Intense Cold on the Way!

[3 sisters farm]

Our normal winter low is about 26 but most nights 36 or above....we had temps to 4-5 degrees at night with daytime of 12 in early Dec....temps had been 40 at night prior so no adjustment.....got some doghouses of craigs list....the chickens pile in on top of each other inside the coop on real cold nights....they all survived the cold....had 2 inside died...had gotten wet(tried to swim in their water) then power went out and they were still under lamps the week before...so heat lamps would not work for us in cold....we lose out electicity with that. I did have one with frostbite on her foot, but she is recovering nicely.....laid eggs all but the first few days!

 

[LynneP]

You're in the thick of it now, how is everyone managing?

Birds hate change but a cold snap will change their attitude about staying warm...

We're half way through our storm, -11C light winds, piles of now and the wind directly on the coop. We loaded the nest boxes with bedding so that when the hens are setting they don't get uncomfortable. Some of them wiggle down and pull hay over their backs!

Snow boards in the run make a huge difference, anything you can do to baffle wind. We're experimenting with 12 ml vinyl on hardware cloth this year to see if it's adequate in our winters. So far, no cracking. Much better than lighter weights. This is the stuff some restaurants use over cloth tablecloths. Next year we may use more because it's so clear that light continues to reach the birds. Above all, I think a roofed run is a godsend when winter strikes hard.

 

[rdranch]

They will likely be fine if where they spend most of their indoor time is draft free. They won't like it but will be o.k.

Offer them some scratch in the afternoon and let nature do the rest.