ITS GOING TO BE -52!! AHH PLEASE HELP ME!!

[CochinBrahmaLover]

So tonight its supposed get to -52 (probably colder) and i know chickens can withstand cold but -52 and colder now that's just pushing it. So if you live in AK or have had chickens in like -60 weather then please tell me how you keep them warm!!! We have 2 HOT heat lamps and one that's OK, the OK one isn't that warm and the HOT one don't work to well outside. Any help would work! Thanks very much!

 

[Snozzle]

Got a dog kennel? I have been storing the bantams and chicks in a rabbit cages in the garage while it is cold here. If you can't bring them in I would say maybe heat lamps, waterproof heat pads, plenty of hay and hot water bottles. I have been defrosting my rabbits water bottles twice a day, so make sure they have liquids. My baby rabbits and chickens get along great, so on very cold nights I leave them together and they cuddle up for warmth, but them most roos aren't as tolerant as Rupert either. That's insanely cold, I freak out when it drops below freezing here, best luck to you, I hope everyone makes it through ok.

 

[CochinBrahmaLover]

we have a dog cage ya but like only 2 or 3 of them could fit since some of them are FAT and their full grown and we only have one large dog cage

 

[Snozzle]

Chicken diapers and bring them inside maybe? I have thought about it, they can't be worse them the cats

 

[CochinBrahmaLover]

diapers ya but we don't have any

I'll figure it out.

Ya last week when it got to -20 our leghorn lost her comb to frostbite, she still has it but the back is black

 

[Snozzle]

Maybe just cut some holes in socks and beanies and wrap them up in it. I used to have a Sphynx cat that would wear sock sweaters on cold nights

 

[CochinBrahmaLover]

Makes sense, easy and cheap, use like wool or something.

 

[Ema]

we've gotten mid negative 40's here a few times already since a week before xmas and my chickens fared just fine, but they were locked up tight and fed extra food with cayenne pepper for the night time deep freeze.

last year we got -50's C something for a few days and they did quite well too. I was so worried about them, I was surprised to find them all in great spirits the next day scratching around and waiting for some hot oatmeal, lol....

I hope you find a solution to your problem, if you had an oil filled radiator that would help but it would need to be put up off the bedding and of course wrapped up in wire so the chickens wouldn't get near it, we have one for this but I have several cynder blocks to put it on top off and hubby built a wire box to go over top of it, however we have not needed it, I figure if it reaches -60 round here I might have no choice, lol. but I rather not heat at all for fear of a fire. however the new chicken barn being built this summer will have a spot for a wood stove on the farther side away from the chickens with heat activated eco fans to circulate heat when the temps drop below -25C, so the radiator will remain in storage.

best bet if you are really worried, find a place you can bring them in to, heated garage or basement, block them in, grab some tarp and lay it down add some bedding their feed and water and then when they go back, vaccuum, vaccuum, and clean, clean, clean...good luck and let us know how things turned out and what you decided to do.

Ema

 

[CochinBrahmaLover]

Probably what will happen is we will put up the 2 heat lamps put them in socks and put cayenne pepper like you did. Also we might bring them inside depending how cold it does get we may HAVE to bring them in

 

[Snozzle]

Wouldn't heat lamps blow bulbs at these temperatures though? The ones in the cooler at my work blow all the time without a cover and it's in only in the 30's