Poor chilly girls.(frosty pic added)

[domromer]

I just went out to turn the girls light out and they had their feathers all puffed out! Poor little things looked cold. I know there not really cold. They are all heavy breeds and their night time coop is an insulated finished building and it's only 30 degrees outside. They just looked kind of forlorn all snugged up.

 

[TxChiknRanchers]

That forlorn look might have been beacause you waited until so late to turn the light off.

 

[barg]

Dom, your profile says your a displaced Arizonian but you live around here(PNW) now don't you?

I know how you feel, the first thing I did this morning was ask colleen if the chickens were ok, was around 30 degrees last night too.

 

[MissPrissy]

I bet they were all puffed up because they haven't been able to go to sleep for the last 6 hours.

It really is best to let the chickens go to roost naturally as the sun goes down without a light extending their day.

 

[domromer]

Quote:
I live in Eugene Oregon. When I let the girls out this morning it said 24 degrees outside. It didn't seem to slow them down at all!


By domromer

 

[domromer]

Quote:
I thought it was fine to extend their daylight hours to 16 hours to keep up egg production in the winter? Am I wrong? I read in wasn't harmful in their first year of laying.

 

[picklespickles]

if you are going to, i thik people say best to extend morning hours rather than evening.

 

[Farmer Kitty]

Quote:
I thought it was fine to extend their daylight hours to 16 hours to keep up egg production in the winter? Am I wrong? I read in wasn't harmful in their first year of laying.

It is recomended that you extend the day in the morning. That way they can go settle in for the night with the natual light at night instead of a sudden lights out.

 

[Wildsky]

My girls and boy had to deal with 7 degrees - thats the coldest it was last night in the coop - its 21 right now.

 

[arlee453]

Put your coop light on a timer so it comes on earlier in the morning rather than letting them stay up later at night.

Plus, their feathers puffed out helps them trap air next to their bodies which helps keep a layer of warm air around them - like putting on another layer of a blanket.

They'll be fine!