keeping warm

[weimarmama]

&

from Alabama. Glad you joined us.

 

[The Red Rooster]

Mine are pretty hardy. I just use straw and a shelter.

Welcome to BYC and good luck!

~AnnElise

 

[1muttsfan]

Welsummers, delawares, EE's, Ameraucanas and one friendly speckled sussex. And I did pick those breeds for cold-hardiness and dual purpose utility.

 

[Kevin565]

 

[4-H chicken mom]

Hi and so glad to have you! Good advice given. Northern Ohio is having a great winter for a change. The chickens, ducks and myself are throughly enjoying ourselves.

 

[NonnasBabies]

Welcome from Louisiana!!

 

[greymane]

 

[Ridgerunner]

It's a bit late in the year to be asking. May I ask why you waited until now to ask? Not that I'm trying to get into your personal life, but more worried about missing some piece of information that might change my response. Like, are yours babies?

I know it does not get as low here as in New England. Most years it only gets a bit below 0* Fahrenheit here as an overnight low. When I was growing up several decades ago in East Tennessee, we had chickens that would sleep outside in trees in those temperatures. Now those trees were in a sheltered valley and they were able to adjust and get out of the wind a whole lot better than you might think, but they were outside in trees in that weather. These were not pea combed or rose combed cold-hardy chickens but a barnyard mix of mostly single combed chickens. They did not get frostbite.

As long as the chickens are healthy, them freezing to death is not the big concern. Frostbite is the big risk and that can occur in just barely freezing temperatures. To me, proper protection means two things. One is draft protection. Wind chill is a reality. Step outside on a windy day and move from a wind-protected area into the wind. It is pretty obvious. So they need to be able to sleep where the wind is not hitting them. But the other really big thing is good ventilation. If the coop is closed off tightly where moisture from their breathing and their poop can build up, the risk of frostbite goes way up. There is another issue that the ammonia from their poop can build up and damage their respiratory system, but that is not weather related. The way I provide good wintertime ventilation and keep breezes off of them is to have my wintertime ventilation above where they roost. In the summer I open the window and provide ventilation lower down. The heat here in the summer is much more dangerous to chickens than the cold in winter.

Another thing I do to prepare my chickens for winter is to not provide any heat. I let them acclimate as the weather cools off. That way, their bodies prepare for the weather. They could be in trouble if you provide heat and you have a power failure. I think not providing heat protects them a lot more than providing heat.

I agree that chickens can handle what to us seems to be very cold weather. But they do need proper protection and I think they need to be acclimated. And they need to be fully featherd. For most chickens that should be somewhere around 4 to 5 weeks old, but be a little careful when acclimating the very young.

 

[aoxa]

It's been to - 30 here with no issues. No insulation or heat lamps. Even my production red girl went about like normal. Didn't even stop laying! I got a bit of frostbite on her comb, but that's about it. She's the only one with it, and it's not too bad.

As long as you have cold-hardy birds, they will be fine!

 

[aoxa]

Welsummers, delawares, EE's, Ameraucanas and one friendly speckled sussex. And I did pick those breeds for cold-hardiness and dual purpose utility.

You will be fine

Delawares, Speckled Sussex and EE's are great with cold. I'm sure the Welsummers are too.