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

[JodyJo]

In southern Colorado already at -29*...NO added heat, ever....it hasn't gotten much above zero for weeks...NO added heat...they don't need it at all...you do more harm than good by adding heat, you are creating humidity, which causes the frostbite.

Chickens do not fare well in the heat, but do great in the cold...I'll admit -52* is very cold...but your chickens will do well...as long as you don't have any that aren't cold weather hardy, which by where you live, I can't imagine you have any 'delicate' breeds.

 

[chickencrazylady]

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!

I feel your pain, live up in Northern Alberta, Canada and we just got it with an arctic freeze, went from very mild temps for this time of year -2 - -5c day and night temps to suddenly -30!!! today with windchill it's -42. 2 days ago I starting using my oil heater on a thermostate set for + 5 outside the coop, but inside the shed where is coop is. This morning the temp inside the coop was - 9.5.

I don't use heat lamps in the coop, just a 60 watt bulb for extra light during the day and some heat. As long as the coop is draft free with ventilation everything should be good. I do worry constantly about my chickens being cold, but as I have been told they do come with their own down coats!!

 

[CochinBrahmaLover]

well it didnt get -50 it got -40 but they did great!! Thanks for the info everybody!!

 

[aoxa]

I'm surprised that Ontario has seen -40 this year.. We haven't gone past -21, and we generally get much colder here. Ontario is always warmer than New Brunswick (as we are along the coast).

It dropped to -30 with wind chill last night, and only one of my girls was having trouble. We brought her inside this morning. She was wheezing and all fluffed up. Poor thing. She is much better now that she has warmed up. Our mud room she is in is around 10-12 degrees, so it's not overly warm. I think we will keep her inside for a while. She does not handle cold well at all! She is a black polish for those wondering. Her crest was wet and froze overnight.