Is 3'F too cold?

[Siler]

Many of the people on this forum are pretty new to raising chickens. I got my first chickens last spring so I come here to learn all I can about things most people learn from the day they learn to walk out in the country. I worried every day it got colder and colder that they'd die because their coop isn't insulated. We wrapped it in plastic to keep the winds off of them and they are just fine outside. When it gets down near zero degrees we feed them more each day and put hot water in their water bucket so it doesn't freeze quite as fast. Being uninsulated the water can freeze almost instantly so we stay on top of that. They have a nesting box roughly about 36X18 with one hole, straw grass, and is insulated with that emergency blanket type stuff. They lay as few as 1 egg a day to 7 a day. That all depends on whether or not they get out of their coop to run around the yard. They seem relatively unaware of the near freezing temps outside.

My mom was raised on a farm and her job as a child was to take care of the chickens and collect their eggs. When I ask her about chickens she can't remember a thing other than "they laid a lot of eggs". LOL! Thanks mom! So I come here and read all about it.

 

[teach1rusl]

OP...as I'm sure you've discovered by now, there are a LOT of different opinions on the subject of providing some heat in a coop or not. You'd get a similar variety of responses if you asked how cold is too cold for a dog. People view their animals so differently, so you have to do what's comfortable for you. All of my animals are pets (and fairly spoiled pets)...dogs, cats, chickens. So even though I know my dogs, cats, and chickens would most likely survive in really low temperatures, I allow my dogs and cats inside my house, and I provide a heat lamp in my coop for my chickens on those nights. That's what I'm comfortable with...

 

[B'villechicken]

I have a coop in upstate New York. It has been -13F and -11F the past few weeks. My Red Stars have no heat and do well. Read Patandchickens thing on ventilation & you'll be fine.

 

[SuziQ991]

I have only had my chickens since August, so this is my first winter with them. I am an animal lover extreme (just ask my husband LOL), My coop is not insulated but well built with ventilation. I have a heat lamp up but have not turned it on yet, I decided to see how the chickens did without it first. I have 2 RIR's that started laying two weeks before Christmas and they have layed an egg every day except two since then. I open the pop door every day no matter what the temp is. They always chose to go outside and spend little time in the coop even in the snow. So far, no frostbite or other ill effects. So for me this is working. If I thought they were in danger or even uncomfortable in any way I would not do it this way. I actually think the heat of summer is more of a threat to them.