Really? Will they be ok if it gets down to 5 degrees tonight?

[donrae]

It's likely that almost 1/3 of the nation will have lows around zero or even lower tonight and throughout the next week or so. That will include us as well. Shrug. It's cold. Too darn cold, for sure. But, that said? This equates to 100's of 1000's of chickens that will just get through it.

The blue jays, the eagles, the sparrows and all the other wild birds are in the same boat. They'll all survive as well. They'll just hunker down in a spruce or pine tree somewhere and await the dawn. Not that the day time temps this next week or so are anything to get excited about.

I have probably 50 of those tiny little finches overwintering in my roses and honeysuckle bushes. I have one feeder out they don't seem to use, not sure what they're eating otherwise. But those little buggers are active, healthy and apparently devoted to spending the winter teasing my cats

They seem here to stay. Not sure what they're drinking, either, come to think of it, unless it's the cat's water........

They sure make cute little tracks in the snow, all over the place. I figure if those tiny guys are okay, my fluffy butt chickens with a protected coop are just fine!

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

It's the Purina Mills coop, with vents between the top of the wall and the roof. The sensor I put in there is on the floor (just laid it in the corner the other day) so I'm wondering if there is less moisture up high. I've recently changed out the wood shavings so it seems pretty dry in there, and the humidity didn't change all day yesterday when the chickens we not in there, so I don't know. I could certainly crack a window, we cut two rectangular large vents this summer because it was so stinking hot in there at night, we wanted major air flow. If I open them all the way it may cause a draft (they are at roost height) but maybe I could crack them?

It is 5 degrees in the coop right now, at 6am. Zero outside and this has got to be a record for around here, it's nutty cold.

I don't have water in the coop, is that ok? I know some people do and some don't...my birds generally are not in the coop at all during the day, they only go in to roost then come straight out when the door opens at daylight. Except for yesterday, when they were freaking out about the snow and wouldn't come out for half the day, but then I gave them a dish of water.

I'm also thinking that maybe your sensor is off. If it's below freezing in the coop, it's hard for the humidity to be that high.

It's fine not to have water in the coop. During the summer, my birds only have outside water. In the winter, once the pasture waterer is frozen, I have to carry water to them twice a day and those drinkers are hung in the coop. I hate it because they always manage to get water spilled in the coop, and I have to deal with it every day and it's a mess. I'd only give them outside water if I could, but in the winter they are inside the coop so much I want them to have lots of water access. Also, the water outside freezes so much faster, as the coop is always a bit warmer than outside. If I could figure out a way not to have water inside, I would!