Lowest coop temp?

[leighks]

If you keep a thermometer in your coop, what’s the lowest temp you have seen? And were your chickens ok?

Here in western New York we are in the middle of a polar vortex. With the wind chill right now it’s -23 (actual temp of 0) and getting worse overnight and through tomorrow. Assuming the proper precautions taken (ventilation, no drafts, protective ointment on combs/ waddles, etc) what temps in the coop are dangerous for a chickens wellbeing? Last year it got as low as 8 in the coop and everyone was ok, but we are going to be in the negative temps for another 1.5 days, and I worry about the cold.

I have 2 flat panel radiant heat panels in front of the roosts, but they don’t heat the coop up much at all- just give off a little warmth in the immediate area. And my red star, who is always cold except on the hottest summer days, is molting! Ugh.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

I have a premier lamp with a 250 watt bulb and 150 watt flat panel heater. We were -41 this AM real temp outside (before windchill) and the coop at roost level was -15. At -20 this afternoon I got it up to 5 degrees with those two warming devices still going. Girls are on the roost and I made a second trip to de-ice water and bring down some scrambled eggs (from cracked frozen eggs.) Poor babies. Coop is 6x7 partially insulated.

Crazy train weather. We will have 30 Saturday & 34 on Sunday!!! An actual melt!

 

[mimipeaches]

We have -25 degrees I don't know the temp but that is before windchill!!! We put moving blankets inside, a tarp and insulation outside of the coop hoping no one dies!!!!

 

[sylviethecochin]

Negative 36 F. No windchill. I believe this was in 2012. I'm not sure what the actual temperature was in the coop, but it wasn't heated, and the walls were metal roofing + 2x4 + scrapwood, so not much but dead air space in the way of insulation. We had a three gallon bucket that had been left full overnight freeze completely through and get a crack the whole way across the bottom.

The rooster and some of the hens lost most of the tips off of their combs (no vaseline, etc.) Other than that, every chicken was completely fine.

 

[vantain]

My ambient temperature inside the coop, at roost level this morning, was -13F, while outside ambient was -30F. That is with no heat at all, in a non insulated coop. I'm not really sure how there was such a temperature differential, considering all the ventilation I have.

It has not risen above -18F all day, and three of my hens spent the entire day outside in the run. One was smart and decided it was warmer in the coop. Even now, the thermometer in the run reads -18F and all are outside.

 

[Mrs. K]

People so worry about warm, when they need to think dry.

 

[DreamertK]

The major thing you need the heat for is the water. Chickens cant drink ice!

I'd worry about electrical equipment catching the coop on fire with anything else.

 

[aart]

My ambient temperature inside the coop, at roost level this morning, was -13F, while outside ambient was -30F. That is with no heat at all, in a non insulated coop. I'm not really sure how there was such a temperature differential, considering all the ventilation I have.

Me neither...especially with just plastic walls...or maybe the pic is not where the -13F was taken?
Were temps taken with the same thermometer?

 

[aart]

-16°F on 1-21-19.
No heat, tho floor is insulated.
Closed and heated waterer still worked.
Chickens were fine, gave me 9 eggs that day 11 the next,
except for the inevitable frostbite.

Before all the suggestions roll in:
I have copious ventilation, it's just always humid here, I have accepted that FB is gonna happen and I do not believe that coating combs is effective and can make it worse.

This last round of cold the lowest has been -12F or so....
...wind chill doesn't affect them while in the coop,
and I haven't let them out in days.

 

[vantain]

Me neither...especially with just plastic walls...or maybe the pic is not where the -13F was taken?
Were temps taken with the same thermometer?

The thermometer I use was at roost level in the coop. Later yesterday, it died, so I swapped it out with another one. That one read -15 this morning as well. It was -32F outside. Chickens are still alive, but not moving much yet today. Two stayed in the coop, two went out into the colder run. It is warming up to single digits today, so they should be more active later today.