Silkies and cold weather

[geosheets]

mine have been in below freezing for almost 2 weeks with several nights in single digits... they are just fine

 

[MeettheFlockers]

My silkies have their own insulated and heated 12 x 24 barn that I had built for them. It stays at a consistant 50-60 degrees in there. I do let them play in the snow for 1/2 hour a day when temps are 20 degrees or above.

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

i think anyone with silkies should bring them into a spare bedroom during the winter and feed them warm oatmeal and scrambled eggs in the morning after they wake up from sleeping in goose down beds.

 

[TurtleFeathers]

Mine live outside in an unheated coop just like the rest of my chickens. Always have, and they're none the worse for the wear. We had a couple inches of snow yesterday, and have had temps in the teens and twenties the last couple weeks - they've got places where they can get out of the wind and weather tho, and I keep their coop and nestboxes as dry as possible. After back to back blizzards dumped almost 4 feet of snow on them last winter and took a month to melt away, this weather is a piece of cake for them!

 

[robin416]

You all that have steady temps that probably works out fine, yesterday we went to the 40's that night, up to 52 during the day and now have plunged back down again. We have not had two weeks of steady cold temps. We keep jumping from being able to be outside for a day or two in shirt sleeves to days of not having enough clothes to keep warm.

 

[briarpatchfarms]

you really want to try to raise your silkies outside as much as possible. if they are babied in heat and AC then the strain tends to weaken and become even less hardy, so if you sell to someone up north that doesnt heat or AC then more than likely that bird is more likely to die in hard climates than what you have! Here they get one heat lamp and I move several in together, then its survival of the fittest. Personally I only want to breed to strong birds rather than weak birds thats sick all the time from the weather. I dont know if you would want to spend money out on a heating element ofr not but if you are interested in an energy sufficient heater, look up infrared heaters for horsse stalls/ pig stalls. they range about $125 and only heat objects under neith it not the air, they come in handy!

 

[bacres]

Quote:

 

[featherbaby]

Quote:
Mine didn't like the bed so much, so they just piled up together on the carpet.

 

[Doug the Chicken Man]

Our Silkies are in a insulated Draft Free coop with only a free flowing waterer in the run. No heat. We are also having varying temps as we always do at this time of year. Temps varying between 0C and -20C somedays with freezing rain and others with snow. They always have free access to the run if they want to go out. The runs have the north and west sides and top tarped. The other sides are open. They hop in and out all day and are no worse for it. If it is windy they go inside if it is nice they go out thier choice for thier comfort.