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

[Ema]

its negative -30F this morning in N. Ontario Canada. I feel like my eyeballs froze on the way tot he coop this am. Its -20F in the coop Brrr. but the girls are in good spirits.

I found 2 eggs on the ground in the middle of the coop, frozen and cracked, they haven't done that in a long time, not sure what to make of that. They are very good at laying in the nest boxes, I am going to guess someone must have been hogging the one nest box all the girls seem to like, even though they got plenty to choose from

At these temps. I wish I had feathers :-(

 

[nuttyredhead]

I have 11 bantams ranging from my tiny Silkie to my big EEx so far so good. They have a light, regular not heated, that comes on in the early am and again in the late afternoon. My husband wants me to get a therm. to put out there. I think that is a bad idea....if i know how cold it is Im liable to be out there putting blankets on them lol!!!! Oh and I have 2 broodys also!!!

(did i mentoin my husband is a fireman...not chance of a heat lamp in that coop!!!!)

 

[dolly85]

I live in northern Wisconsin not too far from the Canadian border. I don't supplement heat (besides heated water dishes) but my roos DO suffer. It has been below zero for several nights in a row now, and all of my single combed roos have severe frostbite despite being shut up at night in a draft free coop with lots of bedding. My silkie roo and cubalaya roo and EE roo are fine, but my cochins, BO and OEG bantams are suffering in this cold. Never again will I get a single combed rooster without the intent of eating it before winter sets in. This is ridiculous. Look at my poor BO roo. Perhaps its a mistake to let them free range during the day, but they love it and my hens are not showing any signs of frostbite at this point. I hate to lock them up 24/7 when they love to scratch around outside. Live and learn I suppose.

 

[vtgirls]

With temps holding at 10 below overnight the 4 hens and roo are all in good spirits, despite also being locked in the run (by choice - too much snow on the ground now).
What I find very odd is one of my PBR has noticable frostbite on all of the tips of her comb but my other PBR does not! They are the same age and sleep NEXT TO eachother on the roost bar. Also,the girls shuffle postions along the roost so its not as if she's in a little draft that no one else is. It seems to me this means even in the same breed, same exact conditions, some are more susceptable than others. Still, the striking difference is hard to believe even after seeing it myself. Poor thing - she's a sweet hen so I hope this is as bad as she gets.

 

[ParadiseFoundFarm]

Quote:
Mine is an insurance agent - just as against heaping lamps! He would have allowed it if I pushed - gratefully I found this thread.

 

[Mrs MIA]

As long as the tips don't get infected, they will eventually heal up and fall off. I have a few roos that ABSOLUTELY insist on staying outside, and they look like that. They will be fine come spring, and it does not seem to have dampened their, um, "enthusiasm" for the ladies.

I also had a couple of roos that dipped their wattles in the water... now they look like they have a pair of chestnuts strapped to their chin. *sigh* I watch them to make sure they don't get dirty, but other than that I just have to wait until they heal up. And they will, and will be less susceptible if they make it to next winter. (

roos are always on the short-list, unfortunately.)

We've got a warm-up happening right now (+10F!!

) and snow in the forecast for the next week, so everyone is doing the happy dance.

 

[phasianidae]

Quote:
Here is the end result of winter:

Thankfuly his sons are half EE so they don't have to suffer like their father:

 

[Paganrose]

"Deep litter for me does not include composting to generate heat... it merely means adding more shavings without removing the soiled shavings so they're not standing on frozen poo" LOL this is so true for me also!!! Although we have a few warmer days where the poo shelf is not frozen soild and I can clean it off.

I live in northcentral wisconsin, and the winters here are cold and windy. My birds have been outside since they were 3 weeks old, with just a small heat lamp to huddle under the fisrt month they were outside in 30 to 40* weather, and they only used it at night. My coop is 6' by 12' uninsulated (although parts of it will be next year) I do have a light bulb on a timer (mostly because I feed them after dark) But this doesn't add much heat. The only eletric heat source I have is the heated water dish, (turns on when it is below 40*, which the ducks and geese love to stand in), but doesn't heat anything else up, testified by the ice surrounding it! I have 4 ducks, 2 geese, and 19 chickens which are major heat sources!!!! the coop is always 10 to 15* warmer than outside. The ducks and geese can be found outside durring the day as long as it is above 0, and the chickens go in and out as they feel like it unless it is very windy or snowing, except for my older 3 ISA brown hens (ex battery), who mostly stay in the coop.

The only reason I plan on insulating part of the coop is because 2 of my 3 roos have horrible frostbite on thier combs. One looks like dolly85's roo. But they don't seem to be getting infected, or any worse.

 

[mommyofthreewithchicks]

Even with the negative numbers creeping in -10 at noon haven't dared to look since... I have resisted the urge to add heat. I have a few roosters who are frost bitten and look terrible and am trying to figure out how to keep the eggs from getting frozen plus because of all the frozen cracked eggs I think I may have an egg eater...

So hoping to figure out all the issues with winter this winter and make everything better for next year

Thanks everyone for reinforcing the no heat rule as I may have caved in the past few weeks!

 

[Mrs MIA]

Even with the super cold temps, earlier this year I didn't have any problems with the roosters and frostbite. But something changed in the last few weeks, and now I can see their breath. The humidity that is causing the frostbite is coming from the roosters themselves!! Their own breath!

I'm beginning to wish I was in Florida now......