Seriously, my chicken is cold!

Seaecho

Songster
Oct 12, 2017
662
673
196
High Desert, S. CA.
I have 4 chickens, and one, the Sizzle, since it started getting cold, is in the coop almost constantly. Will come out only briefly to eat and drink and then go right back in. My Serama is broody, so she is in the most of the time too. But when I open the nest box, the Sizzle is hunched way down in the hay, practically on top of the Serama, and acts just like a human or dog that is too cold. Doesn't want to move, almost as if she's sick. If I make her come out though, she acts fine, but goes back in at her soonest opportunity. It's been in the high thirties here at night, and breezy to windy. We have a tarp over the window in the coop for when the rain blows in that direction. I thought people on this board said chickens are fine in zero degree weather and even lower, but none of my four will come out often in the cold, and the one Sizzle, as I said, looks absolutely miserably cold, even while in the hay in the coop! Anyone else noticed their chickens are cold? I feel bad for her!
 
My theory is that the sizzle chicken does not retain body heat as well as a regular chicken with regular feathers, and down under those.
There are chicken sweaters available if you think that may help.
WISHING YOU BEST,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, :highfive:
 
Thank you for your quick replies! I will look into a sweater for her, as heating the coop is not an option. I'm afraid of using a heat lamp. If the sweater doesn't seem to help, I am doomed to keep her in my parrot room, where it's heated and plenty of room, along with her buddy Serama for the winter. Oh boy, more work with all that poop every morning! I'll let you know.
 
Thank you for your quick replies! I will look into a sweater for her, as heating the coop is not an option. I'm afraid of using a heat lamp. If the sweater doesn't seem to help, I am doomed to keep her in my parrot room, where it's heated and plenty of room, along with her buddy Serama for the winter. Oh boy, more work with all that poop every morning! I'll let you know.

I put in a K and H heating pad from Amazon as cheapest in the coop and fire safe. I make sure mine go in the coop when below 30 degrees at night.
 
Make sure no drafts or breezes in the coop, to begin with.

If you have electric in the coop, you could get a flat panel heater that mounts on the wall. Of course, all of them will want that space. You could use that in a caged area so the 2 you are concerned about are in the cage in the coop with the panel heater nearby.

Non-electric: If you have access to manure, you could pile it up so it produces heat while decomposing -maybe put it under a wire platform so chickens don’t dust bathe in it, and warmth rises. Come spring, you have some mellowed manure for the garden. Of course, this is a much smellier option than a panel heater. Also, some people swear by corn/cracked corn at bedtime so the birds derive some warmth with the extra carbs.

We have electric and put in a heat lamp, secured several ways, in case one doesn’t hold, the other will hold, so maybe another option for you if you have electric.

Good luck.
 
If you don’t have electric I just ran indoor outdoor extension cord to the coop and notched hole in door to run cord through coop and plugged in my new K and H pad. My extension and heating pad with heater for waterer are plugged into outdoor box to protect connections from weather.
 
I thought about a heating pad, but that would only warm her from the bottom. Would that be enough? When I touched her back, it was so cold before she was brought in. My coop is pretty small--3x4.' If the wind comes out of the south, it can blow right into the open door, and my chickens sleep on the floor. If the wind blows in other directions, the chickens don't get a direct draft.

She's in the parrot room with her Serama buddy, and she's finally moving around, eating and drinking. I'm afraid she might have died had I left her in the coop. I will check out the K and H heating pad, and thank you! I guess a sweater is out of the question. I think she might have gone out in the rain and got damp, and that started her chilling. And having a sweater on would just make that worse. I don't want to worry about her anymore, so I'll keep her in if I have to.
 

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