New to winter chicken keeping

[Jwebb35]

Hey guys! This is our first winter with chickens and the temperatures have dropped fast with the nights being 10°.. this past week the chickens have not wanted to go outside because it's been so cold, but today the chickens ran outside for some fresh air and it's 13°, at what temperature is too cold for chickens to be free-ranging?

 

[Ridgerunner]

It's not just temperature but other conditions. They do not like a cold wind. Mine will be out enjoying the weather as long as a cold wind is not blowing. They have been out well below 0 Fahrenheit. Snow can cause problems. When mine wake up to a strange white world they don't want to go out in it at first. After a few days many of them will go out in snow. I've had them outside when the snow started, those never went in or had a problem with snow. It's not the snow that is the problem, it is the change.

I don't make those decisions for my chickens. I leave the pop door open and let them decide what they want to do. They know more about being chickens and when they are comfortable than I ever will.

 

[Jwebb35]

Oh perfect, thank you! Yes, they did not like their first snow and I've already shut the run (it's covered in plastic) as they've already ventured back in...the wind makes sense as we have 20mph wind today

 

[BarnyardChaos]

Hey guys! This is our first winter with chickens and the temperatures have dropped fast with the nights being 10°.. this past week the chickens have not wanted to go outside because it's been so cold, but today the chickens ran outside for some fresh air and it's 13°, at what temperature is too cold for chickens to be free-ranging?

I think it depends not only on the breed of chicken and their overall health, but on the owner's tolerance. Yes, the owner. There are chicken keepers on this site who use no supplemental heat at all and let the chickens range at 10-20-deg below (F or C, I don't know). *I*, on the other hand, can't sleep thinking of my poor shivering birds out there in anything below 10-deg-F. I value my sleep and health, too - so I compromise.

The only time I close the pop-door and provide supplemental heat is when there is a nasty snow or ice storm going on, winds are blowing hard, and temps are brutal (IMO like below 10-F). Otherwise, I let the chickens choose where they want to be - in or out. If there's no precipitation, but temperature is below 20-F, I'll leave the pop-door open but also leave a heat lamp on in the coop. This way they can escape the cold if they need to. Mostly they stay outside, but they'll go in and out during the day. I keep food and water outside (except for when I have to lock them inside during storms and bitter cold).

I do have a different kind of setup, though. My coop is an old camper trailer, up on blocks. So there's about 12-16" of headroom underneath, with all dirt floor. Over time, the birds have dug holes, or depressions, in the dirt - so it rather looks like a mine field under there. Chickens will snuggle down into the holes, and if I look underneath during a storm or very windy day, often I'll just see their heads poking up. Rather comical!

 

[WingsysRoost]

It often gets down to -20C in the middle of winter in my area, with wind chill added on top of that. I don't have heat in my coop. They are well protected from the wind inside, and their coop and run are dry, so they have access to plenty of space to get out of the cold and damp if they choose. I find that mine will take breaks from the cold by going inside the coop, and then they will come back out again later to get food and water and to scratch around a little bit.

They seem to know exactly what to do to keep warm, so long as they are provided with food, water, and some way of getting away from the wind and moisture. An extra treat of black oil sunflower seeds or egg or another high-energy food doesn't hurt on the really cold days, either.

I do have a different kind of setup, though. My coop is an old camper trailer, up on blocks. So there's about 12-16" of headroom underneath, with all dirt floor. Over time, the birds have dug holes, or depressions, in the dirt - so it rather looks like a mine field under there. Chickens will snuggle down into the holes, and if I look underneath during a storm or very windy day, often I'll just see their heads poking up. Rather comical!

That sounds like an interesting setup!

That's a delightful mental image of them with their heads just poking up from the ground.

 

[Vicker]

Living in Texas, I'm not a winter expert, but we do get down below 5-10 F. We get snow and ice, as well. I just let them decide if they want to go out. Sometimes I entice with a little scratch on top of the snow. I watch out to make sure they are being somewhat active and still eating, rather than hunkering down in one spot all day. The last time we were stuck in an extended icy, below-freezing holding pattern, I put a heat lamp in the coop. My chicken with the largest comb got frostbite after I did that. From now on, I'll just stick with making sure the North and West wind is blocked. If using plastic, make sure there is still good ventilation to prevent condensation.