Seramas in Winter

[ChickensInMA]

Do any other Northerners have experience with seramas in the winter? Here in the Boston Area, the coldest we get is about 0ºF to -5ºF, but we have sustained temperatures in the teens. I have three birds that are basically the Caribbean version of seramas, and I'm worried about winter with them. They live with my other, cold-hardy chickens. I've heard that they don't take freezing temperatures well, and in winter here, the are quite a few days that don't go above freezing. What do you guys do? I don't want to heat my coop, because I'm worried about fires, moisture and affecting the cold tolerance of my other chickens. I don't want that they freeze to death once they go outside or when we lose power, because they're used to a higher temperature.

Last night, the temperature went down to about 27ºF, and although two of my little chickens seem fine, one of them doesn't seem herself. She's my little naked-neck hen. Should I bring the three of them inside my heated shed for the winter? I don't really want to do that, because I don't want to have to reintegrate them into the flock. We don't have a garage. My coop is (unnecessarily) insulated in the walls; will that be enough for them? It definitely will be beneath freezing in there this winter. Any advice?

 

[The Birb King]

I move mine in with the big chickens for winter. I winterize the coop but they do fine without any added heat

 

[ChickensInMA]

I move mine in with the big chickens for winter. I winterize the coop but they do fine without any added heat

Where are you located? How cold does it get for you?

 

[The Birb King]

Where are you located? How cold does it get for you?

I'm in Massachusets. It sometimes gets below zero but not usually

 

[uisceros]

I'm in Mass (Merrimack Valley), and this is my second winter with Seramas - last year I kept them in my basement during the winter. I was too nervous to keep them out. This year I'm going to try to keep them out as long as possible (with a oil-filled radiator), but will probably bring them in for really cold days.

If they were with my big chickens I think they would be fine, but I have them as a separate flock.

 

[K0k0shka]

I'm in the Boston area too and while I don't have seramas myself, I had a neighbor who had a pet serama that lived in the house with her, because he was so cold sensitive. She'd bring him outside for walks and put cute little sweaters on him, poor thing really wanted to be outside but he would shake like a leaf! I'd never seen a chicken (or any animal, for that matter) shiver so violently. In the winter, when we took him out, he would try to nestle under my armpit in my sweater or inside my jacket when I held him, he was obviously looking for warmth. I looked after her animals a lot when she traveled (she had normal outdoor chickens, too, and other farm animals) and I hung out with the little guy in all seasons. He was fine in the warmer months, but as soon as it started to get chilly in the fall, he'd start to shiver when he was outside. These birds just weren't meant for this climate. Even if they survive the winter outside, the thought that they might be miserable would not be worth it to me. I'd look into separating them from the flock and giving them some kind of more sheltered/warmer winter living quarters, then reintegrating once the weather gets warmer again.

 

[jBabychickn]

Why not just use a Heating plate?
I think it would bring you peace of mind and the birds will enjoy having it around.
It doesn’t “Heat the Coop” —
It’s free choice heat; your hens can choose to sit/lay next to it for a warm-up, if they want..

 

[jBabychickn]

I'm in the Boston area too and while I don't have seramas myself, I had a neighbor who had a pet serama that lived in the house with her, because he was so cold sensitive. She'd bring him outside for walks and put cute little sweaters on him, poor thing really wanted to be outside but he would shake like a leaf! I'd never seen a chicken (or any animal, for that matter) shiver so violently. In the winter, when we took him out, he would try to nestle under my armpit in my sweater or inside my jacket when I held him, he was obviously looking for warmth. I looked after her animals a lot when she traveled (she had normal outdoor chickens, too, and other farm animals) and I hung out with the little guy in all seasons. He was fine in the warmer months, but as soon as it started to get chilly in the fall, he'd start to shiver when he was outside. These birds just weren't meant for this climate. Even if they survive the winter outside, the thought that they might be miserable would not be worth it to me. I'd look into separating them from the flock and giving them some kind of more sheltered/warmer winter living quarters, then reintegrating once the weather gets warmer again.

You said it right there, my friend..
“The thought that they might be miserable would not be worth it to me”

I couldn’t agree more! If you have the means to provide easy comfort, then why not provide it?