Keeping Chickens in Cold

[chicken_good]

Howdy,

We're having a bit of a cold snap here in Western MA, and it's gotten us worried about our chickens this winter. Since they huddle together to keep warm, how many do we need to keep them warm and safe? We have two hens, and added two more last week, but the new ones are not integrating well, and are really aggressive. Can we sell/give away the new ones and keep only two for the winter? Is there a minimum number of chickens we need to keep warm? We have a solid, snug coop with ventilation up at the top.

Thanks!

 

[TwentyOneChickens]

Howdy,

We're having a bit of a cold snap here in Western MA, and it's gotten us worried about our chickens this winter. Since they huddle together to keep warm, how many do we need to keep them warm and safe? We have two hens, and added two more last week, but the new ones are not integrating well, and are really aggressive. Can we sell/give away the new ones and keep only two for the winter? Is there a minimum number of chickens we need to keep warm? We have a solid, snug coop with ventilation up at the top.

Thanks!

I wouldn’t recommend keeping only 2 chickens anyway since they are social animals, let alone in the winter.

Chickens are cold hardy, but I would definitely keep at least 4, especially during the winter. There is no “minimum” but I definitely recommend keeping more.

 

[Bullitt]

Howdy,

We're having a bit of a cold snap here in Western MA, and it's gotten us worried about our chickens this winter. Since they huddle together to keep warm, how many do we need to keep them warm and safe? We have two hens, and added two more last week, but the new ones are not integrating well, and are really aggressive. Can we sell/give away the new ones and keep only two for the winter? Is there a minimum number of chickens we need to keep warm? We have a solid, snug coop with ventilation up at the top.

Thanks!

The hens should get the pecking order worked out.

What breeds are the two you had and the two you just brought in?

 

[rosemarythyme]

They don't really need one another to stay warm, they trap heat against their bodies with their own feathers.

In the future I'd recommend integrating new birds during warmer, more pleasant weather, as the birds are more likely to be out and about which will help reduce stress vs in winter when they may be forced to remain indoors together in tighter quarters.

 

[chicken_good]

>Chickens are cold hardy, but I would definitely keep at least 4, especially during the winter. There is no “minimum” but I definitely recommend keeping more.

We're for sure planning to integrate more birds into the flock. I guess my question was more about the urgency of expanding the flock.

>The hens should get the pecking order worked out.
>What breeds are the two you had and the two you just brought in?

Buff brahma and a silkie (both bantams) to start, and two black marans recently. We're worried that the size difference is going to make it difficult for them to coexist. The marans are being really aggressive--we had them out in their run together with a fence seperating them for about a week, then allowed them to mingle. The new chickens wouldn't let the little guys stay in the coop when they wanted to, and kept them trapped hiding under a bush, so we separated them again.

>They don't really need one another to stay warm, they trap heat against their bodies with their own feathers.
>In the future I'd recommend integrating new birds during warmer, more pleasant weather, as the birds are more likely to be out and about which will help reduce stress vs in winter when they may be forced to remain indoors together in tighter quarters.

This was the original plan. We got a bit spooked by the sudden winter weather and were worried that they wouldn't be able to survive when winter really came. I guess I should add that they have a pretty spacious coop; it's basically a small shed.

Thanks so much for the advice, everyone!

 

[Bullitt]

The Marans will be dominant to a Brahma, which has a gentle disposition. Silkies are at the bottom of the pecking order.

Full-size Brahmas have a gentle disposition also.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I agree with Rose. They don't need each other to stay warm. I've seen chickens sleep in trees when it was below zero Fahrenheit and not have issues. They were in a protected valley so wind wasn't a big issue plus they can turn to face into a wind if they need to. The way their feathers lay if they face into a wind they are pretty protected. A light draft doesn't bother them but a strong wind does. Plus they had great ventilation. Those are the two things your coop needs to provide, decent wind protection and good ventilation. They can handle the rest.

I also would want more than two. Chickens are social animals and do better when others are around. If you have two and one dies, the survivor sometimes doesn't do well. That's psychological, they just like company.