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

[Mrs MIA]

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MaryFrances">https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=421291


MaryFrances, if they're too cold, they'll stay under momma... they'll be fine.

 

[Mrs MIA]

duplicate post.

 

[Ban seabhag]

Just for the record it got down to -30 just a couple of times last winter. The girls did fine, and some continued laying through it. I will be interested to see how my Norwegians do this year as they are bred for the cold. My coops are insulated this year as I said so I think it will be even better. Even people get more acclimated to cold if they spend a lot of time in it (like 2 weeks during the fall on Kodiak in a tent) The house is always too warm for me when I get back..

 

[Wolfwoman]

I didn't read the whole thread, as I'm having laptop issues, but here's my story and I'm sticking to it!!

Long ago and far away (Ok about 8 years and 5 miles) we had 6 chickens and I knew NOTHING about chickens. If I remember right it was 2 Polish, a Leghorn, a RIR banty, a NHR and something else... We lived in the cabin with no running water and no electricity (HORRORS!!!). The chickens had a chicken wire area in the yard that was about 15x15 or so. Inside that area was 1/2 of a XL dog kennel for them to shelter in, and lay eggs in, and they did.

Winter came to Chickaloon. And with it 8 LONG weeks of 30-40 BELOW weather and wind. It was THE coldest winter I have ever endured before and since then.

The chickens pecked and squawked and scratched in that weather... they came out to eat snow and get their feed that I provided daily.... I did not give water, it was frozen in such a short amount of time in that weather that it was pointless! Yes they stopped giving me eggs in the winter (I thought that normal!) but they did not get sick, or lose weight. In the spring, normal egg laying and chicken activities resumed.

3 of these 6 birds lived 6 years. The other three: The leghorn and one other met a furry fate of a wolf, and my little polish girl died of no apparent reason I could see in the summer.

I look at my chickens now and tell them they got it MADE!

 

[Ironmaiden]

I won't heat my coop now after reading this, but I was thinking about aiming a heat lamp at the nest boxes to avoid frozen eggs. Any thoughts on that?

 

[Mrs MIA]

Quote:
I've personally not had much of a problem with frozen eggs, but I probably have a lot more birds than the average person.

The girls are usually lined up to get into the nest as soon as it's vacated!

I would think that a lamp on the nest would help, but perhaps someone with a solution will chime in.

 

[PaulaJoAnne]

Quote:
I just limit the number of boxes in winter. That way the eggs always have a heat source of 110 degrees on them

Last winter, when we had 6 weeks of 30 below, I maybe had a handfull of frozen eggs. Maybe less.

 

[Ironmaiden]

Hmmm. Thanks Gals. We will see what the weather brings. I have 6 boxes now, and 28 chickens, so hopefully they will keep them warm til I get home!

 

[HorizonSon]

I don't think I would really ever be overly concerned about temperatures for mothered chicks or "adult" chickens... However; I live right on the Pacific NW coast, where it rains HARD blows up to 75+mph during storms. That combination KILLS, kills dead, that permanent type of dead, pine box sold separately.... We spend almost the entire year at near 100% humidity and often barely (if at all) get above dewpoint six months out of the year... That being said; I, and many others here, have been quite successful with freeranging chickens. They'll cluck'n'scratch in the pouring rain with the wind blowing their feathers sideways. When its stormy, they'll stay mostly within the timeline and the forest undergrowth.

 

[JoAnn_WI_4-H_Mom]

Quote:
If you show chickens, that will be a disqualification. So I imagine those who have birds they plan to show are forgiven if they are a little more concious about the temps experienced by their potential show birds.

We kept our birds in hoop houses on pasture right up until the wind direction changes were so abrupt that I could not guarantee that they would be out of the wind. The birds had no problems with low 20F on calm still frosty nights. They MUCH preferred being out on pasture. But raw conditions of wet and wind are not great for them. We put them into insulated winter quarters during a sleet/rain and that night the tarps all tore off the pasture huts in some freakish gusts. We were glad we did not wait one more night.

I am anxiously watching humidity in the winter quarters. More worried about fumes and ventilation issues, and rodent issues, than temps at the moment. Last year we had some frostbite on combs and a really stupid rooster with some on his toes (I want to roost all by myself on this cement block in the only draft in the building). I really don't want any of that again. We had added heat lamps last year, but there was no insulation then.

What is considered ideal humidity during water-freezing winter temperatures?