How cold?

[Crusty McPottydoodle]

How cold does it need to get for me to worry about combs and wattles and even the girls not being able to keep each other warm enough?

 

[canada-goose]

No idea. Just watch them and get them warmed up when they're shivering and lethargic. I'm not very scientific.

 

[patandchickens]

If the air inside the coop is very humid (either b/c of poor ventilation or poor coop management, or because you are in a period of prolonged very wet cold weather and the *outdoor* air is persistantly humid *too*) or the chickens are in a persistant breeze they can't get away from, then you can get frostbite at not much below freezing.

Under normal conditions i.e. basically-dry draft-free air in the coop, a few roos with very large or elaborate combs (think Andalusians, Buttercups, that sort of thing) can have trouble not much below freezing, but well-chosen breeds are typically fine well down towards 0 F, many of them considerably colder than that.

You just sort of have to keep an eye on them, see how it goes.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[StupidBird]

so, here in Georgia it's cold (to us!) raining and evermore humid. Right now the hens are just damp and complaining. What does this newbie look for as signs of too wet & cold? They can always go inside their little coop. *sigh* I know, I worry too much.

 

[mdbokc]

My RIR get cold faster than my crossbreeds. So breed sure does make a difference. I am actually thinking low watt heat lamp for them for later this winter. Whereas I had not planned on needing any supplemental heating. Issue here is the wide temp swings....arctic cold front reaching us w/north wind or Gulf warmth and moisture w/south wind. Even hard on adults to adapt as temps are all over the board.

 

[Crusty McPottydoodle]

I don't have any roosters, but Rosie has a pretty large comb. She is an ISA brown. We are in Vancouver, so it is generally more wet than freezing. I think my ventilation should be pretty good. The ventilation shown at the top is the same on the otherside of the house. The hens roost significantly lower than that at the back of the house where the vent is narrowest, so no draughts on them. I have gone into the house on a windy day and sat with my head at about where theirs would be and I did not really feel any draught.

My main concern is to give instructions to my son for whilst I am away for 2 weeks over christmas and also to whomever I end up having take over for him for the 4 days he will also be away.

 

[pwand]

I'm here in Courtenay on Vancouver Island. Nice to see someone on here who leaves close by. I've had my chickens for 6 plus years. I haven't had any problems with my girls. Remember how much snow and cold we had last year, I think it lasted for about 2 months. The girls get through it. What I have done is build an extension on my coop for out door area to keep them out of the rain. I found that they didn't go inside to get out of the rain, however, they do love the area we put on. You will probably find that we get really muddy as well. I put a lot of sand outside under there outdoor cover. In the past we would get chips from the tree toppers for free. We would ask that they had no cedar in them. Here is a picture of my coop extension. I would suggest maybe closing in the top and putting in Gabriel vents. I can't tell if you have a mesh over that area, were we have problems with raccoons and weasels and the nuisance rats. The girls would stay warmer as well.

 

[Crusty McPottydoodle]

Quote:
Thanks for that - I feel much better now. I graduated from Highland in Comox! I used to live on Mclaughlin Drive at the top of Dingwall in Courtenay.

Here is a front view of the whole coop.

 

[pwand]

Thats a very nice Coop. Its definitely a small world. I moved here with my husband with the military.