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

[Granolamom]

We live in Georgia, and I've so far believed other "chicken folk" when they told me, that the temp's in this neck of the woods do not warrant insulation or heatsources in chicken coops, even in the winter. Tonight it's going to be in the 20's, though, and I'm totally freaking out about my 7 chickens in their 4x6x5 plywood coop. It's not drafty, but it'll definitely be cold. I've got 4-5 inches of straw on the floor, and they are sitting on roosts, but I can't help but think that they'll be freezing.
I'm tempted to call hubby, who's still out and about, and ask him to buy a heating blanket, which I will then hang in the coop. What do you think, am I crazy, or are my worries warranted?

 

[chickn]

i dont think you need to worry. it gets really cold here and we dont have insulation in our coop and i have yet to lose one to the cold.
you are a good mom to worry it is hard not too.

 

[chickenma]

Chickens can be tougher then you think. mine keep each other warm by sitting close to each other.
When I buy my chickens ,I make sure that they are heat and cold hardy.
You can search online if yours are.

Goodluck and have faith in your chickens.

 

[ChooksChick]

My girls are only about 7 mos old and it's been in the 20's many nights here (Kansas can get nasty) and they are just fine- I've resisted the urge to go get them and bring them in to snuggle under the blankets.

I've got them on 2x4's, wide side up, so they sit on their feet to keep them warm: they squat and fluff, snuggle up to each other, and go to sleep!

I'm convinced they are okay, but mine are big, fluffy BR's. Their own heat warms up the coop enough that I can feel it a bit when I come in in the morning, and it's 8 x8 with only 5 girls...I think, anyway, that I can feel it.

There are some great flat heaters you can get, but they run about $150, so it's not cheap, but more effective than a heating blanket, at any rate. Less of a fire hazard, too, I'd guess.

I have a water heater in there that kicks on at 35 degrees, and I think that may warm it up a bit in there- look into those.

 

[Buster]

I think you will be fine. I don't have a heated coop and it's down in the twenties every night now and they are fine. Last winter I hung a heat lamp over the water to keep it from freezing. It didn't heat the coop and barely kept the water from freezing. There were nights when it was -15 out and they still laid eggs! I think you will be just fine.

 

[esjro]

Quote:
I purchased one of these. So far so good. I have it plugged into an outlet with a thermostat - it cuts on at 35 degrees, so it is only on when the temperature is close to freezing.

 

[Opa]

Take it from someone who was chipping ice out of by chickens waterers this morning, your birds will be fine.

 

[Wildsky]

Don't fret. Our temp went down to MINUS 27 last year and the chickens were fine, we HAD 12 at that point, and my coop is 20x7 so really big for those few feathered ones.

 

[Omran]

Yesterday was really very very cold here, and I have two coops one for 5 weeks pullets and the big one for my 10 hens and Rooster, the only problem I faced this morning was the frozen water, I am going to do something about it tomorrow though.

Sodon't worry, they will be just fine.

 

[seriousbill]

Chickens are usually fine in a draft-free coop unless the temperature drops into the single digits.

At that point, you're looking at the potential for frostbitten combs and wattles, but not until.

They'll be fine.