days when it felt like 4 degrees, even the 4 week old chicks-everyone was good. My girls survived negative temps last winter with no supplemental heat, the only one that had issues was one point on the comb of my Barred Rock got a little frostbite, not even the Leghorn had any troubles.

 

[WI chickens]

With the Woods coop, no draft can ever blow on the chickens if they are in the back half, and wind/snow/rain can't penetrate into the coop through those big open windows more than a foot or so because the rest of the coop is sealed tight. Those big front windows are never covered. That is a large part of why these type coops work so well. The coop stays bone dry all the time.

We hit -40 F, real temperature, not "real feel" temperature, and my chickens were all fine. Naked necks are surprisingly cold hardy in spite of the lack of feathers on their necks. I had chickens get frost bite when I had an insulated coop that was much more closed off because of the humidity/cold temp combo. That is extremely hard on chickens. Cold and completely dry and entirely draft free on working very well for me here. The roosting area has no air movement. I keep them well fed and they do great. I also only keep chickens with very small or no comb.

I'm in west central WI too, not too far from La Crosse.

 

[littlecoopnextdoor]

oooh! nice. I have been checking on my girls thought the day as it's -9 c and got colder at night, but they seem fine! they are mostly sheltered from the crazy winds and doin' their chicken things

 

[EagleEyes]

In SW Wisconsin
I just wrapped my run yesterday, and left 8" on the top open, but what I noticed right away this morning was that the temp in the coop was 6 deg warmer than the outside air. Before I wrapped it was always about 2-3 deg warmer
Was 16F this morning

 

[naadarien]

We built our coop with a couple of small vents in the bottom quarter of two walls, and a couple of larger vents at the roof line.

The nesting boxes and the roosts sit in between those vents so generally speaking the birds don't get hit directly with breezes unless they are on the floor of the coop, and they are usually down there to go outside to the run anyway.

We generally prefer them to acclimate to the changing weather. They plump up nicely with all of the extra plumage.

However, we do use a heat lamp on really cold nights (below zero or 10 F if there is significant wind chill). The lamp is wired and latched to a post so it is not a fire hazard and can't be knocked to the floor. Sure, the birds can handle it being colder without dying, but there's no need to wait until there is frost bite some other overt symptom of hypothermia to use the light. It does make a difference that we have a safe way to leave that light going, but once that is true, there's not a good reason to not use the light.

 

[WI chickens]

Sure, the birds can handle it being colder without dying, but there's no need to wait until there is frost bite some other overt symptom of hypothermia to use the light. It does make a difference that we have a safe way to leave that light going, but once that is true, there's not a good reason to not use the light.

For my own birds, I do think there is good reason not to use heat lights. Any time you have a heat light, there is some chance of fire, no matter how well secured you have it. I know of a number of people that have burned their coops and with them, their chickens. I'm sure they thought the lights were well secured as well. Sockets can short out, bad connections can cause heat in the wrong places, rodents can chew through wires, dust-bedding-feathers can land on the lights. Any of those things can cause fires. Even if none of that were true, you mentioned yourself you like the birds to acclimate. We had temperatures of -40 F two winters ago for two nights in a row, with many nights in the -20 to -30 range before that. Suppose my birds were used to heat lights being on at 10 F. Now suppose we had one of the -40 F nights and my light burned out. Without heat, my birds are well acclimated to cold. If the heat light had taken the temperature up even 15 degrees, and it burned out, the temp just went from 25 to -40 in a very short time. I can't believe that is good for any living creature. It has nothing to do with how cold they can stand to get without dying. I have raised them both ways, and my birds are healthier, happier, and more active in very dry, very open coops than they are in more tightly closed, warmer coops. I'm not waiting until my birds get frostbite to give them heat. They don't get frostbite now that I keep the coop bone dry and draft free. My birds in the past in an insulated tighter coop did get frostbite.

 

[naadarien]

For my own birds, I do think there is good reason not to use heat lights. Any time you have a heat light, there is some chance of fire, no matter how well secured you have it. I know of a number of people that have burned their coops and with them, their chickens. I'm sure they thought the lights were well secured as well. Sockets can short out, bad connections can cause heat in the wrong places, rodents can chew through wires, dust-bedding-feathers can land on the lights. Any of those things can cause fires. Even if none of that were true, you mentioned yourself you like the birds to acclimate. We had temperatures of -40 F two winters ago for two nights in a row, with many nights in the -20 to -30 range before that. Suppose my birds were used to heat lights being on at 10 F. Now suppose we had one of the -40 F nights and my light burned out. Without heat, my birds are well acclimated to cold. If the heat light had taken the temperature up even 15 degrees, and it burned out, the temp just went from 25 to -40 in a very short time. I can't believe that is good for any living creature. It has nothing to do with how cold they can stand to get without dying. I have raised them both ways, and my birds are healthier, happier, and more active in very dry, very open coops than they are in more tightly closed, warmer coops. I'm not waiting until my birds get frostbite to give them heat. They don't get frostbite now that I keep the coop bone dry and draft free. My birds in the past in an insulated tighter coop did get frostbite.

"We generally prefer them to acclimate to the changing weather."

It is a risk assessment for sure.

Each person will come down in a different place because of that.

I am a-ok with the options I chose based on my own risk assessment.