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

[rehdancer]

For us your temps are quite balmy !! I wondered how my ladies would take to the cold also, but aside from complaining they do fine. I have kept the area around the coop shoveled, and they've just been scratching the snow and ice away and making their dust nests in the dirt in the sunshine (when we HAVE sunshine!). I do have a raised coop and I stuffed a BUNCH of pine straw under there. They hunker down in that too when it's snowing. I have closed off the north and west sides to block the prevailing winter winds. Since I have a dog that loves the cold (Great Pyrenees) it has helped me understand that not every other creature gets cold like we humans do, nor does it bother them like it does us. Most creatures adapt to their surroundings much better than humans do !!

 

[CamTheChknKeeper]

I live in Maine. My coop is not insulated and I do not heat it either. It was mentioned before in this thread but it is vital, so it is good to repeat:
In freezing temps it so important to have roosts that are wide (e.g. 2x4 on it's side). This allows their feet to stay close to their bodies thus preventing frostbite on their toes. Frostbite on the combs & wattles won't cause disability like frostbitten toes can.

Thanks for reminding me about that! I have a great coop but I’m planning to add wider roosting bars... the ones included are just 2” square and I’d prefer to have wider ones for just the reason you mention.

 

[dirkandlorie]

I am glad to know I’m not the only one stressing this first cold winter with my girls. I have 3 ducks, 6 pullets and 2 roosters. I read so much material before getting them but nothing has prepared me for this. I go out everyday and open the coop door giving them the option to stay in or go out. It has been brutally cold especially since we live right on the water. I hadn’t seen any issues until today. My big astrolorp rooster is standing on one leg and shivering. I noticed some of my girls fluffed but shivering as well. I do not want to lock them in for the whole day. I have ventilation well above where they roost and still am finding condensation on the walls. We have converted a metal shed into a coop. I have noticed some sneezing so put some vetrx in their water, put Luke warm water in the waterers but I don’t know what else to do. We have electric running to the coop but it isn’t insulated. Everyone has told me not to run any heat but I’ve seen several posts where people have done so just to add a few degrees to the coop...HELP

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.

 

[Foreveryukon]

I live in the Yukon and our winters are cold. On average-20c or colder and I let my hens get used to the cold. They have down feathers that keep them warm. Their coop is between 0 to -15 at times. They lay all winter and love to go out to middle yard thats protected from wind and snow. The more you “protect” them The harder it is for them to provide good feathers for their warmth. When it gets to -30 and -40 i have 1 or 2 heat lamps in the coop to take the edge off. This is their 2nd year and all are healthy. I give them things to do. A big chunk of hay for them to “play” in, and scratch to look for helps keep them active and warm. Just what i learned from reading and researching when i got my girls. They are rhode island red and sun setters. Quite winter hardy.

 

[RaZ]

Chickens can get frostbite on combs or wattles even if your coop is not high in humidity. They get it if they get wet in the water fount. If you see blood spots on your drinker it means that the bird got wet and came in contact with a cold surface. I've had chickens get frostbite this way. My coop is draft free and the humidity is rarely higher than ambient. I have temperature and hygrometer monitors in the coop and outside.

 

[bfc chicks]

It’s already been below zero several nights here. I’ve come out in the mornings to find water buckets literally frozen into solid blocks of ice. My chickens are fine. The ones with single combs (as opposed to rose or pea combs) sometimes have a bit of frostbite. If it troubles them, they don’t show it. They were in a metal shed, uninsulated, deep bedding, ventilated at the gable ends for all of last super-cold winter and up until a month ago. Now they’re in a double-wall unheated greenhouse (maybe slightly warmer) but the coldest weather so far was in the metal shed and they’ve been fine. Yours will be fine, too.

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!

One of the things i do and has seemed to help is keep my hens (and roosters) in the house over winter, they don't seem to want to go outside anyway, and keep a space allowance of one bird to everg two feet of floor space. If i have less birds they seem cold and if more birds someone gets picked on. With that said, with fresh water, good feed and some grit and bedding they seem to be quite content.

 

[aart]

I do run a heat lamp for mine when it gets into the teens and below, which we've already had.

@sciencegrrrrl temps in teens F.... in SE Louisiana?!?

Chickens can get frostbite on combs or wattles even if your coop is not high in humidity. They get it if they get wet in the water fount.

Yup....or when they are noshing snow.

 

[Bound to Sea]

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!

They will be just fine. They can tolerate much colder. You are doing a great job!

 

[minaayindra]

Thank you for your post...I am a bit crazy about being a little crazy about my girls but your post will help me through the night until I go out tomorrow. I am worried though and until tomorrow, I won't know right? Every day I worry about them...kindof weird right?

Then you are joined by thousands of "weird" people, one of them being me!

 

[minaayindra]

I really do understand your pain... I live where it has already gotten to 9 degrees and, since we are on the ridge of a tall mountain, the wind blows hard and almost nonstop. This drops the temps by at least 10 degrees and it is brutal. I invested in some state-of-the-art coops for my varied guys but there is no fighting cold like that. I had each coop wired so there were two double outlets on every wall, great for water heaters and other heaters that need to be powered; it keeps the wires up and away from them behind the roosts. I have placed electric radiant heating plates on the walls in each coop, up high by their roosts and lower by their sitting areas. Since we use sand bedding, which has been wonderful, I try to make sure it stays dry to avoid any freezing and damage to feet. I also just put in lightweight heating pads in each coop so they can stand on them if their feet get too cold. So far, they are just interested in such a curiosity but can't seem to figure out what to do with them. lol Checking the water every day and making sure your drinking nipples are not frozen (if that is what you use) because they have such a little opening that they are more inclined to freeze up. I also give high protein snacks a little more frequently, including making sure they have greens at all times. Sprouts in a tray are wonderful- they think these are in their own special dinner plate and they will eat them every day.

After all this, and it is my first winter with the guy and ladies, I still have a rooster who got a small spot of frostbite on his large comb but he seems completely unconcerned. I am really more concerned with all those little feet because I feel them when they are bouncing around on me and many are so cold. I know that many say to acclimate them to the cold and they are right- but they can't acclimate to constant freezing temps and high winds any better than other animals. I do have 6 hens who are cold-hardy and they seem to be, but ice on the ground is too dangerous for them and their tootsies. My others are smaller and they know enough to not stand outside all the time in their run- but they are still cold inside, no matter what.

Anyway, after this long novel, you can see I am just as much a fanatic over my guys as you are. I also wake up frequently worrying if they are alright in such low temps but I haven't found one injured yet- so weird is okay if it insures a good outcome for everyone involved. The lack of sleep is not so don't be like me!