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

[rotagen]

I'm skeptical on the whole "ventilation to prevent frostbite" thing. Especially when the air outside is humid and cold, and the inside of the coop is dry, ventilation down below the roosting spots might be OK, since warm air rises.

 

[aart]

I'm skeptical on the whole "ventilation to prevent frostbite" thing. Especially when the air outside is humid and cold, and the inside of the coop is dry, ventilation down below the roosting spots might be OK, since warm air rises.

Ventilation may not always prevent frostbite, there are many variables, tho it can help.
The main reason for ventilation is air quality.

 

[Darlava]

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!

 

[Darlava]

This is our first winter too. With white Leghorns and Brahmas. It's not even the first day of winter in Upstate NY and it's gotten to 7 degrees. They seem to be doing fine. I bought a 3 gallon heated water bowl and a heat panel for behind the roost. As long as the roost is flat enough they can tuck they're legs under them.

 

[analyticalblonde]

It's good to see that there are lots of other people worried about their chickens and the cold. My chickens are, yes, spoiled and so I do use an oil-filled, radiator heater hung from the rafters of each coop. They like them and often roost on boards hung a the heaters. Since our runs are too big to wrap, I get inexpensive plastic greenhouses like in the runs that they can hang out in during the day. I use strawbales and straw inside and put their food and water in there as well. It works well and I have a nice place to feed them in and sit and talk to them-ha. Yeah, spoiled, but that's okay.

How do you handle the weight of the snow that accumulates on top of the greenhouse? My integrated coop/run has the same domed roof and when we get a snow storm, I get about a foot or more that sits on top and I have to go inside and try to push off the snow but I am so worried about puncturing the canopy or it ripping from the weight.

 

[nbryan]

How do you handle the weight of the snow that accumulates on top of the greenhouse? My integrated coop/run has the same domed roof and when we get a snow storm, I get about a foot or more that sits on top and I have to go inside and try to push off the snow but I am so worried about puncturing the canopy or it ripping from the weight.

Those round roof poly shelters though cheap and handy, will not shed snow very well. Peaked roof shelters are better at shedding snow (and more expensive), but in either case, getting a "roof rake" shovel really helps. Yes, one has to clear the snow or there will be a collapse, eventually.
Another issue is if these sheds are used year round and are not in good shade they will simply disintegrate anyway from the solar UV. I got 3 years max until my cheap sheds blew away or collapsed (tore through) under snow.
I built a cheap 2x3 roof frame in A-frame style, 45 degrees slope , or 12/12, with 6-mil poly sheathing. Snow slides off on its own. If I get 2 years from the poly, it's easy to replace. 1x1" hardware cloth for the ventilation openings.

 

[MotherHen1999]

So, I truly trust the experienced and coming up on experienced posters here on BYC...I believe I have and am doing the right measures during the cold snaps....wrapped run, dry straw and hay in their run, dry and tossed everyday pine shavings in their coop, clean water everyday in their thermal bowl, greens and steel cut oats, grubblies and a brief bit of sunshine if it comes out for them to enjoy. This is the first winter just like I had the first summer filled with panic and not knowing what to do...I am paranoid; I am a keeper and I love my girls...thank you everyone...for helping me through my anxiety...I am a NEWBIE! I love all of you for being here to help me through my first year...your are all the BEST!

Some cold-weather, electricity-free strategies when we lived in IL winters:
* Cracked corn in the evening before they go to sleep!! - the work to digest the corn generates some metabolic heat for the birds
* we gave them warm (gently hot) oatmeal in the morning made with milk and greek yogurt (if they'll eat it) and/or cheese or some protein included
* coop ventilation without drafts is important - maybe wrap the closed structure section of your coop in a tarp or old shower curtain to keep cold breezes out
*thick layers of wood chips or nesting material so they can hunker down in it
*we also brought them warm water to drink a couple times a day - the feeder water froze up so we didn't bother trying to fight it (but if you go electric then a heated dog bowl worked)
Good luck!

 

[alex5chickens]

Sounds like you are doing great! If it is your first winter keeping chickens I can definitely understand you worrying about them. The breeds you have will do just fine in 13 degree weather provided they are well fed and have plenty of ventilation. I like to give my chickens a handful or two of oats and corn at night right before they go to sleep to give them some extra calories to stay warm with. And don't heat their coop, it's not necessary and it's also a fire hazard. Just keep giving them fresh bedding, keep their water unfrozen, make sure they are well fed, and your birds will do just fine this winter!

 

[alex5chickens]

I forgot to say... ventilation is the most important thing. Humidity will promote frostbite, so make sure there’s plenty of ventilation that will NOT direct drafts across their sleeping area.

Yes, ventilation is VERY IMPORTANT

 

[alex5chickens]

This is wonderful news for me...I have only had my girls since the end of March and have gone through the most brutal summer and now this brutal winter...I tried to prepare myself before getting my girls by reading everything I could for two years before I pulled the trigger and got them. I am so stressed with the weather and temperatures...they are my girls and the stress I see them under makes me feel helpless. I just want to make sure they can get through this...

This is how I felt the first winter I had chickens. Don't worry, it sounds like you are doing a very good job taking care of them!