Needing advice for my bantam after hypothermia

[twinmama]

I found my tiny bantam d'Uccle huddled down on the snow yesterday showing signs of hypothermia. I immediately brought her inside. I put her in a laundry basket by the heat vent with a hot water bottle, towels, and a small dish of drinking water. After several hours she was keeping her eyes open, moving a little, and started drinking. By the end of the night she was also eating and trying to stand up. Now that I'm pretty sure she'll be ok, I'm not sure what I should do for her. The coop has deep straw that I try to keep dry as much as I can and a single small heat source just to give the girls a place to get out of the bitter cold and wind if needed. All of the others have been fine with this and spend about equal time in and out of the coop. The outside temps yesterday were around -10F with wind chills down around -20F. It has been like this since the beginning of January, but this is the 1st time she's been affected like this. So, my question is, since she's shown that the cold can be a problem for her, should she stay inside until the temps improve or should I try to add a little more warmth to the coop so she doesn't have to stay separated from her flock? I want her safe, but I also don't want her rejected by the others, since she's already pretty low in the pecking order.

 

[Eggcessive]

Usually they will do fine if they will roost on the wide side of a 2X4 roost to keep feet warm. If you are worried about her you could place her inside a next box or on the roost at night. Unfortunately being low in pecking order she may have a tendency to stay by herself. I feel that pine shavings are much better at staying dry. Straw can become wet, moldy, and you can bring in mites with it. If you bring her inside for long, she will need to get used to the cold again, and may lose her place in the order.

 

[twinmama]

Thanks for your reply, and that's what I'm thinking too. I don't want her to get used to inside warmth, and I also don't want her pecked out by the others if she's separated too long. In the coop, I've always used pine shavings until just last month when our temps went so low and a couple local farmers urged me to try straw for warmth. I'm giving a fresh bale once a week and turning it every morning to help. I'm thinking I should put her back out there later today and keep a close eye while I'm home over the weekend to make sure she's okay.