Need help with cold weather!!!

[3chickchicks]

70 degrees is too hot. And going from 17 outside to 70 inside is too much of a temperature change.

If you must heat the coop, heat it to just above freezing (assuming you're trying to keep water from freezing).

 

[gander007]

Yes heating a coop is necessary from time to time but just above freezing
is about all that needs to be dune or you are wasting money and keeping
down the frost bite and water drinkable for the pets ....

gander007

 

[chickisoup]

Turn off the heat! Have you ever seen a frozen cardinal or bluejay fall out of the trees??? No, they are birds, and they have feathers ...they will be fine.

ummmm, oops. you must not live far enough north. Can't speak about cardinals, they generally have enough sense to not come this far north. However, I have found frozen Blue Jays, chickadees, various wrens and even an occasional snow bird. some I find in the morning near the feeder, others not till snow melt in the spring. Lots of fun finding those before the dog does, yuck.
That said, I do have a heater in my coop HOWEVER 70o??? NEVER! We hit -19 last night and tonight is a possible -30. That is just too cold even with my very well insulated (and yes, control ventilated) coop so the heater goes on keeping it right about 32o at roost level but the floor is still cold enough to require a heated waterer to keep the water in liquid form.

Quick lesson. Many of the wild birds up here are pretty smart. If there is enough snow, they literally nose dive into it on the coldest nights instead of roosting forming their own little "coops" keeping them toasty warm till morning. I just imitate mother nature. They do have a restricted outside area in winter to protect them from the wind and because I don't feel like doing a lot of shoveling. They have a covered "breezeway" between the coop and the greenhouse they are allowed to play and dust in during the day pretty much no matter what the temp. However, since we are looking at -25 to possibly -35 tonight with a windchill potential tomorrow thru tuesday of up to -50, it will probably be a lockdown time unless the sun comes out long enough to warm the greenhouse up.


Just my two cents. It's all about acclimating your birds to your area and a little common sense.

Oh, just a final mention. We find far more "frozen" birds after a freezing rain/ ice storm than in below zero because when a bird gets soaked it's feathers can no longer form the insulating air pockets thus destroying their ability to maintain their body heat. I always dry off my girls when they get wet primarily to keep the moisture out of the coop. If soaked they come into the workshop for a nice warm blowdry!

 

[Granny Hatchet]

guess i will add my 3 cents, chickens are a lot dumber then the wild birds.

 

[Beekissed]

Are my chickens dumb or is this normal....I have a flock of 11 hens. I have a very large coop for them but the door is always open, they have full access to a large totally caged in area (it's caged in to keep predators out) so they can come/go in/out of the coop as they please. The coop is wired so once it hits a certain cold temperature the heat lamp kicks on and will bring it up to 70degrees. They chickens have food and water inside the coop as well as the chicken run. The problem is it can be 17outside and rainy and the chickens refuse to go in the coop. They only go in there to lay eggs, then they go right back outside. A couple days ago they were all outside, soaking wet in the rain, the wind was really bad, and it was going down to 15degrees outside. My husband and I picked each one up and put them in the coop. They seemed to enjoy it at first being warm and dry and sheltered from the rain...buuuut a few hours later they started clucking and freaking out so loud I heard them in the house so we went back out and took them out of the coop and put them in the run. Is this normal? Can chickens survive in below freezing temps? I have rhode island reds and some kin of white chicken (breed unknown). What can I do? I really worry about their health. If I wake up and go out one day and they're frozen, I'm going to be sooooo sad and upset!!

How about you put a body suit of down/feathers on your body from head to knees and then boots on your legs and sit around in a room that is 70 degrees and see how long you can stand it before you have to go somewhere cooler so you can actually breathe.

The chickens are very smart as they are avoiding an uncomfortable and potentially harmful situation in that coop. You can bet if your chickens prefer to stand out in the rain and cold instead of being in that hot box of a coop, you have it too hot. Obviously, if they are standing out in the wet and temps in the teens without freezing, they won't freeze inside that nice dry coop either.

What can you do? Remove that heat lamp and observe your birds.

 

[chickisoup]

Quote:

BTW- if you must heat, get rid of that heat lamp!!! They are incredibly dangerous and expensive to operate. Go to Walmart (or Walmart online) and get yourself an oil filled radiant heater. (the ones that look like an old fashioned steam register). They are safe, no exposed flame or coils, and come with thermostat controls, cost less than $50 and last for years. (a lot less right now). Mine has a "snowflake" setting which has it automatically kicking on at freezing and off at around 40o. I trick mine into kicking on and off at a lower temp by facing the front where the thermostat is into a corner. I also have mine locked into a platform off the floor so it sits in warmer air away from the pophole and the girls can't knock it over.

 

[chickisoup]

guess i will add my 3 cents, chickens are a lot dumber then the wild birds.

GREAT POINT!

 

[mithious]

I agree that 70 degrees is WAY too hot. I don't turn on the supplemental heat until it gets down around -20 real temp. and turn it off when the temps get above that. My coop does not get warm. The poop still freezes on the poop board. It just gives them a way to get some relief, if they choose, and they do, to get warmed up a tad, by standing under the lamp.

I do use a heat lamp, BUT...I have it wired all up to keep it from falling apart, hang it from a roof rafter with a chain and locking hooks. I still worry though as heat lamps can and do cause many fires. Please, if you are using a heat lamp, reinforce it, best you can and attach it securely also.

Also remember that humidity is more harmful to them, than the cold. Getting a good air exchange going is a must in these frigid temps, but also remember that what ever the outside humidity is, so will it be on your coop. If your outside humidity is higher than inside the coop, than it becomes a challenge to get it right. I know, as I have been fighting the high humidity this winter and saying it's a challenge is a tad understated.

Turn the heat down for the sake of your birds! They will be much happier and will thank you and be back in their coop!

ETA...wet cold is different than dry cold also...here in the north east, we get more of the wet snow, high humidity stuff than just about anywhere else. I have to check our weather daily to check the temps and humidity, so I can adjust ventilation and decide on turning on the heat lamp or not. AS a rule, I do not advocate adding heat, but there IS a limit on how cold the birds can comfortably survive and stay healthy. I wouldn't worry until the temps hit bout -20 with humidity at or near 100%.

 

[1stChicky]

this is an older post....I did take the heat lamp out back in nov but they still never went inside by themselves even after weeks of me and my husband putting them in at night. With all the snow and harsh temps this year, they actually ended up with frostbite they're recovering but it still makes me wonder about their intelligence lol