They will huddle, right?

[Sammimom]

Well, here in the land of mild winters we now have our first consistantly cold temps of the year, in the 20's at night. Don't scoff, those of you who have been below zero already!

Our coop has no insulation and no extra heat source, we have only three hens in a 3X6 coop, lots of ventilation.

My question is this, won't those silly birds huddle together if they need to for warmth? Latley, I've got one roosting on each end of the perch and one in the nest box (brooding her golf ball). Even at 11pm they are in their respective favorite spots, and they do get along very well, so I like to think that if they were cold enough they would perch together?

I'm such a paranoid chicken mom...

 

[PunkinPeep]

As long as the ventilation is not in some form that is causing them to feel wind - as in a draft - i think they'll be just fine.

And yes, i would expect they would cuddle if they needed to.

 

[xC0000005]

I'm right here a few miles away and yes they will huddle. Not that the orps seem to care much either way. I can't even get them to come in out of the rain most of the time. I found them squeezed into a lump on a perch - six chickens packed into a space so small I would have killed for a picture of it. "Each chicken needs 14 inches of roost space," says the chicken book. Yeah, try four inches. I don't know why they won't get in out of the rain but they seem to be smart enough to huddle up.

 

[Sammimom]

Thanks guys! I feel better now. My chickens won't come in from the rain either, even a really HARD rain!

 

[Mahonri]

I walked into the coop not long ago and there was my Blue Wheaten Ameraucana Roo with a wing on either side of him strung over a hen on either side.

Some fight to be next to him now.

 

[PunkinPeep]

Quote:
aw! i want a picture! sweet roo!

 

[ole-crone]

They might and they might not - we're going down to 4 tonight and our coop also is not insulated and does not have heating. The chickens seems to be surviving fine - I don't know how but they are. We've tried to insulate a little - but when it is this cold - it chills me to the bone.

 

[chookchick]

Sammimom--just down the road from you a bit. We are getting into the mid teens now. Made it through last year with just 2 hens in a 4 by 4 coop--so similar size to yours. I never saw them huddle, but they did just fine. Two things you can do to make you feel better--put a thermometer inside so that you can read it from the outside (like with a flashlight through the vent, but back from the vent). You can wrap insulation around the coop and fasten it with bungees. Put a foam board across the top and weight it down. Just be sure and not block any ventilation. One more--you could put a Snuggle Safe in with them (like under water pan). But the mid twenties is just fine, really.