Is 3 Degrees Fahrenheit Too Cold??

[HannahL]

Hi all. So I live in New England and it has been bitterly cold the past couple of days. It’s been getting down to 0-10 degrees during the nights. It’s 3 degrees tonight and I have four hens. One of them is finishing up her molt and another is not very well equipped for cold weather.
My coop doesn’t have electricity so I’ve been having to change their water multiple times a day and I can’t attach a heat lamp. I was considering maybe bringing them inside to sleep tonight since I’m very worried about hypothermia and frostbite. My coop has shavings and is not very drafty, but it’s very large so the hens’ body heat doesn’t warm it up very much.
Should I bring them in or am I just being overly anxious?

 

[BigBlueHen53]

If wild birds can survive the cold temps, so can your chickens. It's not the temps that are the danger, it is the lack of ventilation. As long as cold air is not blowing directly on your roosting birds, they should be fine. I would uncover those vents. One problem comes when ammonia accumulates in the coop from the chickens' waste, and another problem is moist air and condensation, which can lead to frostbite. Good air flow solves both problems. Your hens paleness just indicates they are not laying, which is likely due to the short daylight hours and low hormone levels.

 

[21hens-incharge]

Here in Colorado we have been as low as -16F.
At that time mine were in an 8x14 walk in style coop (7.5 feet tall).

While frozen water is a pain in the butt as long as you have ample ventilation healthy adult birds should be fine.

Cold plus humidity is the issue. High humidity is sometimes unavoidable if the humidity outside the coop is just plain high. Humidity inside can be lowered to be the same as outside by keeping the droppings removed, keeping water in the run and having ample ventilation up high.

What breeds are you housing? Some breeds are more resistant to frostbite by having small combs and thicker feather type.

I have a few leghorn hybrids in my flock. One in particular has a large comb. Right now she has a tiny touch of frostbite from below zero temps with a relative humidity in the upper 80's. I was out of my control with that humidity level.

 

[Smileybans]

How much ventilation does your coop have? The only time I bring my chickens in is if they may be showing some signs of frostbite.

 

[HannahL]

How much ventilation does your coop have? The only time I bring my chickens in is if they may be showing some signs of frostbite.

It has two large vents at the top of the coop, well above the roosting stick, but we covered them up because of the cold. It is still well-ventilated but less drafty that way. I haven’t noticed any blackened tissue but a couple of the hens, especially the molting one, are quite pale.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

My coop doesn't have electricity either, but we do have construction-style (heavy-duty) extension cords and heated waterers. These keep the chickens' water from freezing except in the very coldest temps. Just be sure the junctions are not lying on the ground where they can get wet!