It's REALLY COLD!! Should I check them again before morning?

[hoosierhen]

We got our first snow here last night/ today. Around 4 inches. But now, it's REALLY COLD!! About 7 degrees, and bound to get colder by morning. I checked on my chickens at about 6pm and they seemed to be ok. The water wasn't frozen then, but I was wondering if I need to check it again tonight? They are all in their straw henhouse (built inside a shed) Their water is in the outer coop area (still inside the shed) but is less protected from the cold. Do they drink at night? or just sleep? I usually go out and tend to them between 6-7am, depending on whether I'm working day shift. Should I go out now??

 

[tx_dane_mom]

Is the water heated? If not, it's probably frozen. But, there's not much you can do about it if you don't have a heater...it's just going to keep re-heating. It sounds to me like if you DON'T check, you're not going to sleep well anyhow

Kristi

 

[AK-Bird-brain]

If you do check your going to let in a big rush of cold air and probable just wake them up and get them all excited for nothing. If the water freezes you can refill it in the morning.

 

[hoosierhen]

Thanks. I've decided to wait until morning. Oh, and I do have a red bulb in the henhouse area for warmth. Goodnight.

 

[Scrambled Egg]

I have been using two of those 50 watt red buls in the closed up part of my coop they sleep in, the "A" part of the A frame, and they really do seem to help knock off the chill in that space (about 4' x4' x12'), I may be just wishfully thinking but I also think it has helped to calm them at night too, my Barred Rocks are older than my RIR's and they were doing a little pecking at the Reds before getting on the roosts but nearly all that has stopped with the red lighting, they seem to be calmer and more ready to settle down...if so. it was a nice cheap fix for me..those bulbs screwed right into my brooder type fixtures and were about 8 dolllars a piece at Petsmart. You can get much higher wattage, I htink I even saw 150 watt bulbs in the red heat emitting, that should make their pterydactyl toes warm!!

 

[hoosierhen]

Well Tx_dane_mom and AK-Bird-brain were both right. I didn't check them until morning, and I didn't sleep much at all. Every time I woke up I checked my outdoor thermometer. It got down to 3.5 degrees last night. II finally couldn't stand it so I fixed them some breakfast (a pan full of warm grits topped with some scratch) and went out and checked on them. Their water was frozen, but not completely solid. While I got them fresh water they enjoyed their warm breakfast. I then adjusted the white lights (2) in their coop area, so that when they come out to eat and drink they won't be totally cold. The temp in the coop area was 20. The henhouse area was about 35. They seemed fine. Tonight it isn't supposed to be so cold.
My DH is afraid I'm going to move the chickens into the garage, and that they will "trash it." Well, not yet. But if it gets to be -30 wind chill, and I can't keep my "kids" safe and warm, what choice do I have!! lol (guess I'd better start making a makeshift coop and buy some floor covering of some type and hide it in the barn just in case...)

 

[Wildsky]

We got some good snow last night - not 4 inches, but that will come today.
My coop is pretty warm (

) I have a sensor in there and it was showing 29 this morning.

 

[AK-Bird-brain]

We have a wireless temperature sensor in our coup (radioshack). At night when they huddle up on the roost the temp go's up about 20 degrees above the outside temperature.

 

[DoctorGoose]

Wireless temperature sensor! PERFECT! Must go get one for my OCD chicken-watching....

 

[AK-Bird-brain]

We also have a wireless camera in the coup but I wasnt going to mention that.