How Cold Is Too Cold?

[llombardo]

I worry about my boy with frostbite. He has huge waddles. Couldn't get him to use the nipple waterer either. It's. 7:15 and 22 degrees, they are all out and about. I added more bedding to the coop today, hopefully that helps.

Here is my boy and his huge waddles--they are even bigger now

 

[Crow-ded house]

I have three 7 mth old roos that refuse to sleep in their bachelor pads. They roost out in the covered run. In another set up I have two 2 yr old bantam hens, 1 8 mth old roo, and five 6 mth old chickens that sleep on the roosts in their covered run. All during the day everyone goes in and out of their homes scratching, pecking, laying eggs, generally congregating in there. Come bedtime they fly to the outside to sleep. We are putting up insulation panels on the outside of the runs so maybe the wind will not be an issue. In NE OK it can get windy and wind chills under 0 degrees farenheit.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

We routinely get lows down into the -20's Fahrenheit and sometimes colder. I have never provided extra heat. I have kept silkies, and frizzles without problems. Bigger comb breeds will sometimes get frostbite. My bigger single comb roosters almost always lose their comb points, and on occasion birds lose a few toes. No one has ever died from the cold here. They do fine down to those temperatures, and they are quite happy when we warm into the 20-30's.

 

[llombardo]

I have three 7 mth old roos that refuse to sleep in their bachelor pads. They roost out in the covered run. In another set up I have two 2 yr old bantam hens, 1 8 mth old roo, and five 6 mth old chickens that sleep on the roosts in their covered run. All during the day everyone goes in and out of their homes scratching, pecking, laying eggs, generally congregating in there. Come bedtime they fly to the outside to sleep. We are putting up insulation panels on the outside of the runs so maybe the wind will not be an issue. In NE OK it can get windy and wind chills under 0 degrees farenheit.

Isn't that something? Same thing here. They go in and out during the day but at night they want to stay out in the run. The three older ones used to go in with no problem, but now they all seem to be rebeling against me. I just got them all in the coop and my fingers feel like they are going to fall off. Once in there they all use the heated roost bars too. I'm thinking they can handle way better then my whiny butt.

 

[centrarchid]

Most the frost bite risk excepting the comb occurs during the day even though temperatures are warmer than at night. Think about why that might be.

 

[Crow-ded house]

Isn't that something? Same thing here. They go in and out during the day but at night they want to stay out in the run. The three older ones used to go in with no problem, but now they all seem to be rebeling against me. I just got them all in the coop and my fingers feel like they are going to fall off. Once in there they all use the heated roost bars too. I'm thinking they can handle way better then my whiny butt.

I tried locking them in at night for over three weeks just last month and now if I go in there before bedtime they all scatter so I told them the other day “ok . We gave you cozy homes to sleep in so if you freeze don’t complain to us.”

 

[Mrs. K]

We will have cold snaps for a couple of weeks, where the high can be -10. Several winters ago at 11:00 at night, we reach -35. That was cold, and mine did fine. I have had a broody hen raise 4 chicks when at a week old, the temperature dived to -20. I almost pulled them, but she raised them all.

However, I have never in 12 years of a continuous flock never got a bird over the age of 4, and most of mine are gone well before that. I do have predators, but still. I have read of people with 9 year old birds...and I wonder, do they live in warmer climates. My 4+ year old, was a great broody that raised me several clutches... she had the forever home, but that last year, I could tell she was old, she moved stiff and sore, not quite crippled.

Mrs K

 

[EggWalrus]

It's really sad that our chickens have such short lives. And it seems like the best and sweetest ones wind up dying the youngest. At least we get to share their love for a little while.

 

[aart]

I don't think there's a hard number for 'how cold is too cold'.
Can depend on the bird and their overall health.
I have lost a bird while it was cold, but not sure that was the base cause,
she had been acting lethargic and I acted too late.
We were discussing this just yesterday:

Warning signs that @Mrs. K posted are important.
Had a few like that last winter, saved 2 lost 1.
I brought them into the slightly warmer garage for just a couple hours,
for what @BantyChooks calls a 'cold reset',
gave them Sav-A-Chick vitamins/electrolytes and made sure they were eating,
put them back in coop and they were fine.
Dehydration can be a problem even in winter.
The one I lost I brought in too late, won't do that again.

 

[centrarchid]

We will have cold snaps for a couple of weeks, where the high can be -10. Several winters ago at 11:00 at night, we reach -35. That was cold, and mine did fine. I have had a broody hen raise 4 chicks when at a week old, the temperature dived to -20. I almost pulled them, but she raised them all.

However, I have never in 12 years of a continuous flock never got a bird over the age of 4, and most of mine are gone well before that. I do have predators, but still. I have read of people with 9 year old birds...and I wonder, do they live in warmer climates. My 4+ year old, was a great broody that raised me several clutches... she had the forever home, but that last year, I could tell she was old, she moved stiff and sore, not quite crippled.

Mrs K

Early mortality can associated with a feeding regimen that is too intense like used when targeting year round egg production.


Care needed to distinguish between outdoor conditions and what birds experience when close together indoors.