Need Advice on Freezing, Windy Weather

[HoopyFrood]

I'm not sure where to post this question, so I hope this is an okay place.

Our girls are only six months old and our first chickens. Therefore they had no older hens to learn from and we are effectively brand new chicken keepers.

We have had a vicious cold snap today. A cold front blew in with winds often sustained at 20-30 MPH and gusting up to 50. The temperature dropped to freezing at noon and got down to 25 deg F by the time the girls got in the coop and went to bed. That means the bulk of the day was a horrid wind chill...

I left the light on in the coop thinking that may encourage the girls to take shelter in there during the day if it got too bad outside (normally it's fairly dark in the coop and it was a bright, sunny, if frigid, day). But whether due to their hardiness or their lack of knowing any better they stayed out in the wind all day! One of them developed a sneeze which has us quite worried, but I know there's not much we can do about it but keep a VERY close eye on her. No other signs of illness yet, but it just started.

The winds will continue and temperatures will drop farther. It won't get above freezing tomorrow at all. This is the coldest weather they've been in by far.

Should we lock them in the coop if they haven't the good sense to hunker down in there while the wind is raging? They looked so miserable on their "sitting breaks" in that icy wind... Sneezing situation aside, they seemed perfectly happy the rest of the time foraging, scratching, pecking, etc.

I had hoped survival instincts would keep them from putting themselves in harm's way. But they have a history of not exhibiting "common sense" at inopportune times.

I'm especially worried about the sneezing one. She's the alpha. The last thing she needs is another day getting blasted by sub-freezing winds. But I don't want to lock her up, especially if the others aren't. She gets pretty upset if she's separated from the flock for any length of time.

Any thoughts or advice anyone can share is much appreciated! I know @lazy gardener has a lot of experience with keeping chickens in the wacky Maine weather

Thank you so much!

 

[chickenluver10]

Hello,
i understand your concern, but my chickens, if given the choice, they would always stay outside even when it's snowing. for the sneezing, i'm not sure, it might go away, keep an eye on her. Be aware of frostbite, chickens do get that on their combs and waddles, but vaseline will take care of that. if it gets REALLY cold, keep them somewhere sheltered, and warmer, but chickens have built in feathers to insulate them. i don't know what breed you have though.... for right now it's okay, but i would wait for other replies since I am not an expert, I live in Illinois where the winters are medium harsh. make sure they have a non- frozen water and access to a sheltered place at all times....

 

[FlyingNunFarm]

Generally if they are cold they will go inside. I know how you feel questioning their common sense. Mine stand out in the rain till they look drowned.
If you notice them hunkering down to cover their legs or picking their feet up to get them warm you could shut them in the coop for a bit.
Is there a place in the run they can get out of the wind? Maybe put something up as wind breaks.
Our Ohio weather has been rather crazy as well. I opened the pop door this morning and they saw a light dusting of snow. I don't think they knew quite what to do. But they would stay out for a little while then go back in.
Hopefully someone else from Maine will chime in.

 

[HoopyFrood]

Hello,
i understand your concern, but my chickens, if given the choice, they would always stay outside even when it's snowing. for the sneezing, i'm not sure, it might go away, keep an eye on her. Be aware of frostbite, chickens do get that on their combs and waddles, but vaseline will take care of that. if it gets REALLY cold, keep them somewhere sheltered, and warmer, but chickens have built in feathers to insulate them. i don't know what breed you have though.... for right now it's okay, but i would wait for other replies since I am not an expert, I live in Illinois where the winters are medium harsh. make sure they have a non- frozen water and access to a sheltered place at all times....

We are certainly keeping a close eye out for frostbite risk. They've done swimmingly so far! These are all cold hardy breeds (barred Plymouth rock, australorp, RIR). Our chickens obviously prefer being outside, too. They've only woken up to a light frost prior to this.

And yes, keeping an eye on the water and they always have access to their coop! I just wish those silly so-and-sos would USE it

 

[HoopyFrood]

Generally if they are cold they will go inside. I know how you feel questioning their common sense. Mine stand out in the rain till they look drowned.
If you notice them hunkering down to cover their legs or picking their feet up to get them warm you could shut them in the coop for a bit.
Is there a place in the run they can get out of the wind? Maybe put something up as wind breaks.
Our Ohio weather has been rather crazy as well. I opened the pop door this morning and they saw a light dusting of snow. I don't think they knew quite what to do. But they would stay out for a little while then go back in.
Hopefully someone else from Maine will chime in.

Ours did exactly that in their first cloud burst! Crazy chickens!

I was not aware of the leg covering signs. We'll definitely keep an eye out for that!

The only way they can get COMPLETELY out of the wind is to go into the coop (32 sq ft for five birds, so they're not avoiding it for crowding reasons). But we did make a wind break out of straw bales on the windward side of the run. It faces due west and the wind has been swinging from SW to NW. So it provides SOME decent shelter. They definitely used it today, but they spent plenty of time in their attached garden which has no wind break at all. They'd take a snooze in a pile in the middle of the garden being hammered by that crazy wind!

I'm inclined to let them have free access to coop, run and garden tomorrow, regardless of wind. But the one with the sneeze I'm not at all sure what to do with (free-range versus sheltered quarantine). I want to minimize her stress levels...

We will have to check her symptoms in the morning to see if there are any changes...

 

[FlyingNunFarm]

Bag balm is another thing you can use for frostbite. Comb and waddles, but you don't seem to have breeds with large combs.
The sneeze could just be a sneeze. Maybe something got blown up her nose. LOL
You can check her nares (nostrils) for any crud. Keep an eye for continued/constant sneezing. Runny eyes or nose. Or crusty eyes or nose.
My concern with quarantine is not only the stress but the temperature. Unless you have a place about the same temp as the coop you won't be able to put her back outside until spring. Not without risk anyway. She (and the others) are acclimating to current weather. To drastic a change and she may not survive.
I personally am a fan of colloidal silver. It kills everything. When I have a sneezer I rub a little on their beak so they breathe it in and give them some to drink. Enough that they coat the inside of their mouth and throat. Its not the cheapest thing to just have around but if it gives a little protection to the others and some healing to the ill I think it's worth it.
Keep an eye on her. See how she is from day to day.

 

[HoopyFrood]

Bag balm is another thing you can use for frostbite. Comb and waddles, but you don't seem to have breeds with large combs.
The sneeze could just be a sneeze. Maybe something got blown up her nose. LOL
You can check her nares (nostrils) for any crud. Keep an eye for continued/constant sneezing. Runny eyes or nose. Or crusty eyes or nose.
My concern with quarantine is not only the stress but the temperature. Unless you have a place about the same temp as the coop you won't be able to put her back outside until spring. Not without risk anyway. She (and the others) are acclimating to current weather. To drastic a change and she may not survive.
I personally am a fan of colloidal silver. It kills everything. When I have a sneezer I rub a little on their beak so they breathe it in and give them some to drink. Enough that they coat the inside of their mouth and throat. Its not the cheapest thing to just have around but if it gives a little protection to the others and some healing to the ill I think it's worth it.
Keep an eye on her. See how she is from day to day.

Yes, we have petroleum jelly (not bag balm exactly) on hand for frostbite concerns. All their waterers use horizontal chicken nipples, so they don't get too wet from drinking. But we will be watching.

I was laboring under the misapprehension that chickens get colds. This evening's research has revealed they do not. I'm now kicking myself a little for just letting her go to bed without doing SOMETHING as I think we ARE dealing with a respiratory illness.

Her sneeze is not a normal chicken sneeze. It's VERY loud and has a high pitched sound - almost like a whistle. Her breathing is not labored, raspy, or rattly. There is no discharge anywhere, nor facial swelling. We are monitoring these things very closely (and will continue to do so).

We found some good write ups from another Maine chicken keeper (fresheggsdaily.com). We do have VetRx and Nutri-drench on hand and will try to administer those first thing in the morning. I am not familiar with colloidal silver. We'll do some more research on that tonight. We can track some down tomorrow if we need to. We've heard great things about VetRx, so we'll definitely start there as we have it ready to go.

And thank you so much for your caution on quarantine! I had no idea temperature acclimation was so delicate. I won't know if it's communicable unless the others show symptoms. But if this is contagious, I'm sure the other girls are already exposed. If it wasn't wind-borne earlier, they're stuck in the same coop tonight. So there is more than one reason to avoid quarantine.

I can (and will) expand their wind break in the morning to give even more shelter in the run. The run is 10'x21' and, while they complain about being stuck in there, it really is palatial. That would force them to spend more time sheltered from the wind without boxing them in too tight.

Good heavens... this is our third battle with a chicken ailment. The previous two were unfortunately lost and the two girls didn't survive. We vowed to do everything we can to not let that happen again. There are only so many things you can do.

Wish us luck. And thank you for the advice! I'll update this thread as needed going forward.

I welcome any other comments from the BYC community!

 

[FlyingNunFarm]

VetRx on the beak to be inhaled is good. You can get colloidal silver from most human health food stores. GNC carries it.
That sneeze sounds pretty normal. If it wasn't so concerning it would be comical. Definitely keep an eye on everyone but I'm not one to think everything respiratory spreads like the plague and means death for the flock.
There are things that once contracted they have it for life. It will go dormant but can come back. You have to treat what you can. There are some antibiotics still available if you decide to go that route.
Please keep us posted. Everyone here is so helpful and friendly.

 

[HoopyFrood]

VetRx on the beak to be inhaled is good. You can get colloidal silver from most human health food stores. GNC carries it.
That sneeze sounds pretty normal. If it wasn't so concerning it would be comical. Definitely keep an eye on everyone but I'm not one to think everything respiratory spreads like the plague and means death for the flock.
There are things that once contracted they have it for life. It will go dormant but can come back. You have to treat what you can. There are some antibiotics still available if you decide to go that route.
Please keep us posted. Everyone here is so helpful and friendly.

Thank you so much for the tips!

I'm sure we'll find the CS. It sounds promising. We definitely try to avoid antibiotics (even for ourselves) unless it's actually necessary. All of her (and the other four) sneezes have been basically silent to date. Like a reverse sniff.

I certainly don't ever want to hit the panic button. Chickens are tough! But we are 0/2 on previous ailments and both were fatal (and heartbreaking). So we also don't want to be complacent. It can be a tricky balance

Indeed the BYC community is VERY helpful! Thank you especially, FlyingNunFarm (your handle made us laugh)!

I will post updates as needed. Charley is a strong girl. We'll do our best to help her along!

 

[greggooo]

Also afraid of this cold snap tonight. It'll be 16 by 7am.