Question About Temperature Extremes

[Haunted55]

I am so hoping that someone can answer this for me. We are going through very low temperatures and very windy conditions. I have 5 Peas in an insulated building and 5 Heritage Turkeys in another pen in the same place. The temps are going down into the minus numbers tonight and the wind is screaming. Right now the temp. is -1 and the windchill is -12. How low can it go in the house? I've got 25 degrees inside their house right now and it's only 9 pm. The 2 adult Peas have already had frostbite with their previous owners. I do not want a repeat of that.

Any idea of what the temps are that they can handle.

 

[new 2 pfowl]

Poor guys! (and poor you!).

I'm sure you're worried, and hope someone gives you advice about this very soon; sorry that I can't help you with this.
You are probably already considering what your options are if you decide it's too cold for them?
For example if you have any kind of garage, shed, spare room or ??? that wouldn't be so cold?
Hope all goes well with your gang...

 

[Haunted55]

Thanks. I have already run a heater out there today and brought the temperature up to 38 degrees. With this wind, even though the building is super insulated, the cold is just sucking the heat right out. I'll set the alarm for 3 am and check then. If needed I have the gas heater still out there and can bring the tmep up over freezing at least. This weather is just nuts! Tonight's actual temp is supposed to be -12. With the wind? I so don't want to think about that....

 

[chickentooth]

Many things will contribute to the cold and make it worse. First off they can handle a fair amount of cold but only if they are healthy, dry, well fed, and out of the wind. Also are they on the floor or roosting the higher the better as heat rises. The size of the coop they are in is also important, simple due to the fact that in an insulated small coop a single brooder bulb can keep it warmer. My opinion is the temps you mention are extreme and you should definately do something, the easiest is usually a infrared bulb with a reflector pointing on where they roost. If you can keep heat around them they will have an easier time, obviously. With all that being said warmer is better do what you can, 25 degrees should be ok but only if they are healthy and off the floor and well fed and dry. Wish i could be more helpful.

 

[Frosty]

If you decide to use an infrared bulb, please make sure it's very secure and that they can't fly up and hit it. More than one building has burned because of those.

That being said, if they are out of the wind, there is no wind chill factor where they are. Just the ambient temperature. If they are healthy, I wouldn't provide supplemental heat. That only makes it worse in the event of a power outage. Assuming it was the toes that were frost bit, you can make sure the roost is wide enough that they cover their toes with their body when they roost. Another option is to put carpeting with heat tape or something on the roost. Mine have been through -38 and are doing fine, that was their first winter and they weren't full grown. The worst so far this year was -15.

Editing to add that if they are high percentage green, you WILL need supplemental heat. They aren't as cold tolerant as the blues and the color varieties derived from India Blue.

 

[Haunted55]

Many things will contribute to the cold and make it worse. First off they can handle a fair amount of cold but only if they are healthy, dry, well fed, and out of the wind. Also are they on the floor or roosting the higher the better as heat rises. The size of the coop they are in is also important, simple due to the fact that in an insulated small coop a single brooder bulb can keep it warmer. My opinion is the temps you mention are extreme and you should definately do something, the easiest is usually a infrared bulb with a reflector pointing on where they roost. If you can keep heat around them they will have an easier time, obviously. With all that being said warmer is better do what you can, 25 degrees should be ok but only if they are healthy and off the floor and well fed and dry. Wish i could be more helpful.

Thanks so much for getting back to me! They have a roost 4' off the floor and it would be heated if the wiring in the building were finished. Stupid me. Same with the heat lamp, no can do. Their house temp at 7 am is 16 degrees, so not as bad as I was thinking it would be. Still, I'm heading out and putting on the heater for a bit and get the temp up to 35 at least then let the sun do the rest.

And trust me, you, New 2 and Frosty have all been very, very helpful!!! You responded and gave me info and kept me from going nuts. Yeah...you guys were very helpful.

 

[Haunted55]

If you decide to use an infrared bulb, please make sure it's very secure and that they can't fly up and hit it. More than one building has burned because of those.

That being said, if they are out of the wind, there is no wind chill factor where they are. Just the ambient temperature. If they are healthy, I wouldn't provide supplemental heat. That only makes it worse in the event of a power outage. Assuming it was the toes that were frost bit, you can make sure the roost is wide enough that they cover their toes with their body when they roost. Another option is to put carpeting with heat tape or something on the roost. Mine have been through -38 and are doing fine, that was their first winter and they weren't full grown. The worst so far this year was -15.

Editing to add that if they are high percentage green, you WILL need supplemental heat. They aren't as cold tolerant as the blues and the color varieties derived from India Blue.

Thanks for the reply Frosty. This is my first year with Peas and I just don't have the experience to fall back on. As I said to chickentooth, if I had finished the wiring, they would have their heated roost. Guess what I'm doing today? A heat lamp...I'm not sure I'd dare with these birds. Both the turkeys and peas have no problem jumping or flying up to the ceiling [6-10' high]. I have a radiant gas heater out there that I only run when I can stand right there with them. If yours have gone through those temps, I'm sure mine will be okay. I just didn't know and wanted the opinions of people that did.

I am assuming they are India Blue peas. That's what they look like, but other than that, I have nothing else to go on. They were purchased from a local person who no longer wanted them and I have no other info about them.

 

[snowshoe]

Here in central PA this morning the temperature is minus 2 with a slight wind so not sure of wind chill but 20 of my 25 peafowl roosted outside in there pens, They have indoor coops but they prefer outside. Snow and freezing rain sometimes make them roost inside but not always, my BS bronze male hade ice hanging from his feathers one day last week. I felt bad for him but he did look pretty neat.

 

[Frosty]

Thanks for the reply Frosty. This is my first year with Peas and I just don't have the experience to fall back on. As I said to chickentooth, if I had finished the wiring, they would have their heated roost. Guess what I'm doing today? A heat lamp...I'm not sure I'd dare with these birds. Both the turkeys and peas have no problem jumping or flying up to the ceiling [6-10' high]. I have a radiant gas heater out there that I only run when I can stand right there with them. If yours have gone through those temps, I'm sure mine will be okay. I just didn't know and wanted the opinions of people that did.

I am assuming they are India Blue peas. That's what they look like, but other than that, I have nothing else to go on. They were purchased from a local person who no longer wanted them and I have no other info about them.

I can understand wanting opinions... we all want the best for our birds and the best way to learn is to ask others. If they have had frostbite previously, it's really important that they be able to cover their toes while roosting. They possibly had a smaller roost before that left their toes exposed. If they were greens or high percentage spaulding, you would know it. They wouldn't look like blues.

Here in North Dakota, it's pretty flat. Mostly open agricultural fields with lines of trees planted as shelter belts in some areas. 50 MPH winds are not uncommon, and bitter cold temps are expected though the -20's are more common than the -30's. Wind chill can easily get in the -60 range. We have wild turkeys and pheasant, the biggest weather threat to them is if we get a lot of snow in a winter. Then their feed source is covered and they starve.

One thing that you can do to prep for cold weather coming is give them a bit of black oil sunflower seed. The extra fat can help them out.

 

[TerriLaChicks]

We added a couple bales of hay in our coop area & in a corner of their run - I don't know if it helps or not but figured it can't hurt - hay does have some insulating value. It doesn't get cold here like it does there, but we do still get some damp, chilly weather (like the past few days have been).