It's 13 degrees outside...And I am worried

[Foxinthehenhouse]

I do not have electricity for my coop or run...

I have put out straw and hay in the run...

I have fine pine shavings in their coop...

I go out each day and toss each to keep it fluffed and not matted...

But tonight, it has dropped to 13 degrees...I have brought out warm to hot oatmeal each dusk for them to have as energy overnight...

Each day, I bring them some sort of greens to eat as well as Grubblies...

But this is the worst frigid cold...I look every day to see if there is frostbite...none yet so far...but some of my girls are lifting their legs to tuck under their bodies...who could blame them!

I am stressed because the temps are just brutal and I do have a thermal dog dish to keep their water from freezing which I change EVERY day (I have an extension cord running 50 feet to the run to power the bowl) and have completely wrapped the run as best as I could but it is not solid and the winter winds and snow can still get in...but MY GOSH it is colder than a Husky would like it!

I have 2 of each...Ameraucanas, Barred Rocks, New Jerseys Reds, Lavender, and Buffs...each I chose because all are cold & hot tolerant but jeesh....how can I make them through double to single-digit cold...I have already had to do miracles with triple digits this past summer!

What am I do to do...I am afraid of everything...I have tried to think of everything I could and I will go out tomorrow and I am afraid to find one of my girls frozen with frostbite or dead...

Is there anything I can do?

By the way, the temp just dropped to 12 degrees...HELP!

 

[bruceha2000]

I love my girls...thank you everyone...for helping me through my anxiety...I am a NEWBIE!

First year is more worrisome than latter years. Kind of like kids, worry yourself sick with the first, Ho hum with the second.

I've had chickens since 2012. Coop is a converted 10x12 horse stall, 3' above the pony wall is open (1/2" hardware cloth) on 3 sides in a 170 year old barn. Not air tight by any means but no wind blowing on the birds on their roosts 4' off the ground therefore at the top of the pony wall.

I've seen -20°F, so the birds have too. I've had cold hardy birds and those that aren't supposed to be (Cubalaya - Cuban breed, Ancona - Mediterranean breed). NEVER have had a problem with cold. The birds puff up and stay warm.

One year my heated water pipe with saddle nipples failed so I had a regular waterer on bricks in the next stall over with a heat lamp pointed at it. Only the water on the lamp side was liquid. The girls had access to it all day. NOT ONE BIRD hung out by the heat lamp including the Australorp that decided to have her first adult moult starting at the end of January, the coldest time of year. She was half bald and even she didn't hang by the lamp.

My short message: Chickens do not need heat.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

This has been a fascinating read! I feel so guilty... I am in SE Missouri, in the "heartland" of America, and we have been having absolutely beautiful weather, in the upper 40's and lower 50's F. No snow to speak of although we did get ice one day, keeping The Kid home from school.

As for the chickens, I'm fairly well convinced they are birds, and can handle normal weather about the same as cardinals, sparrows, woodpeckers and juncos do. Meaning, they are spoiled rotten to have an indoor shelter and to have food and water provided to them and a daily treat hand-delivered!! I don't see what else they could possibly need. The wild birds are probably laughing at them for being so pampered.

I get that they're not penguins. But ... birds are pretty tough little critters when you think about it, even if we do love them like pets. Given decent care, they'll survive.

 

[kcan2]

The wild birds are probably laughing at them for being so pampered

Yes, I have thought this too... The wild birds are probably thinking, "you guys are such wimps!" Our wild birds are actually spoiled too, though. We spend a lot on seedcakes and black seed each month

 

[Charlenesmom]

Relax. I have already had sub zero temperatures this year and it was down to 1°F last night. I regularly see -30°F at some point during the winter. My chickens do fine without any supplemental heat. Good ventilation, no condensation and a dry coop will be fine. At some point, have an electric line run to the coop so that you can eliminate the extension cord.

I

Unfortunately, the run is NOT draft-free. The coop is integrated within the run. I have wrapped the entire run in segments but there are gaps where the snow can drift in; it keeps the winds and driving snow at bay but it is not full-proof. It was the best we could do and is NOT full proof; there are gaps where the snow gets in. The gaps are about 2 inches wide where the snow flows through. The picture is the run/coop from this past summer...all of the areas around the run have been wrapped at this time.

I know this is an old thread, comment, but I was just wondering about the 2”gaps where the snow could blow in, why not just overlap the plastic where the gaps are to prevent any openings. Maybe there’s something I’m missing, but it seems easy enough just to wrap the entire structure in plastic with no gaps. ‍

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

I

I know this is an old thread, comment, but I was just wondering about the 2”gaps where the snow could blow in, why not just overlap the plastic where the gaps are to prevent any openings. Maybe there’s something I’m missing, but it seems easy enough just to wrap the entire structure in plastic with no gaps. ‍

I have gaps in mine, it's OK if a little snow blows in. Still need to make sure there is adequate ventilation.

 

[lifein1840]

I do not have electricity for my coop or run...

Your chickens will do fine. If you are really worried (and it sounds like you are!) bring them warm oatmeal in the morning and feed them a bit of whole corn an hour or so before you lock them up but make sure the bulk of their food is a balanced feed.
Don't close your coop up so much that you trap moisture in there, that is what will cause them to get frostbite. Make sure the coop has ventilation. They are more likely to get sick with respiratory issues in a coop that is tightly closed.
I used to worry so much about the chickens in the winter but then i realized, they have been around for thousands of years and no one had electricity before the 1900's. Also, chickens aren't mammals so they have different ways to keep warm. It's easy to put yourself in their place and know how cold you would be, but try to look at it logically. I think electricity in a coop is MUCH more dangerous than the cold.
I wish i could give you a hug and convince you it will be fine!!

 

[krowl]

Reading all of these comments from everyone in much colder conditions makes me feel a lot better about my girls and this Maryland weather!!! First winter with chickens, and I have been so worried and have tried to make sure I've prepared them for the winter ahead

 

[Kellow1]

I also use an oil filled radiating heated in my coop. It's plugged into an extension cord as I don't have electricity in coop. Only raises temps about 5 degrees in coop, but on really cold days (under 30) I find my girls huddling near it. They like it, and temp difference is not so much they would die if power went out when I wasn't home. It's ok to give them a little warmth.

It might be okay if your temp was way below 30 but when you add extra heat to the coop, it prevents the chickens from adjusting to the cold be growing more down feathers! The normal body temp of chickens is between 105-107 degrees and they wear a down jacket all-year-round!

 

[Manhen]

It might be okay if your temp was way below 30 but when you add extra heat to the coop, it prevents the chickens from adjusting to the cold be growing more down feathers! The normal body temp of chickens is between 105-107 degrees and they wear a down jacket all-year-round!

They take them off occasionaly.