It's going to be in the 20's tonight, and I'm worried sick...

[Mrs MIA]

Quote:
This is a great time saver. Saves your fingers from frostbite, too.

It was -5°F this morning when I went out at 7am to feed them and give everyone fresh water. 75% of the girls were outside looking for handouts, the other 25% crammed into the nests. I had a great egg day today! (and only one small heatlamp on the waterer!)

 

[apukanski]

Wow. That is good to know. We don't usually get that cold, but the worry is always there. We will heat if it gets real cold. You still want to know they are warm and happy. I probably wouldn't if i had all those feathers.LOL

 

[Chicken Salad]

So how did you manage, Granolamom? You and your babies unscathed by cold, I trust?

I asked my dear friend Larry who has been a chicken dad for most of his 50 years and he said:

"Jenna, chickens are livestock. You pamper them and you'll be pampering them all the time."

(as if) *giggle*

 

[1Chick Magnet]

i have been worried about my birds also. i have 11 in an 8x12 insulated coop. 3 are 10 week old showgirls with naked necks. most of the rest are silkies. the oldest ones are 18 weeks old. we are in the teens at night. this is my first winter. if you change the water am and pm will they get enough to drink? came home tonight and the water was frozen for the first time. i have been making them a little warm mash in the morning with a bit of bacon fat in it to give them a good start for the day.

 

[Chick_a_dee]

Quote:
Your water FROZE? Wow, it's like -10 out right now, and our water has yet to freeze.

 

[Chick_a_dee]

If you're super worried, then straw bale around your coop to insulate against the weather, its cheap, and effective

We're going to be strawbaling our run, we'll be installing a wind break on the front and pop door, as well i've also insulating filmed the windows

 

[crzychicken]

I have my heat lamp on a timer it goes on for 2hours when they go in for the night that way it warms the coop about 6-8 degrees and I feel better that the coop is a little warmer when the girls go in for the night. I also give them some cracked corn to raise their body temp and they turn the shavings for me.(Crack corn is only on the really cold nights 32 degrees or lower), this morning I did have frozen water. it's about 6 degrees warmer in the coop than outside. all the chicks were very happy in the morning it was 15 outside this morning and 22 in the coop I have a 10X12 with 5 pullets and 26 chicks that are 13 weeks

 

[ChooksChick]

It was 13F degrees and I just shut it out that the girls were outside...after I stuffed a couple of winter scarves in the crack of the human doors to the coop (a pre-fab garden shed w/ a pop door and roosts).

This morning DD and I went out and opened the pop door, stuck in our arms and noticed it was really very warm inside- with only 5 BRs to warm up an 8x8x8 shed! That's a lot of heat for 5 little bodies!

I'm still wanting to make sure it's warmer- I'll put up the flat heater, but I'm going to have it attached to a thermo-controlled outlet that kicks on at freezing, because I want them to keep their winter coats! If they were consistently warm in the coop, wouldn't their feathering thin out? I'd be worried that they would be vulnerable then to the effects of the cold should the electricity go out.

I'm a big worry-wart...can you tell??

 

[Mrs MIA]

You are correct... if you give them heat, then they won't grow as thick a down coat as they need to stay warm. Mine have been perfectly fine down to -10F already without extra heat. You really only have reason to start worrying if it's getting much colder than that. And I think I've asked this before... what happens if the power goes out for any length of time? We think it's really cold because we're affected by the windchill, but the chickens can handle it.

 

[BeardedChick]

You are correct... if you give them heat, then they won't grow as thick a down coat as they need to stay warm.

That's it, I'm installing a coal fired air conditioner for the coop.