Think it's too cold for your chickens? Think again...

[Mrs MIA]

Velma&theChix :

Thank you for this post. My husband and I are new to keeping chickens. We've had ours since July (a mama and 4 chicks). We live in mid-Missouri and I've been fretting a little about them being too cold. My husband built them a nice hoop house with nesting boxes, plenty of straw and plastic on three sides. They are dry and seem happy. The winters here are fairly mild, we rarely get to zero, so I guess I'm just going to "chill" (no pun intended) and let the birds be birds. I'm sure hubby will be glad to not have the "do you think the chickens are warm enough" conversation again.

Thanks everyone, for your knowledge and your willingness to share information!

They should be fine. Just watch them... I doubt that they'll be cold, but you'll know if/when they are.

aubreynoramarie, that sounds like an interesting setup! I'd like to see pics!!

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

My babies have been out in the baby coop since they were 3 weeks old with no heat. I have 16 total. They are 5 weeks old now, but tonight is the coldest night yet at about 35-37 degrees. Do you guys think they will be ok? They have lots of straw, no wind/ drafts, and I see them all cuddle together for warmth.

 

[aubreynoramarie]

Mrs. AK-Bird-Brain :

Velma&theChix :

Thank you for this post. My husband and I are new to keeping chickens. We've had ours since July (a mama and 4 chicks). We live in mid-Missouri and I've been fretting a little about them being too cold. My husband built them a nice hoop house with nesting boxes, plenty of straw and plastic on three sides. They are dry and seem happy. The winters here are fairly mild, we rarely get to zero, so I guess I'm just going to "chill" (no pun intended) and let the birds be birds. I'm sure hubby will be glad to not have the "do you think the chickens are warm enough" conversation again.

Thanks everyone, for your knowledge and your willingness to share information!

They should be fine. Just watch them... I doubt that they'll be cold, but you'll know if/when they are.

aubreynoramarie, that sounds like an interesting setup! I'd like to see pics!!

i put some in the coop section AGES ago when they were babies. It has since been upgraded slightly, but heres the thread. i am now able to fit five happy chickens in there....

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=361847​

 

[Super Chickenman]

Thank you Mrs AK! Also being new to chickens, I have been panicked about the cold issue as well. You have helped with this a lot! I do confess to going out and buying a wireless thermometer to put in the coop though!

 

[Mrs MIA]

Quote:
Watch them. They'll tell you if they're cold. If they have straw to huddle into, they should be fine.

 

[Mrs MIA]

Quote:

I have one, too.

I still like to know how cold it's getting in the coop. Though I have to admit that I realized tonight that I don't have enough shavings to get through the entire winter, so I moved 90% of the birds from the breeder coop to the layer coop for the winter. The coop is downright toasty, even though it's 33°F outside right now. We're supposed to start dipping into the teens/single digits again in the next few days, but I'm not worried.

 

[forstadt]

I live in Rhode Island, and it never gets too cold here, so I don't plan on ever using any heat. The worst it can get in winter here an extended period in the teens, though it will occasionally get into single digits. Some whole winters pass with barely any days below the 20s. Yet there are plenty of people around here who will swear that they need to heat their birds all winter long. Thanks for this thread.

 

[Super Chickenman]

Just checked and the coop is 13, outside temp is -3.

 

[SkyWarrior]

Well, they upgraded the forecast. We're now only supposed to get -11F but last evening, we hovered around 0F and didn't hit the lows that Missoula and the other areas did. (I think it's our altitude -- being a bit higher than the valley floors). The birds were fine. Eating a LOT. I filled the feeders, banged the ice out of the waterers and put hot water in.

The youngest chicks are fairing well, but I am using a heat lamp. The couple month old ones are peeping and eating up a storm. The others don't really seem to care. The coop is warmer than the outside, but it's still chilly.

 

[BlueBirdChick]

Im sorry but when it gets -11 below here in Montana you gotta use something to keep them warm. I have them in a coop its failry frre from drafts but this cold wind will still find its way into the coop. I dont have a barn or anything nice like that. Sometimes it can be -8 below here and they refuse to go outside and whos to blame them.

I wont even go out when its that cold. Nor will the school let the children let the kids out. When its -22 degrees I still wont turn off that heat lamp. Espicalley when you live in the mountains