It's going to be TOO COLD in Texas

[jolenesdad]

Don't laugh at us, those in the north, but it's going to be TOO cold in Texas next week. Im in zone 8/9, so it rarely freezes. Next week, we're looking at 36-48 hours straight at or just under freezing during the day, down to 18-20 at night.

My concern is that my chickens (6 large breed) are not acclimated to the cold. They are 9 months old, and I haven't dealt with any sort of really cold weather yet for them. What I do know is that for example with my horses, I have to take some extra steps than may be normally necessary when it drops temperatures that northern horses may not need because mine are not accustomed to it. I'm wondering if it's the same with the chickens.

Their coop is inside the barn garage and they get put up around 4:30. They're out by 7. When it's cold or rainy, they don't leave the garage much, except maybe a few trips to the horse manure compost pile for snacks. Kind of thinking they're pretty spoiled by nature. ;-)

I've got some heat lamps that I can safely clip up for them around the coop. Do they need this if it's in the 20s in the garage and they've never experienced it, or is 20 just totally fine? If I have the heat lamps up, should I keep them in the coop while it's under freezing in the day, or are they fine to free range during that time as well? Sometimes chickens are smarter than I think they will be, and sometimes... not so much. Will they stay near the heat source and the coop if they're too cold, or should I just lock them inside? The coop is 6x8 and 6 feet tall.

So far, I have done nothing but put them inside at night and let them out in the day when our lowest 24 hour temperature range has been 28-40.

Apologize if this is all ridiculous. I understand that the answer is likely they'll be JUST FINE with no changes, but I thought I should check since they're young (9 months) and live in the south....

 

[Welshies]

They'll be fine. It's -40° here.

 

[PirateGirl]

When it's going to be colder than normal there are a few things you can do.

One is to check on them more often. It will set your mind at ease, but also you may be able to identify any potential problems early on before they become bigger problems. If they are acting normal and doing normal chicken things, then nothing to worry about. If all the birds are inside and one is standing outside on one leg shivering, maybe you need to catch her and chase her in with the rest. Check that they have thawed water and plenty of food. Maybe you'll find a draft that you can block. This morning I had plastic flapping in the wind and the girls were scared to come outside because if it. You never know what exactly you'll find, but the hope is that everything is status quo. Also checking on them more often means gathering eggs more often, hopefully before they freeze.

The other thing I like to do is clean out the coop a little before a cold snap. Shovel out the biggest pile of poop (it's likely holding a bit of water and ammonia that they don't need to be locked in the coop with). Also throw down a few extra inches of fresh bedding for insulation. It's easy for us to slack off on coop cleaning in winter because we might not want to be in the cold ourselves, but if the birds are going to be spending more time inside then we want the inside to be in good shape.

Likely your birds will be fine. Likely they'll spend more time inside than normal. But every storm is different and every bird is different. Use your best judgment.

 

[Fairview01]

I live an hour north of Dallas. My coop is open on the south side every day. They are out of the coop by 5:30 and go to roost at around 6:30 no matter the weather. Feathers are great insulators. They will be fine.

 

[Trishkabob]

When it's going to be colder than normal there are a few things you can do.

One is to check on them more often. It will set your mind at ease, but also you may be able to identify any potential problems early on before they become bigger problems. If they are acting normal and doing normal chicken things, then nothing to worry about. If all the birds are inside and one is standing outside on one leg shivering, maybe you need to catch her and chase her in with the rest. Check that they have thawed water and plenty of food. Maybe you'll find a draft that you can block. This morning I had plastic flapping in the wind and the girls were scared to come outside because if it. You never know what exactly you'll find, but the hope is that everything is status quo. Also checking on them more often means gathering eggs more often, hopefully before they freeze.

The other thing I like to do is clean out the coop a little before a cold snap. Shovel out the biggest pile of poop (it's likely holding a bit of water and ammonia that they don't need to be locked in the coop with). Also throw down a few extra inches of fresh bedding for insulation. It's easy for us to slack off on coop cleaning in winter because we might not want to be in the cold ourselves, but if the birds are going to be spending more time inside then we want the inside to be in good shape.

Likely your birds will be fine. Likely they'll spend more time inside than normal. But every storm is different and every bird is different. Use your best judgment.

you mention shivering on one leg. It's below zero here and they do that-tucking one leg under their feathers and switching. But it's shivering I want to check-one of our younger girls (4 mos.) is a buff brahma and didn't develop as fast or as big as her brood mates. Mypetchicken even refunded our cost for her even though she wasn't sick, just small, because they said it was "failure to thrive". She doesn't/can't jump up to the roost that the others sleep on. she stays on a lower one or on the henhouse floor in the bedding. And she shivers alot...she isn't quite as fully/deeply feathered as the others (different breeds but still fully feathered) either. I check on them a lot and not sure what to do for her other than that. thoughts?

 

[I Love Layers]

They will be fine, I wouldn't add extra heat.
Before hand clean the coop though as they will be in most of the time and it can get pretty smelly. Also maybe add some straw in a corner of the coop, so if they do get cold they can go there.
During the colder weather check on their water more often especially if it freezes, and make sure they have plenty of food as that is what keeps their bodies going.
Truly their is nothing to worry about, they might just be a bit grumpy with the weather

 

[PirateGirl]

you mention shivering on one leg. It's below zero here and they do that-tucking one leg under their feathers and switching. But it's shivering I want to check-one of our younger girls (4 mos.) is a buff brahma and didn't develop as fast or as big as her brood mates. Mypetchicken even refunded our cost for her even though she wasn't sick, just small, because they said it was "failure to thrive". She doesn't/can't jump up to the roost that the others sleep on. she stays on a lower one or on the henhouse floor in the bedding. And she shivers alot...she isn't quite as fully/deeply feathered as the others (different breeds but still fully feathered) either. I check on them a lot and not sure what to do for her other than that. thoughts?

I had one that may have just had "failure to thrive" myself and has always been smaller than the rest, but she usually will sandwich between them. You can try giving her a ramp to more easily get up to the roost, but it could be a pecking order thing too. You could give her a cardboard box stuffed with straw or deep shavings and put it in the spot she usually sleeps. Yes chickens can survive very cold temps, but once in awhile we have birds that need a little extra TLC. There are also single use heat packs that people put in their gloves or boots, and reusable heat packs that are generally sold in the pharmacy, both generally emit heat for up to 8 hours. If she nests in the corner you can put something like that there for her to snuggle up with overnight, but make sure you set it up in a way the chickens can't scratch/peck it open.

 

[PirateGirl]

Mine definitely switch back and forth from one leg to the other when its cold. That's when I know it's actually bothering them. This is a behavior to stay warm. When I do this I know they are cold and more focused on warmth than doing normal chicken scratching things.

 

[I Love Layers]

you mention shivering on one leg. It's below zero here and they do that-tucking one leg under their feathers and switching. But it's shivering I want to check-one of our younger girls (4 mos.) is a buff brahma and didn't develop as fast or as big as her brood mates. Mypetchicken even refunded our cost for her even though she wasn't sick, just small, because they said it was "failure to thrive". She doesn't/can't jump up to the roost that the others sleep on. she stays on a lower one or on the henhouse floor in the bedding. And she shivers alot...she isn't quite as fully/deeply feathered as the others (different breeds but still fully feathered) either. I check on them a lot and not sure what to do for her other than that. thoughts?

I would give her a corner in the coop with heavy bedding, maybe in a box like mentioned above.
I wouldn't add heat or you have to keep it with them until temps come back up.

 

[Trishkabob]

yeah. it's a bummer. they spend their day on our front porch and that lets us check on them more easily than if they huddled in the coop all day. We have a spot out of the wind where we put shavings and a plastic bin,also with shavings, they can hop into. That has a roost above it and they perch on a wicker chair out there too. Anything to get off the concrete porch surface. I have been picking the brahma up to check her (and check her feathered feet) and I give them cracked corn and oatmeal mixed with warm water (can you tell I'm on vacation right now?) to make sure they get both warming food and water.
(we tried a ramp-she would have none of it. I think I'll but a box in the corner with bedding and see how that goes.