Yes, to me the temperature where it changes is about -20 F (-30 C). This is another article you might want to read.
Cold Weather Poultry Housing and Care | BackYard Chickens - Learn How to Raise Chickens
I've worked in that weather and was not that close to the Arctic Circle. I should not have used that term "Arctic". It is too ambiguous.
We don't mean to imply you can ignore cold warmer than that. You can't. But -20 F is about when you need to really take it into account. Chickens need a place they can get out of a cold wind. If a cold wind ruffles their feathers that can lose the tiny air pockets trapped in their feathers and down and lose that insulation benefit. That is why I want my cold weather ventilation to be over their heads when they are on the roosts. That way any breezes miss them. There are other techniques to achieve that but openings over their heads is the simplest to me.
The other issue is moisture. Chickens, other animals, and even you can get frostbite anytime the temperature is below freezing. The more moisture in the air the higher the risk. A tightly enclosed coop can retain moisture, that is why ventilation is important. Ventilation gets moisture from their breathing, their poop, and any open water out of the coop. There are stories on here where people solved frostbite problems by opening up their coops with more ventilation.
Chickens with big combs and wattles are more susceptible to frostbite than chickens with smaller more compact combs and wattles. Pea combs and rose combs are less vulnerable than chickens with large single combs. Some people keep chickens with huge single combs and wattles that drag the floor in pretty cold temperatures but these are the first if you are going to have a problem.
Dad had a few chickens that slept in trees, Game type chickens with single combs. Those trees were out of the wind and you can't get better ventilation than sleeping in trees. Nothing to trap moisture. Those chickens went through temperatures as low as -10 F with no frostbite issues. When they slept they tucked their head under a wing to protect it. Chickens can be pretty good at taking care of themselves when they have options. By housing them in coops and runs we take away a lot of their options so we need to watch how we manage and house them.
Cold Weather Poultry Housing and Care | BackYard Chickens - Learn How to Raise Chickens
I've worked in that weather and was not that close to the Arctic Circle. I should not have used that term "Arctic". It is too ambiguous.
We don't mean to imply you can ignore cold warmer than that. You can't. But -20 F is about when you need to really take it into account. Chickens need a place they can get out of a cold wind. If a cold wind ruffles their feathers that can lose the tiny air pockets trapped in their feathers and down and lose that insulation benefit. That is why I want my cold weather ventilation to be over their heads when they are on the roosts. That way any breezes miss them. There are other techniques to achieve that but openings over their heads is the simplest to me.
The other issue is moisture. Chickens, other animals, and even you can get frostbite anytime the temperature is below freezing. The more moisture in the air the higher the risk. A tightly enclosed coop can retain moisture, that is why ventilation is important. Ventilation gets moisture from their breathing, their poop, and any open water out of the coop. There are stories on here where people solved frostbite problems by opening up their coops with more ventilation.
Chickens with big combs and wattles are more susceptible to frostbite than chickens with smaller more compact combs and wattles. Pea combs and rose combs are less vulnerable than chickens with large single combs. Some people keep chickens with huge single combs and wattles that drag the floor in pretty cold temperatures but these are the first if you are going to have a problem.
Dad had a few chickens that slept in trees, Game type chickens with single combs. Those trees were out of the wind and you can't get better ventilation than sleeping in trees. Nothing to trap moisture. Those chickens went through temperatures as low as -10 F with no frostbite issues. When they slept they tucked their head under a wing to protect it. Chickens can be pretty good at taking care of themselves when they have options. By housing them in coops and runs we take away a lot of their options so we need to watch how we manage and house them.
