How to tell if a chicken is too cold?

[greggooo]

Also posting this here. Kinda scared that my little ones are freezing out there.

Hi there. I have a small flock of 6 chickens. I built them a coop with around 27sf (5x5.5) and 4 feet tall. We have this arctic cold blast coming tonight in upstate NY. It's already 23º outside and 27º in the coop. I have a hygrometer that shows just 47% humidity. I think that I eliminated drafts and I insulated all of the walls with 1" foam insulation and used hardboard to cover it so they wouldn't peck at it. On the wall near the roosts, I installed a Cozy Coop and it's on high.

How do I know if its too cold for them? They are only 8 weeks old right now. They did want out earlier and free ranged when it was 28º. Beastie, my rooster just crowed 6 times or so. How do I know if they are too cold and I need to bring them into the basement? They just seem so young and this is kinda scaring me. They are 3 EE and 3 Ameraucanas.

They aren't in a chicken pile like when they were chicks and not warm enough. And yes, I have a camera in there...
Thanks.

 

[Alecia Davidshofer]

I wonder the same thing...lets get some good awnsers chickens How cold can a 8 week old pullet get?

 

[junebuggena]

I had 4 week old chicks outside and without heat during a cold snap that hit 17* F. They were fine. Yours will be fine as well. As long as the coop is dry and well ventilated, chickens are remarkably tolerant of extreme cold.

 

[Nekatlla]

I hear ya, I'm in upstate NY too, real cold up here in the mountains gonna be 11 in the am but not as windy. The wind got one of my meaties yesterday. Blew so hard it unplugged the heat lamps I had out. The layers were fine today, they came out for about an hour at a time today. Just shut them up at 6:30 it was 21 out side and 30 in the coop so I think they're good. Supposed to warm up a bit next week.

 

[greggooo]

I hear ya, I'm in upstate NY too, real cold up here in the mountains gonna be 11 in the am but not as windy. The wind got one of my meaties yesterday. Blew so hard it unplugged the heat lamps I had out. The layers were fine today, they came out for about an hour at a time today. Just shut them up at 6:30 it was 21 out side and 30 in the coop so I think they're good. Supposed to warm up a bit next week.

Sorry about your meatie. Are they less hardy than layers? I have 3 easter eggers and 3 ameraucanas. They are supposed to be hardy. It was 31º in the coop and it was 28º outside when I put the birds to bed. Since I am a geek, I have a camera in here and it says 29º now and it's 23º outside. Heat lamps scare me, but they probably provide a lot more heat than my cozy coop. Best of luck tonight. These are my first chickens and this is stressing me out!!

 

[IdyllwildAcres]

I would take the heat out of there. What happens if they get used to the heated coop and the electric goes out? Don't close up the vents, Remove the thermometer, stop looking at it they will be fine they have cozy down coats on, they roost in trees....

Gary

 

[IdyllwildAcres]

I hear ya, I'm in upstate NY too, real cold up here in the mountains gonna be 11 in the am but not as windy. The wind got one of my meaties yesterday. Blew so hard it unplugged the heat lamps I had out. The layers were fine today, they came out for about an hour at a time today. Just shut them up at 6:30 it was 21 out side and 30 in the coop so I think they're good. Supposed to warm up a bit next week.

All the more reason NOT to provide heat, they get used to it instead of the cold.

Gary

 

[greggooo]

I would take the heat out of there. What happens if they get used to the heated coop and the electric goes out? Don't close up the vents, Remove the thermometer, stop looking at it they will be fine they have cozy down coats on, they roost in trees....

Gary

I was reading a lot about that. Being a new chicken owner is stressing... I decided to just do heat if its a sudden drop, like this cold snap tonight. My main fear is that they aren't used to it yet and not old enough to handle a day that starts at 40º and ends at 17º. Also, the cozy coop doesn't seem to warm it more than a few degrees.

 

[azygous]

The key is acclimatization. As long as chickens have acclimatized to an extreme climate, they do just splendidly as long as they aren't exposed to chilling wind and rain.

If you gradually weaned your chicks off heat as they grew in their feathers, then gradually exposed them to cooler temps until they were comfortable in sub-freezing temps, you have no worries.

What's a "Cozy Coop"? A heater? That's fine as long as the coop is well ventilated so condensation caused by the heated air doesn't form on surfaces, which can cause frostbite. In fact, the chickens' own body heat and respiration can cause condensation even in an unheated coop with inadequate ventilation. Ventilation would be your main concern.

The other issue would be heating their coop at night to such a degree that they could suffer heat stress from going from one extreme to the other. One winter I brought a disabled hen into the house because it was below freezing that day. The house was nearly 80 F. I watched this hen turn cherry red around her facial tissue and comb and wattles. Luckily, I recognized she was going into heat stress, and I removed her to the garage which was in the 40s, still warm, but much cooler.

Chickens can be far more uncomfortable in cold after spending all night in a heated coop than they would if they were in a more consistent temperature range.

 

[greggooo]

The key is acclimatization. As long as chickens have acclimatized to an extreme climate, they do just splendidly as long as they aren't exposed to chilling wind and rain.

If you gradually weaned your chicks off heat as they grew in their feathers, then gradually exposed them to cooler temps until they were comfortable in sub-freezing temps, you have no worries.

What's a "Cozy Coop"? A heater? That's fine as long as the coop is well ventilated so condensation caused by the heated air doesn't form on surfaces, which can cause frostbite. In fact, the chickens' own body heat and respiration can cause condensation even in an unheated coop with inadequate ventilation. Ventilation would be your main concern.

The other issue would be heating their coop at night to such a degree that they could suffer heat stress from going from one extreme to the other. One winter I brought a disabled hen into the house because it was below freezing that day. The house was nearly 80 F. I watched this hen turn cherry red around her facial tissue and comb and wattles. Luckily, I recognized she was going into heat stress, and I removed her to the garage which was in the 40s, still warm, but much cooler.

Chickens can be far more uncomfortable in cold after spending all night in a heated coop than they would if they were in a more consistent temperature range.

At this point, the coop humidity is under 50%. It's the same at the outside humidity, so I think the ventilation is working. It has been a focus as we go into winter.

They were weaned of the heat lamp at 5 weeks and have been outside since they were 6 weeks. They are 18 weeks now, and actually whined until I let them free range today when it was 29º. I am hoping that means that they are acclimating... I was just afraid that they aren't old enough.

The "Cozy Coop" is a flat infrared panel heater with a zero clearance, so there is little risk of fire. It doesn't really warm the air that much, just gives off a little heat to take the bite off. It's mounted on the wall near their roost. Here is the link. https://www.cozyproducts.com/products/cozy-coop It's not as expensive on amazon. Not meant to heat an entire coop.