South Louisiana Temps Dropping & Chicken Owners

[kuntrygirl]

Just to let you all know, the low temps on Friday night will get down to 22 degrees and Saturday night will be 20 degrees. Please make plans to keep your chickens warm and safe. It's a shame we're not accustomed to these cold nights. I'm looking forward to spring time so that we don't have to worry about these cold temps. I bought extra bedding and have my heat lamps ready. I have new baby chicks, so they have been under the heat lamp for a couple of weeks now. I've been stacking sticks, wood and other trash in the pasture to have a big bon fire for the other animals (sheep, goats, etc) this weekend. They have sheds to go in to but they like sleeping on the ground. Since they like sleeping outside on the ground, I have tarps and hay laid out for them to sleep on. I don't know why they don't like going in their shed. It's much warmer in there.

What will you do to keep your chickens warm this weekend?

 

[jhm47]

The low here yesterday was -32 degrees F. The high was -10F. This morning when I got up, it was -27F. The high for today is predicted to be around 0. Our lakes now have up to 30 inches of ice on them, and people are chopping holes in them to catch fish under the ice. We routinely drive our cars and pickups on the ice to reach the best fishing spots. We have around 2.5 feet of snow, and the roads are covered in solid ice in many places. Our cattle live outside at all times. Our chickens live in unheated coops. We do increase the feed to our animals and provide them straw to lie on, but other than that, we do not give them any other special considerations. Here are some things that we do in cold weather:

60 degrees: We turn up the air conditioners to maximum power

50 degrees: We start the air conditioners.

40 degrees: We open windows to let in some cool air

30 degrees: Pretty warm, but we can tough it out with fans.

20 degrees: Just right!

10 degrees: A little cool, but when I'm working, I don't like it hot.

0 degrees: Might put on a heavier shirt

-10 degrees: Button up shirt

-20 degrees: Light jacket weather, start furnace

-30 degrees: Button up jacket while shoveling snow

-40 degrees: Gloves and cap from storeroom

-50 degrees: Extra pair of socks;

-60 degrees: Getting pretty cold, might need to use heater on car

-70 degrees: Darn cold, hope spring gets here pretty soon

 

[gritsar]

This is my chickens second winter. As they are long acclimated to the abrupt changes in Arkansas' weather, I won't be doing anything different. Their coop is insulated, but that's about it.
I'm about to go let them out for the day. According to weather.com it's 26 degrees.
They're alot hardier than we give them credit for.

 

[kuntrygirl]

WOW!!!!

I think that I would die if I lived where you do. I'm freezing cold when it gets in the 50's and I turn on the heaters and get out the gloves, scarf and boots. I guess people that live there like it huh?

 

[Blueggchick]

I don't live very far from you. I live in the Ponchatoula/Robert area. I have heat lights all set up for my gals and guys.

They are even talking about snow and sleet here on the northshore Thursday night. And to think it was in the 70's a few days ago...grrrrr!

I grew up in Cleveland Oh, and lived in Burlington VT for years, so this really isn't that cold for me. But it does upset me that I moved south to get away from cold, and it is getting that low in temps.

 

[gritsar]

If you must hang heat lamps, please y'all be very careful. Always anchor them in at least two ways. The clamps they often come with are not a safe way to anchor them. There's been too many coop fires for BYC members.

 

[kuntrygirl]

I am always afraid of fires as well. I try VERY hard to prevent any fires. Thanks for the reminder and the advice.

 

[Blueggchick]

Quote:
Scary thought! Thanks for the advice.

 

[DonnaBelle]

Not long ago someone posted that a heat lamp had fell and burned their coop and chickens.

I would simply need therapy if that happened to me.

I have my lamps hanging from chains.

DonnaBelle

 

[teach1rusl]

Two weeks ago I would have said differently, but waking up to 4 degrees this morning has me looking forward to our predicted high of 25 today...lol. We've been in a cold snap for a week! I do use lamps in my coop for nights in the teens. Mine are chained w/a safety wire attatched. I usually just use a 75W bulb, but I broke out the brooder bulb last night...brrrr. It stayed above freezing in the coop.