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

[Mrs MIA]

It's a balmy 1°F at 2:30pm... no snow even on the radar until MAYBE next Wednesday.

Anyone that doesn't want the snow, please feel free to send it my way, ok?

Iditarod starts in a few weeks, and it's pretty ugly out there right now.

 

[ParadiseFoundFarm]

You can't have mine! I'm praying for more too!

 

[growinupinfl]

Quote:
Imagine this I followed your advise, ignoring worried kids and roommate told them the birds will survive a "bitter low" of 15 degrees backed up my statement that chickens actually exist even in ALASKA without heated warmed coops. I stood strong in the face of my adversaries, no matter how cute they being my offspring and all. We awoke the next morning, and much to all of their surprise, there were two frizzles, and 5 silkies happily pecking and scratching the ground and they had survived the bitter horrible hard freeze of Florida.

I thank those that are willing to

us Floridians into remembering that a one night hard freeze will not be the end of our lives as we know it. Now I will stand strong when others along the Gulf Coast tell me to bring my frizzles and chicks in when the nights are cold. I am free from the chains called winter

 

[ParadiseFoundFarm]

Good for You!
Me too thanks to Ms AK Bird Brain and her threadd "Think it's too cold for your chickens?"

 

[CountryFried]

Quote:
Imagine this I followed your advise, ignoring worried kids and roommate told them the birds will survive a "bitter low" of 15 degrees backed up my statement that chickens actually exist even in ALASKA without heated warmed coops. I stood strong in the face of my adversaries, no matter how cute they being my offspring and all. We awoke the next morning, and much to all of their surprise, there were two frizzles, and 5 silkies happily pecking and scratching the ground and they had survived the bitter horrible hard freeze of Florida.

I thank those that are willing to

us Floridians into remembering that a one night hard freeze will not be the end of our lives as we know it. Now I will stand strong when others along the Gulf Coast tell me to bring my frizzles and chicks in when the nights are cold. I am free from the chains called winter

Slightly north of you near Dothan, AL, and we haven't done anything special for our chickens. In fact, we just moved 6 week old babies from a brooder in an enclosed room out to the main coop with a hover brooder (one 100w normal light bulb), and everyone has been perfectly fine. Their water is frozen in the mornings, but my son is up early to go to college and he takes them fresh water then anyway, so I doubt they even notice it's frozen.

 

[Mrs MIA]

Quote:
Imagine this I followed your advise, ignoring worried kids and roommate told them the birds will survive a "bitter low" of 15 degrees backed up my statement that chickens actually exist even in ALASKA without heated warmed coops. I stood strong in the face of my adversaries, no matter how cute they being my offspring and all. We awoke the next morning, and much to all of their surprise, there were two frizzles, and 5 silkies happily pecking and scratching the ground and they had survived the bitter horrible hard freeze of Florida.

I thank those that are willing to

us Floridians into remembering that a one night hard freeze will not be the end of our lives as we know it. Now I will stand strong when others along the Gulf Coast tell me to bring my frizzles and chicks in when the nights are cold. I am free from the chains called winter

Congrats.

I would give anything for 15°F right now...

 

[Mrs MIA]

Glad to share and relieve some of the anxiety associated with winter. I'm not saying I don't have my share of frostnipped combs or toes... some chickens are rather lacking in "common sense"... but for the most part they are fine with good shelter down to 0-10°F. Anything lower than that, and they look at me like I'm crazy when I suggest they come out to eat or drink. But at night, I have gone out there at -10F and found birds huddled outside trying to sleep. They stay in once I put them in the coop, though.
I have one RIR roo that absolutely insists on staying outside... his comb will be nicely dubbed by the end of winter.

I have a split lav orpington with a MAGNIFICENT large comb, and he has no frostbite at all. Go figure. Same pen, same conditions.
You DO have to keep an eye on them when it's 0-10F or colder for long stretches of time, but for dips like that or overnight frosts, meh... they're fine.

 

[ParadiseFoundFarm]

I've got such a stupid question I hesitate to ask. Do their combs grow back?

 

[Mrs MIA]

BTW... if you ever want to prove to anyone it can be done (and there are LOTS of people that are even colder'n me right now that do NOT heat their coops), just click here
http://www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/findweather/getForecast?query=99672
to see what the current temp is, and say "SEE?? I personally know that this person does not heat her layer coop, and see how cold it is??"

Scrolling down a little, there's a link to see the history of the weather station, and you can go back to 2007 to see what conditions were like.

 

[6chickens in St. Charles]

Quote:

Mine are so bored! I hang an apple and some collard greens from a string, they like that. We bought them straw to forage in, threw it on top of the ice in their run, then toss scratch grains in there and they dig through the straw, keeps them busy. the squirrel who's too aggressive and digs in there for the scratch keeps them busy too. I put up a higher up roost in their run, too, gives them something to go up on.....but mostly they are soooo bored.

I pick them up, they are hot little birdies under their wingies. And if you let them roost on your naked hand, their little monkeypaws feet are hot, too. Amazing. And its less than 10 degrees out here.