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

[ZooMummzy]

I agree...great picture

My chickens are not impressed with the snow either lol. Most of them stuck their heads out the door this morning....looked at the snow....looked at me and then turned around and went back inside! Most have not even ventured out lol. I have princess chickens

 

[Mrs MIA]

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It doesn't sound like they're cold, they just prefer to be inside.

I wouldn't worry about them, and wind chills don't bother them as much as us humans. That being said, if it's super windy, they will likely stay inside for sure.

 

[Mrs MIA]

Heather, here's me at -35F on the North Slope (for work).

Look familiar??

My birds don't particularly like to walk in the snow, either, but they like eating the snow off of my boots.

Until we covered the entire run, we would put sawhorses up with plywood on top to create clear pathways from the snow. That way they could get out of the coop and walk to the smaller covered area where the food was without walking in the snow. I've never had any problems with my large breed feather footed birds, only my Millies. Even the silkies have sense enough to stay out of the deep stuff.

 

[shelleyd2008]

I never give heat to my birds, most of them sleep in a 3-sided building. Granted, it doesn't get as cold here (usually mid to low 20's, sometimes in the teens for a week or so), but still, they don't need it. Though I did give the guinea pigs heat last year, but I didn't want them to have frozen tootsies

 

[shelleyd2008]

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Yep, that's what I do here too. I bring in a bucket and fill it with hot water then float the waterers and water bottles in the hot water to thaw them out. Usually the birds keep it thawed (broken) during the day if it gets cold enough to refreeze it.

 

[shelleyd2008]

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I don't have any birds that small (unless you count the 20-30 young OEGB running around out there, abandoned by their mamas) and I'm sure we don't get as cold here as you get there. But I've not lost any birds to the cold. My quail are the same size as your seramas, some are probably smaller. And I'm sure my doves are smaller too. None of them have extra heat and I have yet to lose any birds to the cold.
The only thing I've lost birds to are predators. Last year was rats (nasty things! They were terrible!), this year appears to be hawks. But I wouldn't worry about the cold if they are out of the wind and she has some buddies to snuggle with

 

[Rare Feathers Farm]

Mrs. AK-Bird-Brain :

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k270/vyancey/Umiat/FrostyTori1-edit.jpg
Heather, here's me at -35F on the North Slope.

Look familiar??

My birds don't particularly like to walk in the snow, either, but they like eating the snow off of my boots.

Until we covered the entire run, we would put sawhorses up with plywood on top to create clear pathways from the snow. That way they could get out of the coop and walk to the smaller covered area where the food was without walking in the snow. I've never had any problems with my large breed feather footed birds, only my Millies. Even the silkies have sense enough to stay out of the deep stuff.

That's what I was missing, a HELMET! LOL​

 

[Mrs MIA]

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That's what I was missing, a HELMET! LOL

That's to protect your head when you slip on the ice.

We save 1 gallon milk jugs to haul water... 2 gallons to the bunnies 2-3 times a day, 2 gallons to the chickens in the layer coop 2-3 times a day, 1 gallon to the grow out pen, 1 gallon each to the two duck pens twice a day, and 18-20 water bottles get swapped out twice a day in the breeder coop. We have a utility sink in the garage that hubby built (he got tired of chicken poopies in the bathtub, I guess

) and he switch the hose that feeds it to the hot water.

Now we take warm water out to the animals.

 

[silkiechicken]

I tell my birds, if you're 6 weeks old, no heat lamp for you! And That is even when it gets to the lower 30's at night. They are all fine.

I did have to laugh though at the time one of my leghorns wanted out so much she flew out the door to land in 8 inchs of snow up to her am pits and just stood there asking for help. Eventually she moved her butt to the garage. White snow really emphasizes how dirty white birds are...

I wish there was a better pic of this silkie from two winters ago, but all I have is this fuzzy one:

She's fine.

Even banties are tougher than one would think:

These two didn't dunk their head in the water dish, and that small coop thing is 6 inches off the ground.

 

[Mrs MIA]

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I got an email from someone asking for advice just the other day... it was 8°F and he asked when he should add heat. I told him I hadn't added any heat yet.

The next day he emails me and asks why his chickens are shaking their heads... come to find out from a mutual friend that he has had heat in his coop all along, and has now been warned TWICE not to keep them so warm. It's raining now, so it's 36°F and 100% humidity... all the poop/water in the coop has thawed now and created moisture. I honestly don't know what it is, and if he should be worried. But none of mine are doing any such thing.

I think it's a lot like us with colds... it's not the cold temps causing us to become less resistant to colds, it's the going back and forth between warm and cold that does it. Just a theory.