How cold is too cold?

[Mother-Hen-Michele]

Amy good brands you recommend for higher protein. I am feeding them right now the nature wise brand of feed is that ok or should I change

Check the nutritional label on the bag. I drove myself nuts trying to find brands and they are just too local when they sell them because of weight.

Even Purina USA and Purina Canada are not the same company! (I believe there is even a Purina brand outside of those two, just to make it worst in an era of global information sharing)

You will see on the nutritional label that the protein will go from 22% to 15% and the fat content and calcium will have a guaranteed minimum and maximum. Chick food on the brands I have locally is around 22% the turkey grower food is around 20%.
That is the goal because layer food is often 15% to 17% which honestly is the "bare minimum" and they do that to be cheap, not for the hen's benefit. For that amount to be ok she needs to only eat snacks that are higher in protein than her feed, otherwise she is now below her minimum protein. If she eats stuff in the garden she better be finding more bugs than grass.

 

[Mother-Hen-Michele]

Ok, i dont trust heat lamps, because of fire hazards and our coop also shouldnt need one.

I understand your concern, but honestly, the lamps just aren't that hot. Maybe in the past it was more of an issue, but at least the ones I have barely warm the surface they shine on. I point them to something that will "trap" the heat for slow release like bricks or something like that so it stays a little more stable. The only concern for these lamps is the plugs and or extension cords if necessary. I keep an eye on those.

I tried not having them, and it is just too miserable and cold here, these hens were bred to be kept in a controlled environment for maximum egg production, the Leghorns never even fully feather out. If I had planned on eating them, they would have been easy to pluck clean. They are 3yrs old, I got them at 6 months, and they have never feathered properly. (And the darn things MOLT in winter which leaves them even more naked!! I have my skinniest one at the moment who barely has any feathers on her little pink flesh. Her butt and chest and head look ridiculous!)

 

[Mother-Hen-Michele]

I have some that are laying and some that are not laying

You might make a treat out of the protein food, or make a separate food station if that works for you. I sometimes put a hen that needs more protein in a spot others can't see or reach with a treat while I do the cleaning and then put the bowl into "general access" when she is done. The treat is usually a bowl of chick food with water and a little of anything if I have something fun to add (or plain if I have no treats)

 

[Mother-Hen-Michele]

I don’t believe chickens should have to ((((tolerate)))) the cold. I believe we as their family and care takers should make them comfortable as possible. I put a ceramic heat bulb in their coop (I’m decided to order a heat panel now) anyway my chickens and roosters are never stressed and yes they all cuddle up around it (that should tell you something) no shivering no one getting left out and freezing because of pecking order all are happy and healthy No one here has to tolerate the cold and you don’t have to worry about them knowing they are being kept comfortable and warm.

To bolster your argument... both sets of my grandparents raised a housefull of kids in a drafty house with only wood stoves. Which run out of wood during the night so in the morning it is cold and you need to get up to start a fresh fire before the kids get out from underneath their blankets. They grew up in beds they shared with siblings to keep warm. My mother slept in the same bed with all 9 of her sisters. She recalls the roof and walls had no insulation so you could see frost on the inside part of the nails that were keeping the siding attached to the studs. Wind would blow right through the tiny breaks in the walls.

Today social services would come in to rescue those kids and force that woman onto contraception, back then she was not allowed to manage her own fertility with anything, not even a calendar.

So... If I can have central heating and baseboards and radiant heaters anywhere I want, whose to say they aren't happy having a little warmth too? They only live a few years... Let's spoil them while we can. I see them as kids to whom I don't own any education about being 'generous' and 'polite'. I can make them terrible selfish little spoiled brats and no one will care.

In fact, I'm going out there now with a treat , let's see what's in the fridge

 

[Mother-Hen-Michele]

My coop is fine for laying and roosting at night but it's far too small to keep my chickens locked inside it for 3 or 4 days until temps return to normal. I'm just going to need to keep a close eye on them and be on the lookout for trouble. I'm just worried that I will catch it too late. I have close to 60 chickens but they have access to 2 coops (8x12), my goat house, as well as several run-ins that block wind & rain/snow. Hopefully they will hunker down in a protected area...

Do you have space in a barn (the goat house) or even a shed for a few "days" as to the coop being small, my hens spend a lot of time in the coop even though they have a covered run. Since I no longer have turkeys they have the run of the space and I made them a dust bath from a bale of peat moss, they don't see any need to wander around where it is cold. They just sit quietly and keep to themselves. In summer if I locked them in there would be fighting, but in winter they don't fight in the coop, they just perch.

 

[Chickeeaholic]

Well he asked and I gave my opinion. You just said yourself you are getting a heat plate so I’m not sure why you don’t seem to like what I said. As for what chickens use to do is not the same as today IMO. I have read horror stories of those chickens way back in the day most didn’t live etc. also in hard core cold areas most were eaten before winter as most wouldn’t survive.
I can just guarantee that if a heat source is given even at 35-40 deg they will huddle close to it. Had my neighbor get his chickens a heat source as he said they could tolerate it etc his chickens were not happy and were stressed. Introduce the heat source and boom he apologized and said his birds seem much happier. So to me that says they are cold if they move to the farther side then they are to warm. I have yet to see my birds get away from it in cold weather. I’m not not was I looking to argue we all love our birds we all have different opinions and experiences. Just my opinion as I want my birds happy and comfortable.

You make very good points. My grandparents kept chickens for eating and didn’t keep them very long. That is why there was no worry of being cold or sick.

Chickens didn’t get that old. My grandma also told me one winter her dad kept chickens in an open air coop. There was a bad storm. They didn’t die but still had to kill all of them all the next day because of the injuries they sustained. It was terrible and they suffered. People just don’t understand these days when they say back then chickens did fine in the cold. There are too many variables to make blanket statements like that.

 

[Uwish]

You make very good points. My grandparents kept chickens for eating and didn’t keep them very long. That is why there was no worry of being cold or sick.

Chickens didn’t get that old. My grandma also told me one winter her dad kept chickens in an open air coop. There was a bad storm. They didn’t die but still had to kill all of them all the next day because of the injuries they sustained. It was terrible and they suffered. People just don’t understand these days when they say back then chickens did fine in the cold. There are too many variables to make blanket statements like that.

Yes I have sadly seen to much frost bite on combs and waddles and feet frozen onto perches roofs etc. i live where a lot of farmers all around it’s sad lucky I have been able to convince many of them to offering heat. Some hard headed ones have had to learn the hard way at the expense of their poor birds. It breaks my heart. I truly cry for them and I’m not one who crys easily at all. I also have peacocks and that’s a whole other situation lol as they love to roost in the trees.

 

[Uwish]

@everyone So I don’t know if I’m allowed to post links but you can look it up on Amazon (dog house heater) they have several different types sizes and price points etc here are pics of 2 different ones. I believe I may get one of these but still not sure only because I’m planning on moving to Florida so this should be my last winter here.

 

[Beaker99]

Yes I have sadly seen to much frost bite on combs and waddles and feet frozen onto perches roofs etc. i live where a lot of farmers all around it’s sad lucky I have been able to convince many of them to offering heat. Some hard headed ones have had to learn the hard way at the expense of their poor birds. It breaks my heart. I truly cry for them and I’m not one who crys easily at all. I also have peacocks and that’s a whole other situation lol as they love to roost in the trees.

How do feet freeze to roosts? I had snow blow into the coop and it's -1F now.

 

[Mother-Hen-Michele]

You make very good points. My grandparents kept chickens for eating and didn’t keep them very long. That is why there was no worry of being cold or sick.

Chickens didn’t get that old. My grandma also told me one winter her dad kept chickens in an open air coop. There was a bad storm. They didn’t die but still had to kill all of them all the next day because of the injuries they sustained. It was terrible and they suffered. People just don’t understand these days when they say back then chickens did fine in the cold. There are too many variables to make blanket statements like that.

In winter the chickens would have a coop inside the barn so it had the heat from the cows and their manure, plus their walls and their cuddling heat. And they would be eaten since they made few eggs and you needed the meat. In the spring your favourite hen would make you a new batch of chicks. No one living in cold weather was leaving 3 yr old hens in -30 outside and expecting them to thrive. A hen that molted or stopped laying was Sunday dinner.