How Cold is too Cold?

[Chickens are the best]

it's pretty cold tonight (the low is 17) and wicked windy. I have a repurposed shed with ventilation cut into the top and 13 chickens. They all sleep on the roosting bars (except one of them, although there is plenty of room) The roosting bars are below all of the ventilation except for the west side because the roof is slanted. Since the wind was coming in from the west, I nailed a tarp over top of the vent to keep them from getting any drafts. I think it is a bit warmer inside since the west was covered. I've heard that chickens can survive pretty cold weather, but how cold is too cold before I need to heat the coop? (I don't want to heat with heat lamps because I don't want any fires and I don't want to get them acclimated to warm temps at night, then cold during the day.)

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

We will drop into the -20's with -40's wind chills. No heat here, and I keep a west facing door open year round. Sustained ambient temperatures below -30's may require heat, but temporary drops should not.

 

[sylviethecochin]

x2.

My hens don't like snow, but I've never heated and never had one die of cold or act sick. Think about sticking your hand into a bag of feathers--and then remember that chickens don't have sweat glands everywhere like we do. They remain nice and dry in their own personal coat all through winter. It's a high of 21 here, and mine are perfectly happy. Even the 5-wk bantam peeps.

 

[Chickens are the best]

We will drop into the -20's with -40's wind chills. No heat here, and I keep a west facing door open year round. Sustained ambient temperatures below -30's may require heat, but temporary drops should not.

x2.

My hens don't like snow, but I've never heated and never had one die of cold or act sick. Think about sticking your hand into a bag of feathers--and then remember that chickens don't have sweat glands everywhere like we do. They remain nice and dry in their own personal coat all through winter. It's a high of 21 here, and mine are perfectly happy. Even the 5-wk bantam peeps.

Thank you both SO much!!!

 

[song of joy]

Those are the same temps we have in central Pennsylvania tonight: 15 degrees F with a wind chill around 0 degrees F. I have no worries about my chickens in their unheated coop (a shed converted to a coop). Sometimes it gets down to -20 to -25 degrees F at night here, but only for a short period of time, and the chickens do fine.

I do agree that you need to manage for drafts. I closed off one of the high vents today in the coop because it's right above one of the roosting areas and I can feel a draft from it blowing down onto the chickens. It sounds like you're doing the same type of draft management, which is good. That being said, all of the windows in my coop are open tonight.

 

[Chickens are the best]

Those are the same temps we have in central Pennsylvania tonight: 15 degrees F with a wind chill around 0 degrees F. I have no worries about my chickens in their unheated coop (a shed converted to a coop). Sometimes it gets down to -20 to -25 degrees F at night here, but only for a short period of time, and the chickens do fine.

I do agree that you need to manage for drafts. I closed off one of the high vents today in the coop because it's right above one of the roosting areas and I can feel a draft from it blowing down onto the chickens. It sounds like you're doing the same type of draft management, which is good. That being said, all of the windows in my coop are open tonight.

Thank You!

 

[Hokum Coco]

I've heard that chickens can survive pretty cold weather,

Most important you have them out of the wind and rain they will do fine.

You have provided them with a place to keep "THEMSELVES WARM"

I live in CANADA near SANTA CLAUSE. That is all they really require.

 

[debid]

I always feel like pointing out the wild birds you see out in the trees when this question is asked. Feathers are AMAZING.

 

[Beer can]

I don't know how cold is 'too cold' but it is 12 degrees F here right now, -11 windchill and my flock of naked necks are out scratching around in the snow waiting for me to go out and feed them

My birds do just fine been zero to -15 real temp, -30 windchill sometimes and no probs. Not for long periods of time, usually averages 20-30s.
I keep the coop pretty much open and don't worry about drafts, I worry more about frostbite coming from too humid of a coop from not enough ventilation. Only time I shut the pop doors is when we get down to single digits.