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

[TheyThinkI'mTheirMom]

TheyThinkI'mTheirMom :

We live in southern Maryland, and my husband has messed with raising chickens since he was a boy. I had grandparents that were farmers, so am no stranger to chickens either. We raise them for eggs and pet-type reasons. [I love them a lot] We disagree about winter.....so this thread has been very informative. Our current crop are 3 RRIs about 3 years old, and 3, very beautiful, sex-link Golden Reds not quite a year old. They live in a 12' x 12' heavy chain link enclosure. The roof is chain link so there is no covered area per se. We don't put anything on the ground, ever. They sleep in a roost with 3 1/2 covered sides and a door that can be closed; it has a roof and is about 4 feet off the ground. It doesn't have a floor, they perch on 2"x2" which go across the roost, so the cold does pour in at night. This is the only covered area they can get to when the weather is wet, unless they go up into their sleeping quarters. We have two laying boxes with straw, a feeder under a small roof and a stainless steel water container that we pour boiling water over in the winter when the water is frozen.

Last winter I put down several layers of cardboard over the 2x2 roosting perches inside their sleeping quarters and put newspaper down on top which I cleaned out daily and put fresh newspaper down. I covered the chain link perimeter roof and sides with tarps to keep their exposure to snow, rain and wind to a minimum, and to reduce the level of mud I had to go through to feed and water them. At night, after they went up to sleep, I would close the door to their sleeping quarters so they could keep each other warm.

After reading this entire thread, I think keeping wind and mositure to a minimum during the cold winter months is desirable. But I would surely appreciate your imput about whether or not I should do all that I did last winter, as described above, or just let them, and their living areas, just be. My husband says he has never lost a chicken to the cold, and I should do absolutely nothing....

I think this forum is so helpful and this topic is dear to my heart

Bump
No comments???? No help?????

 

[woodmort]

TheyThinkI'mTheirMom :

TheyThinkI'mTheirMom :

We live in southern Maryland, and my husband has messed with raising chickens since he was a boy. I had grandparents that were farmers, so am no stranger to chickens either. We raise them for eggs and pet-type reasons. [I love them a lot] We disagree about winter.....so this thread has been very informative. Our current crop are 3 RRIs about 3 years old, and 3, very beautiful, sex-link Golden Reds not quite a year old. They live in a 12' x 12' heavy chain link enclosure. The roof is chain link so there is no covered area per se. We don't put anything on the ground, ever. They sleep in a roost with 3 1/2 covered sides and a door that can be closed; it has a roof and is about 4 feet off the ground. It doesn't have a floor, they perch on 2"x2" which go across the roost, so the cold does pour in at night. This is the only covered area they can get to when the weather is wet, unless they go up into their sleeping quarters. We have two laying boxes with straw, a feeder under a small roof and a stainless steel water container that we pour boiling water over in the winter when the water is frozen.

Last winter I put down several layers of cardboard over the 2x2 roosting perches inside their sleeping quarters and put newspaper down on top which I cleaned out daily and put fresh newspaper down. I covered the chain link perimeter roof and sides with tarps to keep their exposure to snow, rain and wind to a minimum, and to reduce the level of mud I had to go through to feed and water them. At night, after they went up to sleep, I would close the door to their sleeping quarters so they could keep each other warm.

After reading this entire thread, I think keeping wind and mositure to a minimum during the cold winter months is desirable. But I would surely appreciate your imput about whether or not I should do all that I did last winter, as described above, or just let them, and their living areas, just be. My husband says he has never lost a chicken to the cold, and I should do absolutely nothing....

I think this forum is so helpful and this topic is dear to my heart

Bump
No comments???? No help?????

I doubt that you need the newspaper but otherwise, keeping them dry and out of the wind is fine. A deep layer of pine shavings would do the trick and wouldn't need to be change until spring. A wet chicken is more inclined to problems than if it is cold, especially if there is no place for it to dry off.​

 

[Mrs MIA]

Quote:
I do... My Dorking had 4 1/2" combs from head to tallest tip, and my single blue orpington rooster (who lost part of his comb twice in years past but has not had any frostbite this year so far) singlehandedly sired a LOT of chicks this year.
I think people are getting lost in the concept of fertility. The rooster doesn't lose the ability to create babies, rather, he's not as active in the winter so the EGGS aren't fertile. If he's frostbitten, he's likely in pain, and is even less inclined to mount the girls. Especially up here, in the cold, they have little desire to do much but eat, poop and sleep. Besides, I can't ship hatching eggs due to freezing temps anyway, so all eggs are eaten and fertility is not an issue.

Now, if someone shows me actual tests performed on a rooster prior, during, and after that shows that his sperm count has been permanently decreased or eliminated, then I will admit that I am out of line and say thank you for educating me. But my hatching sheets show otherwise.

I agree... everyone's conditions are different, and I also agree with HorizonSon about the heat/humidity thing. I personally had more troubles with frostbite when I heated the coop. If your birds are getting frostbite at 25*F, then there's an imbalance somewhere with the ventilation/humidity.

But I will say this again... this thread was started in response to someone in FLORIDA that had two 250w heat bulbs on their birds and it wasn't below freezing. People in the southern states feel cold at 60*F and think their birds are too, when in all reality, the birds are just fine without the added expense of heat.

Each person needs to evaluate their own flocks and conditions. But I've read almost every post, and I'd have to guess that a solid 90% do NOT heat their coops, even those of us in the Interior and Canada that routinely hit -30F for weeks on end.

It is wise to choose birds that are suitable for your area and conditions.

Although, there's always one exception to the rule, huh? I have a small jungle chicken that was hatched from eggs sent from Guam... You'd think she'd be huddled in a nest box somewhere wishing for a hot-toddy... she's out and about, picking fights with the roosters and raising heck.

 

[woodmort]

Quote:
It's call selective breeding--those individual birds that didn't do well in the cold were lopped off the family tree. The same thing works for other animals like cattle, goats, sheep and horses that originated in warmer climates--not to mention humans. And, despite having evolved from lizards, the chicken does have the ability to produce its own internal heat which is held back by the down feathers--two things that dinosaurs had not developed as far as we know. BTW I have spent nights very comfortably in a lot colder places than my chicken coop while inside a good down sleeping bag--alone too, I might add--without being a bit uncomfortable.

Also, what theory is it that says all species of Dinos were not cold weather beings?

 

[vtgirls]

We have a sweet little buff bantam cochin and she is really the only one I worry about, simply because she is so small that she is low to the ground and tends to get really wet in the rain compared to the other girls. For her we have given our only 'babying" - when it really pours she gets dried off before bed with a fluffy towel. We got her from someone in VT who breeds them and all of hers do well all winter, although I dont know if she uses heat. "Butter" (the bantam) stays nice and warm cuddling between the other hens on the roost. Once the snow flies I will be keeping a close eye on her!

 

[Mrs MIA]

Has everyone posted here?
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=422186

It's a poll, to see who/how many add heat or not. It's interesting to see what people do, and how many birds they have.

 

[Savvymamma]

I live in Michigan, on the West side by Lake Michigan. We are usually 5-10 degrees warmer than inland, but we still get really cold. I have never heated my coop. I have a variety of birds ranging from Americanas, Buff Orphingtons, barred rocks, sebrights, and faverolles. In your coup design, just make sure you have LOTS of ventilation at the top. If you think you have enough vents, add a few more. I make sure all windows are closed to prevent drafts and "blow-throughs", but all my upper vents are open. My vents have the louvers on them to prevent wind from gusting through an opening and you can buy them at a local hdwe store for a couple of bucks. My chickens have plenty of warmth. Frost bite only occurs when the moisture they breath out gets trapped in the warm, upper portion of the coop and can't get out. Then the moisture will try to settle and attracts to the chickens combs and toes causing them to freeze. You will also notice it if you are getting a frost on the inside of your roof and walls. Cut more holes in the top or add a roof vent if you can. This also helps remove the amonia smell in the summer.

Another good tip I just added to my coup this year is real branch perches. We had a HUGE wind storm come through a few months ago and knocked down several big oak trees and branches. I went out with a hack saw and cut up several branches that were 2-3" in diameter and had my hubby trim them and mount them securely in my coups. They are wide enough for the chickens to stretch out their toes and cover them completely with their warm, fluffy feathers.

Finally, this may sound gross, but I don't clean the poo out of the coop this time of year. I allow it to pile as the whole fermenting process with added shavings and straw on top help to insulate the floor and keep the coop warm. If you have a dirt floor, mother nature will be a constant sorce of warmth as it is protected from the outside elements.

My brooders are kept very clean and tidy, but not my outside coops this time of year. (summer is another story though, the smell builds up quite quick if they are not kept clean)

 

[ellieroo]

Quote:
It's call selective breeding--those individual birds that didn't do well in the cold were lopped off the family tree. The same thing works for other animals like cattle, goats, sheep and horses that originated in warmer climates--not to mention humans. And, despite having evolved from lizards, the chicken does have the ability to produce its own internal heat which is held back by the down feathers--two things that dinosaurs had not developed as far as we know. BTW I have spent nights very comfortably in a lot colder places than my chicken coop while inside a good down sleeping bag--alone too, I might add--without being a bit uncomfortable.

Also, what theory is it that says all species of Dinos were not cold weather beings?

Actually horses are much better suited to cold weather than hot.They are physically able to handle 40 below because of how their lungs handle air flow and heat transfer. i understand the genetics involved but because man has intervened doesn't mean a little warmth would not be appreciated.

. It just seemed that keeping chickens in the cold is favored here and I wondered why! As for dinos in cold weather when they were around the whole earth was a hot house hence ferns and dinos in the antartic. I also just read that if not for a tiny piece of livable land on the african coast we too would not have survived the cold!

As for spending nights in the very cold you are a better man than me kemosabi

 

[PaulaJoAnne]

Quote:
It's call selective breeding--those individual birds that didn't do well in the cold were lopped off the family tree. The same thing works for other animals like cattle, goats, sheep and horses that originated in warmer climates--not to mention humans. And, despite having evolved from lizards, the chicken does have the ability to produce its own internal heat which is held back by the down feathers--two things that dinosaurs had not developed as far as we know. BTW I have spent nights very comfortably in a lot colder places than my chicken coop while inside a good down sleeping bag--alone too, I might add--without being a bit uncomfortable.

Also, what theory is it that says all species of Dinos were not cold weather beings?

Actually horses are much better suited to cold weather than hot.They are physically able to handle 40 below because of how their lungs handle air flow and heat transfer. i understand the genetics involved but because man has intervened doesn't mean a little warmth would not be appreciated.

. It just seemed that keeping chickens in the cold is favored here and I wondered why! As for dinos in cold weather when they were around the whole earth was a hot house hence ferns and dinos in the antartic. I also just read that if not for a tiny piece of livable land on the african coast we too would not have survived the cold!

As for spending nights in the very cold you are a better man than me kemosabi

We do not keep them out in the cold. Just about all chickens choose to spend time outside in the cold. Experience has shown all of us, that heating the coop can and will cause massive frostbite, and at times death.
Take yesterday. We live in the coldest state. It was around 0 which was a blessing for us this time of year.
The power was out for several hours, and we can expect this to happen off andon throughout the winter for varying lenght of time.
If I heated my coop, and my birds were not used to the cold, I would very likely have some very sick birds today.

 

[ellieroo]

For that very reason I don't blanket my horses or heat my coop I just wanted to understand why people chose to do this yours was very good reason!