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

[chicks and hens2]

Quote:
We are almost neighbors, I live on the outskirts of Orting!mine put themselves in the coop by 4:30 PM, if I don't go out sooner to bring in the water etc., then out at 7:00(daybreak here) sometimes there are several eggs waiting and other days they lay later. The other day I only got 5 eggs, that was a first since last Summer once they had all started laying. Back up to 9 eggs today. can't quite figure out why the decline. Must have been upset for some reason.

 

[Mrs MIA]

Well, we hit -22F the other night, and it was a little much for the poor little Mille Fleur boys in the open run. I think the bigger boys were using the MFs as pillows, or heating pads... they were a little abused. One I thought was a goner, wouldn't put one leg down, acted like it was broken. After a couple of days in the garage at 55F, both boys that were brought in are acting a little better, and moving better. They're just so tiny! But NONE of the other birds, from small Jaerhons to large Orpingtons, are having any problems with the cold.

I'm hoping the worst of our winter cold is now done... but not holding my breath. Currently -4, which is better than -22....

 

[toofarout]

The temps are still dropping again as we write.

When I finished snowblowing I opened the chickens pop door and *all* ran outside, it was -20F.
Ha! So quick they all ran back inside. Only one lone Chantecler stayed outside to eat the BOS, but even she went back inside when I went went in the cabin.
So I closed the pop door, might as well have not even bothered.
Now it's below -30F. It's supposed to continue to drop to -40 or below. I think we are doomed.

Sorry about your little ones, but glad to hear they are doing better.

 

[jeannieo]

Can't you put them in a garage or something? I know we're not supposed to heat but geez Louise! Of course I don 't know how many you have. Sure hope you don't end up with chicsicles!

30 below! I felt bad for the girls when it was 2 the other day! Hope your girls are OK

 

[wyododge]

We've only gotten down to -15f, but they were running around outside like the little idiots that they are. Currently we are experiencing 30 to 40 degree temp drops from day to night. I took the window back out too. We get a nice breeze through the coop that way.

Makes me long for the days of the stay puffed marshmallow man down coat I had as a kid. Man those things were warm...

 

[Mrs MIA]

We had a lovely weekend here... two days of snow, almost a foot of new snow, and 15 above.

This morning, it's 18F below, and everyone's outside running around scratching, eating snow, like it's not limb-numbing cold out. I brought the two boys into the garage, which is heated, but I have about 100 chickens and hubby's not happy with the two that are in the garage.

Another storm is moving through the Aleutians today, and by tomorrow and Wednesday...well... the forecast is for above freezing.

Which means I'll be cleaning coops, if that happens...

 

[toofarout]

Mrs. AK-Bird-Brain :

We had a lovely weekend here... two days of snow, almost a foot of new snow, and 15 above.

This morning, it's 18F below, and everyone's outside running around scratching, eating snow, like it's not limb-numbing cold out. I brought the two boys into the garage, which is heated, but I have about 100 chickens and hubby's not happy with the two that are in the garage.

Another storm is moving through the Aleutians today, and by tomorrow and Wednesday...well... the forecast is for above freezing.

Which means I'll be cleaning coops, if that happens...

Those thaws must be a killer on the back and the sinuses!​

 

[chickensinwasillaAK]

Yea, it's going to be such fun to get 80+mph winds and warm into the 40's. The rain will kill us, making that 18" snow over the weekend all that much heavier. The birds don't seem to mind the cold to much, once it gets -20 we leave the pop door shut. Anything above that we open it about 8am and close about 6pm, they're outside for most of that time. There's enough of them to keep it about 45 in the house during the cold spells, water never freezes. If we went into a Fairbanks cold spell, I'd consider adding heat but at this point they don't need it.

 

[6chickens in St. Charles]

Hey there Alaskans! Here in Illinois this week we've been 40 degrees!

It's like we flew south for the winter, but without the flying! Wish you had some of this easy winter.

I'm sure the winter will hit us eventually. Last year the big snowstorm hit in February. We're not heated or lit either, we're ready for the cold with our big fat chicken feathers.

 

[bucky52]

I had never thought about using cardboard for insulation.great idea.we have a retail store and always have lots of cardboard boxes.