How to keep my chickens warm and safe this winter!?

[FunClucks]

Feed them! Food=Calories=heat.
An average chicken produces around 12 Watts.

Toasty! Another argument in favor of lap chickens. And chicken hand warmers.

Now, if I could just get them to huddle around my 5 gallon bucket waterers, then those wouldn't freeze either...

We're in the mid 20s here at night, 40s-50s during the day. Still hoping I can eek by without a bucket heater. Only about half of the nipples are frozen when we go out in the morning...

 

[NatJ]

Feed them! Food=Calories=heat.
An average chicken produces around 12 Watts.

Yes, and also make sure they have plenty of water. Thirsty chickens will not eat dry food.

I am purchasing a new heated waterer for the day because with this sudden dip in temp the water tends to freeze in the morning.

Good plan

They can also be fine if you bring them fresh water first thing in the morning, and check at intervals throughout the day, but the heated waterer is likely to be a lot easier, and doesn't require you to be available so many times per day!

 

[3KillerBs]

...

We're in the mid 20s here at night, 40s-50s during the day. Still hoping I can eek by without a bucket heater. Only about half of the nipples are frozen when we go out in the morning...

I'm at the border of garden zone 7b and 8a and I find it reasonable to just bring the water in at night.

It's almost never significantly below freezing in the daytime and when it is I can just change out waterers.

 

[Debnsync]

We don't need to keep them warm, we just keep them dry and out of the wind and they keep themselves warm.

It's been in the mid-to-low 20's overnight here in central NC and I have 6-week-old babies in an open-air coop without heat. They're fine and waiting for me to bring the water back out.

Everything's arranged so that no wind blows on the birds.

Interesting, we are in the Piedmont of N. C., and I definitely feel that same 20’s F!! Haven’t had babies outside before and assuming they are big enough to roost or do they just huddle up together on bedding? Best regards, stay warm.

 

[3KillerBs]

Interesting, we are in the Piedmont of N. C., and I definitely feel that same 20’s F!! Haven’t had babies outside before and assuming they are big enough to roost or do they just huddle up together on bedding? Best regards, stay warm.

They're still sleeping in a pile in the bedding. One or two have been testing the possibility of roosting on the edge of the now-open integration pen.

They will move up to the roosts when they're ready. As long as they're not in the nestboxes they can sleep where they want to.

 

[Chicken poppy]

20F isn't that cold at all for a chicken. The lack of ventilation is a bigger issue, as build up of moisture inside + cold is what leads to frostbite at higher temperature ranges.

For some breeds 20F is. Such as silkies, Japanese bantams, seramas, etc.

 

[rosemarythyme]

For some breeds 20F is. Such as silkies, Japanese bantams, seramas, etc.

Yes, but OP specified Sapphire Gems.

 

[SmiYa0126]

I'm in SE PA, half my hens roost in my run ( covered in plastic with vents) and the other half are in the coop with the door open. They'll be fine

 

[Chicken poppy]

Yes, but OP specified Sapphire Gems.

Ah, i missed that. You wrote “for a chicken” so it sounded like you were speaking for every breed.