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

[Mrs MIA]

Quote:

It's ok... sounds like you secured it well, and they will be happy for it.

One thing that others have mentioned, and I've been diligent about, is feeding them a little later in the evening so they go to bed with full crops. I've upped the scratch grains, which we all know they go ga-ga over, and I mix my own later feed with sprouted barley and a mix of other stuff. The cool thing is, the barley generates heat in the bucket when it sprouts, so it's always warm when I give it to them.

I just pulled some clear eggs from the incubator, so I boiled them up hard and while they were still warm I took them out and threw them against the ground so the smashed, and let the girls have at it. Feeding frenzy!!

Warm boiled fish is also a nice warm treat for them.

It has now warmed up to 19°F, and is snowing lightly with strong gusts... all the birds are still out in the sheltered run.

I am happy to hear that people are at least waiting until the temps really get down there before adding heat. I think we're the miserable ones, having to go out in these temps!

And, since this will start a new page, if you're jumping into the middle of this, at LEAST read the first post!!

 

[arianna]

What about bantams? I know the cochins are ok, but what about the one with less feathers? (silver duckwing, OE mille fleur, blue...etc).
I know several people in here laughed about some lady in Florida who used a heather in the coop. Well, I use an electric heather as well. Has an energy saver option witch makes the fan less hot. I can put my hand on the front plate of the heather and is not to hot.
I started with the heat lamp but I didn't like it because I couldn't control the temperature.
I have only bantams and some are young (3-4 months old). I'm using a thermostat heather, that only comes on when it gets below 30 and keeps the temperature between 30 and 36 in the coop. That was the lowest setting on the heather.
I only want to keep the temperature comfortable in the coop, not necessarily to heat it up. This is my first winter with the chickens, and the first nights when the temperature dropped as low as 14F I couldn’t sleep because of worry.
The coop is 4x7, partially insulated, and I have 17 bantams.
So how bad really is to do what I do?

 

[ellieroo]

Arinna and JSL neither of you have done anything bad at all.You have taken responsibility for your birds and done the best you could!

That is what is being stressed here there is No One Right. If you are new to chickens you have a right to evolve in your care of them.This winter is proving a nasty beast and to try and cope with it like a "normal" winter is a mistake. I wish everyone warmer temps than the -46 of International Falls!

My winter has gone from icebox to prespring yet I know winter will return its not done yet!

 

[CopperCT]

Quote:
Don't worry... I caved too. I normally do not heat the coop other than keeping the water from freezing but for the last two nights and for the next two I have put up two ceramic reptile bulbs up over the roosts. It's going down to -8 to -15 tonight and that is WAY below normal for CT and well below what they are acclimated too. My brahmas will be totally fine no matter what as they have so many feathers and small combs but the sexlinks aren't so heavily feathered and have large combs. They are so puffed up they look like black soccer balls on the roosts

. One of them has some slight frost bite. I have found the bulbs and body heat keep the coop 10-15 degrees warmer than the outside but that's still below normal for our region. I just checked on them and they are all huddled under the bulbs whereas they usually spread out on the whole roost. They clearly appreciate the extra warmth so I'll sleep better on this bitter New England night. I know it's only temporary so the bulbs will be unplugged when the temps return to normal.

 

[the1honeycomb]

I heat my coops every nite, live in central NC and the weather isn't too rough. My birds go in and out as they will, and many wild birds go in for a thaw. my Cochins run to me when I bring hot water out in the am and can't wait to step in the water!! plenty to drink and plenty to eat, I give them extra protein meal in the winter, all my birds are laying still and seem very happy. I haven't covered my run yet but they all stay in.
Spoiling them and they are spoiling me!!
Many adventures to you all~~

 

[CMV]

Well, it's 2 degrees out now and headed for -20 by the morning. I'm headed out to goop up some combs with Bag Balm for frostbite prevention. The coop is clean, dry and well vented, but I am still worried about some frostbite on such an eve as this. I have no heat and no insulation in the coop. Normally I don't worry, but...sigh...I'm a little worried. There is no need to be worried, but...

I hate bitterly cold nights like this.

 

[Mrs MIA]

Back to the question of bantams...

It depends on you and your birds and your conditions. That's why I tell most people to wait and feel out how the birds do with the cold. If your birds go from acting like it's a summer day to huddling in the corner, yeah... it's too cold for them.
The heaters on the thermostats are great!! Might I caution, though, that you only add enough heat to make them comfortable. For some of mine, that means up in the mid 20s, which is still below freezing, but doesn't release all the moisture into the coop. If you are going to be gone a lot, and don't want the water to freeze, heat the water, or keep the building just above freezing, like 35°F. Too much heat causes even more problems, and I know for me, going from a 60°F house to -20F outside, back to 60F inside was brutal on me.

Good luck to all of you...

 

[CaitlynNichols]

I just happened to stumble by this post and I must say I'm happy to have learned something useful for once. I've always seemed to worry if the girls would get cold or not, and on occasion I would go to my father and ask him if he puts on the heater in our barn to keep the chickens warm, to learn that he doesn't because this time of season their feathers fluff up (almost like an installation to keep the cold out) underneath their top coat of feathers. I know, I feel like I want to spoil my chickens a lot and do whatever I can to keep them nice and comfortable during any kind of weather, particularly the winter time.

I will have to try out that warm oatmeal in the morning to see if the girls will like it.

Thanks for the post!

 

[Terri O]

Oh they LOVE oatmeal in the morning! Throw in some old raisins and a bit of molasses too. Watch out they dont peck your eyes out to get at it! T

 

[featherz]

-25 here and I just went out. All the birds are alive, and my leghorns jumped off the roost to eat oatmeal so their feet still work.

Oddly enough, my bantams weren't even huddled - they were walking around in their unheated coop like nothing was wrong..