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

[ellieroo]

TheyThinkI'mTheirMom :

Mine are still sleeping in the 20 or so degree temps with high winds in a 3 sided roofed roost [it is 3' from the ground] with an open bottom with the perches attached to them where they locate themselves to sleep. In other words, they are sheltered only from rain and snow when they sleep. And during the day, in addition to exposure to low temps, high winds, if it rains or snows, they are out of luck. The 12'x12' coop has four sides of just heavy wire, and the roof is also wire. My stubborn husband.......

He is probably right, he has raised chickens this way for 30+ years, and heck, we've only been discussing our "differing views" of this for 20.

They do seem okay in spite of it all.

But thanks goodness for this forum.

I have learned some very helpful things to do, such as making sure they get scratch during the day to keep them moving, defrosting their water, and giving them some warm oatmeal right before they go up for the night. I've reduced my lobbying agenda with my main squeeze, hoping to convince him to at least cover the entire coop.

My DH has a tendency to procrastinate too say the least.ESP. when he doesn't think its important.I've learned that if i grab a hammer, saw etc. and appear to be constructing on my own he will take over since it needs to be done right!

Just a thought!​

 

[Mrs MIA]

At 15 °F outside this morning, the inside of the coop was 47°F just from the heat of the chickens. I had cleaned out a lot of the shavings on Saturday, but with the number of birds I have in the coop they mess it up fast. Doesn't stink, though, at least not of ammonia.

I'm sure it would be different if I only had a handful of chickens in there, but not by much.

 

[bantyshanty]

I've been following this thread for a while, thinking, Yeah, I'm doing the right thing for my chickens, no heat makes hardy chickies, down coats & all.

But I have 3 cochin pullets who are 12 weeks old and have been crunching under their mommies--or anyone--to wait out the cold in the early mornings. it was 20F this morning, will be 15F tonight, and will get down to 10F by the end of the week. At what point can these 12-week-old hicks not handle the cold nights?

The cochin chicks hae been raised outside without any supplemental heat, just their broodies.
I have a 6 x 8 coop which is sound, but just insulated on the ceiling.
It holds 20 bantam hens, 12 of them floor-piling silkies & cochins. I clean all the poop I can find daily and air it a bit.
The temps seem to routinely hold at 5 degrees above the outdoor temps, when the sun's not out (like from Dec. 1 to April 1 in western PA).

I refuse to heat the coop at all, but I might bring in the more delicate ones during cold snaps.

What think you all on this thread about ever bringing the cochin chicks into the garage (probably 30F on a 20 degree night), and the D'Anver hens during a cold spell?
The garage is unheated but is underground on 3 sides.

All opinions appreciated. Thanks

 

[Mrs MIA]

I don't see why not... if they're truly uncomfortable, I will usually bring in a youngster here and there. As long as they're not going from 20*F to a heated 70*F garage, and then trying to put them back out at 20*F again, they should be fine.

Each bird has a different threshold. You'll just have to watch them to see how they do.

 

[Wolfwoman]

Mrs. AK-Bird-Brain :

I don't see why not... if they're truly uncomfortable, I will usually bring in a youngster here and there. As long as they're not going from 20*F to a heated 70*F garage, and then trying to put them back out at 20*F again, they should be fine.

Each bird has a different threshold. You'll just have to watch them to see how they do.

I don't see why it would be different than for a dog. If I see a dog that's seeming overly cold I'll bring them in for a few hours to warm up, I haven't seen any ill effects in putting them back out. And I know some chickens are far more insulated than some of my short haired dogs!​

 

[OrpingtonHopeful]

So glad to see this thread- I cam on here looking for a coop-safe space heater, rofl. It is in the teens here and I was worried about my 5 adult hens- I guess I need to give them more credit for their toughness

Thanks for the peace of mind!!! (and allowing me to save the $$$ on an unnecessary heater!)

 

[team guava pastry]

We were just there in your neighborhood, what a place. Beautiful, the scenery, the wildlife and even the people were very freindly. I live in Miami and lets just say that the people are very different. We took a tour to a river and got out and walked wtih the biggest brown bear they looked like cars. Only 50 ft away, they were all fishing for salmon and not interested in us at all.


You are very lucky to live in alaska,

TGP[

 

[gallinamama]

TheyThinkI'mTheirMom :

Mine are still sleeping in the 20 or so degree temps with high winds in a 3 sided roofed roost [it is 3' from the ground] with an open bottom with the perches attached to them where they locate themselves to sleep. In other words, they are sheltered only from rain and snow when they sleep. And during the day, in addition to exposure to low temps, high winds, if it rains or snows, they are out of luck. The 12'x12' coop has four sides of just heavy wire, and the roof is also wire. My stubborn husband.......

He is probably right, he has raised chickens this way for 30+ years, and heck, we've only been discussing our "differing views" of this for 20.

They do seem okay in spite of it all.

But thanks goodness for this forum.

I have learned some very helpful things to do, such as making sure they get scratch during the day to keep them moving, defrosting their water, and giving them some warm oatmeal right before they go up for the night. I've reduced my lobbying agenda with my main squeeze, hoping to convince him to at least cover the entire coop.

I know what you mean by stubborn husbands!

I am not one to nag at mine..but I had to keep asking for help with my coop and run. the run was getting wet with the rain puddling on the tarp, on top of the run.. So I got some assistance from my soon to be ex son in law..

He gave me some free wood where he works and I guess it kind of made my husband feel a bit guilty so he finally helped me put some heavy duty plywood on top of the run and then I secured the tarp... Now my chickens are dry.

I put some plastic around the run so it is pretty warm in there... It is warmer in there than the coop.. the coop the water freezes but out in the run it doesn't. It does have some ventalation ... I plan on putting either hay bales or bags of sand around the coop to cut down on the wind underneath. this might help with the freezing water... and believe me it is pretty cold here already... We have had a few days of wind chills in the single digits.

I still only go out once a day with warm water and food... I like to give them some warm treats too once in a while... (they are spoiled)... My nieghbor is giving me a rooster... he has three and they are fighting each other so I will take him. My ladies probably will be happy... since I got rid of the 5 I had...

 

[MamacatPatch]

Mrs. AK-Bird-Brain :

It dipped to 0F this morning. I knew it was coming, so I added fresh shavings to the pen, added a pile of hay in the corner, wished them well and said good night.

Did I run around running extension cords from the house to plug in 500 watts of heat? No.

Did I add any heat? No.

I have ~ 20 12-16 week old juveniles in a hoop run - this is my "grow out" pen". The pen is about 10'x16', and is covered by your average tarp. Black plastic covers the areas that the tarp misses, but the end with the wooden door is open 1" chicken wire. It's not insulated, it's somewhat draft free, but with 20 mph winds, nothing is really draft free. And did I mention no heat lamps?

All my babies were running around this morning like it was a summer day. 0F, no signs of frostbite, no signs of suffering... well, except for the fact that their water was frozen solid and they were thirsty... but they're happy now with fresh water. The adults were happy with fresh water, too.

Did I mention it was 0F? And no heat?

I'm just saying... SO many people ask when they should add heat. I understand... I'M cold! But I'm not wearing a down coat.

I, for one, can do without a $600 electric bill for one month. Want happy, healthy, safe birds this winter? Hold off on the heat.

I have heat lamps in my hen house and in my rooster shed, but mostly over the water to keep it from freezing solid. We set up to big buckets last year and fitted them with 'chicken nipples'. The hens caught on pretty quick but the stupid roosters haven't quite figured out what they're for yet that I am aware of. But I'm in the hen house daily and rarely go into the rooster shed. Wish you had pix of all you're talking about!!!​

 

[Mrs MIA]

Quote:

Luck actually had nothing to do with it... I visited in Nov, '95, and loved it... I swore that I would live here someday, and I made it happen 2 years later. I love it here.

I wouldn't mind slightly warmer temps in the winter, but it's worth the gorgeous summers.