How cold is too cold?

[Jenni Hen]

I think you are describing a run with walls so the humidity accumulates. Keep an eye on them, if they start being too sad looking, open the doors to ventilate the humidity,

Be wary of too much information.

Thank you, yes, I put panels of corrugated PVC on the run for the winter to keep out the wind and the rain. They don't have a big hen house, only little coops within the run, and some BYC people would probably call it a large coop.
There are vents that I open and close according to the weather. I do keep an eye on the humidity and the ventilation and the good advice on this forum is helpful.
Maybe I should also add that I used to be a physicist - I get excited and happy when I find measurements and calculations!

 

[Mother-Hen-Michele]

Maybe I should also add that I used to be a physicist - I get excited and happy when I find measurements and calculations!

Thank you for reassuring me !

You love data! I have a minor in economics and I do get lost (happily) in things too. Don't ask me about things you hear on the news I will go into way too much detail about why it isn't what they imply it is when they half report on a data point instead of the trend. *Phew!*

I was worried you were falling down a rabbit hole of guilt. We love the helpless little girls and sometimes we make ourselves sick worrying about their needs.

I agree with you making an expanded coop/winter run with walls, it is my long term goal. Mine is about 7/10 done... By the time it gets to 9/10 I will have moved the goal line and it will go back to being about 6/10 done.

Thank you for clarifying

 

[Jenni Hen]

Thank you for reassuring me !

You love data! I have a minor in economics and I do get lost (happily) in things too. Don't ask me about things you hear on the news I will go into way too much detail about why it isn't what they imply it is when they half report on a data point instead of the trend. *Phew!*

I was worried you were falling down a rabbit hole of guilt. We love the helpless little girls and sometimes we make ourselves sick worrying about their needs.

I agree with you making an expanded coop/winter run with walls, it is my long term goal. Mine is about 7/10 done... By the time it gets to 9/10 I will have moved the goal line and it will go back to being about 6/10 done.

Thank you for clarifying

It's very kind of you to look out for other people like that - that spirit of kindness is what makes BYC such a supportive environment.
When I was intending to get chickens, OH was approaching retirement and treated himself to a table saw. Somehow he also received several books on building chicken coops The books often referred to 'the next coop' - which is always going to be better than all the preceding coops!
That makes sense, because I don't think it's possible to design for all scenarios; for example, when I'd put panels on the long sides but not the ends, oops!!, that turned the run into a wind tunnel! (Now if I'd monitored wind speed and direction... )

 

[My Very First 6 Chickens]

IMO, it's a bad idea to put a hard surface in the run. Chickens need to be able to dig and scratch. I strongly suspect that frustrating their instincts in one area is likely to create problem behaviors in other areas.

The best solution for dampness in the run is to address any drainage issues and add lots and lots of dry organic material.

Coarse wood chips, the sort you get from a tree service, are often considered the gold standard for the control of mud and odor.

I collect leaves and have made a sort of ramp i add more leaves to as needed. I mix it(rake it) every other day. They hang in their leaf nest whenever its super cold. Its off the ground at least 3 inches. We have a big run tho so many places to hang out.

 

[Shahnaz13]

Hey guys! I live in the UK and have been experiencing cold weather the past few days. Last night was -6 Celsius which I havent seen for a long time. Its currently snowing and supposed to be between -6 and -7 tomorrow night. I have 5 ex battery hens and 6 ducks (live separately). I am not worried about the ducks as they seem to be doing okay. However my chickens have not been happy for the past few days, they seems to be very stressed by the cold. They are okay during the day when it warms up but early in the morning, they come out and dont really move. This morning one of the girls became very stressed by the cold and she did concern me but she is okay now. All my hens are very very skinny, and 2 are in moult. My vet believes they are just naturally skinny and small as we have done everything to check illness in some of the hens and nothing has come up. Due to how small and slim they are, I dont think the cold wether is suiting them well. I delivery hot porridge/wheat/corn in the mornings to help perk them up but I am really worried about them. Ive read that I shouldnt bring them in of a night as this can mess up their ability to cope with the cold wether, but where do you draw the line with possible death? They arent as hardy as the ducks and I am scared they will get too cold in the night. They have atleast 10inches of bedding and we have packed it up the sides of the coop walls, we even have blankets over the coop to. We dont have the option of running electric down to them so cant use any type of heaters. Any advice as to wether I should leave them out or bring them in?6q

Write a mail to Fiona and Hugh ar the Youtube channel " English country life".
They live on a smallholding in England and raise Buff Orpingtons. They
both are extremely knowledgeable and will be able to give you advice

Good luck to you and the girls

 

[Siope]

I have been raising chickens for many years now. At first I also worried about the cold but soon learned you don't have to as long as 1. They are not in a wet environment 2. Sheltered from the wind 3. Have most of their feathers (loss of some is ok) 4. Have both food and water available (both are key). I live in Canada and for the last week the temperatures have been -18 celsius with the wind chill making it more like -25 c. My girls have been just fine. I gave them some extra shavings made sure that ventilation was good without any drafts and all the other items I listed was provided. They are clucking along just fine. Bringing birds in to a warm environment during winter or providing supplementary heat can actually be bad.. they may not develop the nice down needed to keep them warm and may not "fluff" their feathers. It's the two layers of feathers and the fluffing they do that keeps them warm as it traps the heat under the outer layer. Cuddling close to their buddies also helps. The parts you need to watch for are the feet and crowns they can get frost bite and that can kill. Thus reason to make sure everything is dry and they can tuck their feet against their chests on the roost. Hope that helps.

 

[theoldchick]

It does help! Thanks!