Opening up door roosting area when minus 5

[SW31]

Hi, I need your advice.
I have to go to another early morning MRI scan at our local hospital. I must leave by 7.15am. It will still be dark until approx 8.10am.
Last week I had to do the same thing for the first MRI scan. I had everything ready the night before so at 7am all I had to do was quietly open up the walk-in run, take the lids off of their food (fresh water put in thr night beforehand) and open up the roosting door. The three birds stayed in the roost as it was dark. When I returned all I had to do was open up the walk-in run door to their larger area.
The problem is this time the temperature is forecast to be around minus 5c. Last time it wasn’t too cold.

Can I open the roost doors so they can get out later on or should I leave them confined in the roost?

The water will be frozen and even if I put hot water in the water bowl before I leave it’ll probably re-freeze. As I have to wait for the doctors results and report I probably won’t be back until 10.30.
I did once, accidentally, oversleep and didn’t open the roost doors until after 11am. They were ok but, understandably, not happy about my lax behaviour and let me know how they felt - but that was the only time!

 

[Shadrach]

If their run is safe they'll be fine with the door open even at -5 Centigrade.
You could leave water in the coop and it may not freeze. I wouldn't leave food in though.
Chickens can go quite a while without water. Of course it's best to have it available but for a few hours they'll be fine and the water may defrost before you get back.

 

[aart]

If their run is safe they'll be fine with the door open even at -5 Centigrade.

Ditto Dat^^^

Do you have no way to keep water thawed?
Is it regularly freezing there?
Do you have snow? A bowl or pile of snow is a viable backup for frozen waterers.

 

[SW31]

Thank you for responses.

It doesn’t freeze regularly and, keeping fingers crossed, we rarely get snow despite being so near the Pyrenees.
Normally, if I think the weather is freezing I keep a smaller watering can in the house and fill it with hot water around 9am; it’s usually ok.

 

[Mrs. K]

While animals do need daily water, they do not need water 24/7. Most animals only drink a couple of times a day. -5 C = 23 degrees F, so while the water will eventually freeze, it will take many hours to do so. A liter of water will take about 6 hours to freeze solid, and they will be able to drink from it all of the time before that.

Leave the pop up open, and let them decide. If you can make it back before dark, you are fretting over nothing.

And even if you do not get out there until the next morning, they would be fine. A very small stressor. I would not recommend going more than 24 hours without water, but even then they would still be alive. However, that would be stressing them. 12 hours, they may complain, but in no way near dying.

Leave it set up like you have it, take care of your own health, and get to them when you get back.

Mrs K

 

[PirateGirl]

They will be just fine with the door open. They will come out of the coop when they are ready, and if they think it's too cold they'll grab a quick bite to eat an run right inside. It has not gotten above those temps here for over a week now and my chickens have been going in and out. The larger your water container the longer it will take to freeze as well. I had my husband check (I was at work) the water around 2:00 in the afternoon on a day it was only 10* F and there was still liquid in there from when I'd filled it at 7:30am. Even if it freezes while you are gone, you will be home to refill at some point. Take care of yourself, try not to stress about the chickens. I hope your MRI results give you treatment direction and there's nothing too terrible!

 

[Doc7]

Hi, I need your advice.
I have to go to another early morning MRI scan at our local hospital. I must leave by 7.15am. It will still be dark until approx 8.10am.
Last week I had to do the same thing for the first MRI scan. I had everything ready the night before so at 7am all I had to do was quietly open up the walk-in run, take the lids off of their food (fresh water put in thr night beforehand) and open up the roosting door. The three birds stayed in the roost as it was dark. When I returned all I had to do was open up the walk-in run door to their larger area.
The problem is this time the temperature is forecast to be around minus 5c. Last time it wasn’t too cold.

Can I open the roost doors so they can get out later on or should I leave them confined in the roost?

The water will be frozen and even if I put hot water in the water bowl before I leave it’ll probably re-freeze. As I have to wait for the doctors results and report I probably won’t be back until 10.30.
I did once, accidentally, oversleep and didn’t open the roost doors until after 11am. They were ok but, understandably, not happy about my lax behaviour and let me know how they felt - but that was the only time!

This is why my coop door is semi-permanently open. I only close it to lock a chicken In for a maintenance issue. Otherwise it is held open with a screwed on piece of wood. I don’t want them locked in or out of the coop at any time. Certainly my job isn’t to put chickens to bed and get them up every night!

 

[Grits&Eggs]

Certainly my job isn’t to put chickens to bed and get them up every night!

My job is! When I left the door open a couple times in the beginning.... rats were spotted on the camera and rat droppings were all over the ladder and coop floor....so, I make sure every night they are warm and safe from predators and I love my chickens!!
I also just got a solar powered door that will open at sunrise and close at sunset - it is a godsend and gives me such peace of mind.

 

[RumneyRoost]

They'll be fine, just open their door before you leave in the morning, they'll get up once it's light out.
I leave for work around 7am year round, their door gets opened earlier than that even if it's dark and -20C.
We were out of town for one night over Christmas, it went down to -10C overnight and their pop door was open for about 40 hours straight, there's a heated waterer in the run. At least once a month we go away for one to two nights. I've never had an issue leaving the pop door open overnight.

I wouldn't do this without a predator proof run though. If that was the case I'd invest in an automatic door.

 

[Doc7]

My job is! When I left the door open a couple times in the beginning.... rats were spotted on the camera and rat droppings were all over the ladder and coop floor....so, I make sure every night they are warm and safe from predators and I love my chickens!!
I also just got a solar powered door that will open at sunrise and close at sunset - it is a godsend and gives me such peace of mind.

Have you considered modifying your run so that it is rat proof?