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

[primalchick]

Just wanted to add my 2 cents about the water, here it gets down into the -40's in winter (and we have long winters), and I use heated water dishes for my chickens. They are awesome. You do have to keep them plugged in, but they definitely are not as pricey to run as a heat lamp. They are great, I love not having to deal with solid ice in the morning! I have a floating trough heater for my horses as well and it's fantastic too.

My coop is insulated and I bed with straw in the winter for warmth, but I don't use a heat lamp. Mine survive our extreme temperatures in there quite comfortably

 

[groverlvchx]

Well, it's 11 below zero F here (4:50 AM) and I just got back from feeding the chickens. There is no heat out there, just about 4" of bedding. Very little frost on the windows (4) none on walls/doors. I have heated doggie dishes with sand in them and the traditional plastic waterers on that. There was still water available! It wasn't solid in the tray--they had already pecked through the thin layer of ice. I switched one out and will do so once or twice again today. Yesterday I found one water frozen completely solid (It takes all day plus some hot water to thaw that brick enough to get it out of the plastic bottle!) One of the doggie dishes was unplugged. Those things are working much better than I expected! I use a third one for their fermented feed, which I bring out warm every morning (I keep it in a bucket by the furnace). They LOVE that stuff.
I used to have 2 red 150 watt heat lamps out there. As it started getting below freezing temps I had them on for the chickens. The results were condensation/frost on the windows and chickens with breathing problems. I lost three chickens before finding this thread and devouring the information and validation to get those heat lamps out of there. I would go out to close them up and night and I'd literally hear them coughing and wheezing! Now I don't hear any respiratory distress at all. Live and learn. Thanks for teaching me.

 

[tashpotato]

My bocbocs were all huddled in the coop today. It's -7 celcius here and I've given them extra hay.
Gave them some warm scrambled egg mixed with natural yoghurt which they wolfed down. Poor things

 

[Mugs]

Here are my girls this AM. It was single digits last night. They look pretty happy don't they?

 

[blondiebee181]

Here are my girls this AM. It was single digits last night. They look pretty happy don't they?

Yeah Ameris sure make things easier cuz they have no Wattles and no combs

 

[Lifestudent]

-20 here yesterday with the high for the day at 3. Birds stay in the barn and don't move around much,but they are all fine. keeping the water thawed is another problem. today we get a thaw and will reach the high teens

We use heated watering dishes meant for dogs for our chickens as well as for our dog. They have been working fine. We have one inside the chicken coop and one next to the house so they can drink whether they're inside or out.

It was forecast to drop to 7 degrees tonight so we bought an infrared heat lamp and hung it in the coop. Now the forecast is in the teens so I won't have to plug it in after all. I'm sure our chickens would be fine without it, but I just want to be sure.

 

[PAchickengirl]

They forecasted 5 tonight, but it usually gets colder at our house than what they say. Windchill is going to be 20 to 30 below. Thinking about putting Vaseline on the combs of the BA and BRs. The EEs and GLWs should be okay.

 

[cracked egg]

The birds water is fine,made my own heated waterers,its freezing the faucets. Had to run heat tape on everything.

We use heated watering dishes meant for dogs for our chickens as well as for our dog. They have been working fine. We have one inside the chicken coop and one next to the house so they can drink whether they're inside or out.

It was forecast to drop to 7 degrees tonight so we bought an infrared heat lamp and hung it in the coop. Now the forecast is in the teens so I won't have to plug it in after all. I'm sure our chickens would be fine without it, but I just want to be sure.

 

[GhostRider65]

Hey all just stopping by to say howdy and good job on keeping the ladies warm, by not adding heat............
It was - 40 this am with the 20 MPH wind outa the NW........ darn cold, I open the barn door and out fly my chickens to peck around for the day, they come out for awhile get a sun bath in the covered crate in the sun, then go back in and see whats up in the coop or barn.......... they all seem fine I hear a sneeze once in awhile, but no icky eys or respatory issues other than that........... I bed with sand easier to clean a couple times a wekk.......... and I had mite issues last spring on pine, deep litter bedding......... so far so good with the cold and mite issue here, suppose to stay below zero F till Wed. will see how everything goes. My only complaint about the dog bowls is after 20 below they do freeze up if the wind can get in.......... Kim

 

[PAchickengirl]

We did put Vaseline on the comb and wattles this evening. Just in case. Here's a pic of the lovely weather we are having!