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

[frostbite]

If a 250 watt bulb would do the trick here, I wouldn't need a heated waterer. It's 10 below now, but still 15 above in the coop. But at 15 degrees, the water is still drinkable. And I do have a heat lamp in there ready to plug in if the birds start looking unhappy. Right now, they only look unhappy when I come out there empty handed. They come running outside to see what treats I have for them! The cold doesn't seem to slow them down at all.

It will get to 20 below often during the winter here, and sometimes to 30 or 40 below, occasionally colder. This is my first winter caring for poultry, so it will be interesting to see how they fare.

 

[newmusher]

hi---ya it's like 25-30 degrees outside and i'm heatin my coop with 250 watts--mostly so the water doesn't freeze---seems to keeep the coop about 40 degrees--i do not think that's spoiling them just makin my life a little easier with no frozen water.

Up here it is -32 today which is warmer than a few days ago with -40! my chickens are a hardy bunch of girls, impossible to keep water from freezing unless I had a heated water dish (with no power that is kinda hard!) but they love snow!!

 

[Missa Chickabee]

Up here it is -32 today which is warmer than a few days ago with -40! my chickens are a hardy bunch of girls, impossible to keep water from freezing unless I had a heated water dish (with no power that is kinda hard!) but they love snow.

Hello newmusher! May I ask what kind of chickens you have? We're in MN. It does get that cold but usually not til the new year starts. Thanks for your input.

 

[newmusher]

Hi. Um, well most of them are red or very dark red/brown. don't know what kind though as I am very new to this. they are a good size too for the most part. with short combs. does that help at all? Cheers

 

[GhostRider65]

For those who don't heat the coop, what is th absolute lowest temperature before you would consider turning on a heat lamp in the coop?

-20
but my coop is inside my insulated garage , and tho my big horse stall door facing south is always open, it never got below zerro inside my coop last year but our coldest day was -30 with the wind thats a mild winter for here.......

 

[popsicle]

Hi. Um, well most of them are red or very dark red/brown. don't know what kind though as I am very new to this. they are a good size too for the most part. with short combs. does that help at all? Cheers

Post a picture and maybe we can help you out. Now I'm also curious what they are. Maybe Buckeye or Rose-comb RIR from the description of dark red with short comb?

 

[chestypuller]

-15f they are still alive, i added some straw to their run and under the coop where they hang out allot.

 

[AKnewbie]

So apparently cold isn't a problem so much for our birds. They were hanging outside at -10. Snow however, is a different story. It's snowing right now and 26F and they will not go into their run. Do I kick them out so I can clean their coop or should I be thankful and consider this task for another day?

 

[bruceha2000]

Assuming there will be a better day soon (meaning one they will go out) I'd probably let them hang if the coop isn't bad. You could try cleaning what you can when they are inside. They'll decide if they want to put up with your or the snow.

It seems some of my girls think a bit of snow is OK and the others are "NO WAY!" But they have an indoor run so it isn't a problem

Bruce

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Just reporting on chickens and cold.
I have 50 chicks under a week old in a homemade hover brooder with a 150W and a 250W heat lamp in an unheated building. It was 27 degrees outside and 37 inside 2 nights ago, they are all doing fine.