opinions needed too cold for chicks

mammat

Songster
11 Years
Mar 29, 2009
473
18
166
columbus ohio
I have read and read but I want some opinions...I have six 2 month old silkies out in the coop. It has gotten as cold as 28 with no issues but tomorrow night it is going to be 16 low 24 high temp. Should I heat them? I am anti heat but I don't want to be stupid and have them freeze. I have draft free,deep litter and cover their enclosure with a blanket. I also have 2 six month old silkies that sleep with them at night. Not sitting on them just huddled up with them. Thanks,t
 
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I live in southern CA so its harder for me to answer, but from all the post I have read in the past, that is not too cold for them at all as long as the coop is draft free / and condensation does not build up. From what I have read, That is the big problem, condensation, so make sure you have ventilation of some kind.
Hope that helps....happy new years to you!
 
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Thanks! We just built a new coop in september and it was raining in there one morning so we put in more vents and insulated the metal roof with r 19 commercial high density foam and no more dampness. I just worry. I love the little babes! I worry more about a heat lamp and catching them on fire! I may break down and put a couple hand warmers in a sock out there
 
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Chickens should be OK at that temp, but Silkies are not among the most cold hardy breeds, so please keep an eye on them.

Humidity and dampness does not cause frostbite or frostnip, It is caused by cold, nothing else. Dampness can exacerbate the tissue damage if present.

and, waterfowl grow down, chickens not so much.

Imp
 
Thanks for your responses! I read too much on here. Some of these people heat full grown chickens and live in florida! I was reading one last night where someone said at 8 weeks they should be at 60 for night temps!
 
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I can't speak to silkies, but my regular 8 week old chickens were outside in single digit weather so I laugh at the 60 degree thing.
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Heck, my broodies had day olds running around in the 30's, but then they had mama to run under when needed.
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Just because someone else does something does not mean it is necessary. I imagine you know that and that's why you posted. This is an internet forum. The moderators do a real good job of keeping it working within the rules, but they do not edit the responses for chicken correctness, just correct polite behavior.

I don't do Silkies, but I recently had some 5-1/2 week olds outside in a well ventilated grow-out pen without heat when the overnight low was in the mid-20's. There is more to it than just age. I did not throw them from a tropical heated environment directly into that weather. They were acclimated first. It sounds like yours are also acclimated. As long as the coop is ventilated well enough to keep the humidity and ammonia from building up, they should do OK.
 
They will probably be just fine, but nothing awful will happen if you do leave a heat lamp on for them. At least that way they'll have a choice. And maybe it'll give you some peace of mind.
 

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