Too cold?

[AChickenNamedBlue]

Hello-

We have a few new additions to our flock- some Partridge Rock and Bard Rocks. Some are young-a couple months old. They are in our old, smaller coop until our original girls have acclimated to them. They are still in the same run, but different coops and separate for the time being.. anyways- our original girls are in our old shed, it’s thick plastic, no drafts or anything like that. 3 bags of pine shavings on the ground so it’s cushy in there. The old run is smaller, wood and currently covered with a tarp during the night because it’s cold here. There are some tiny gaps because of the frame(metal), which is why the tarp is involved, but the door shuts all the way : it’s supposed to get to possibly -8F tonight. No wind. My question is- should we put all the girls together in the larger coop to stay warm, or still keep them separate as they will still huddle together, or should we bring them inside? They did just fine last night, it said it was about -8 this morning at one point. They all were fine when I let them out of their coops this morning and were doing their thing today!

Thanks!

 

[Luv Ducks]

Hello-

We have a few new additions to our flock- some Partridge Rock and Bard Rocks. Some are young-a couple months old. They are in our old, smaller coop until our original girls have acclimated to them. They are still in the same run, but different coops and separate for the time being.. anyways- our original girls are in our old shed, it’s thick plastic, no drafts or anything like that. 3 bags of pine shavings on the ground so it’s cushy in there. The old run is smaller, wood and currently covered with a tarp during the night because it’s cold here. There are some tiny gaps because of the frame(metal), which is why the tarp is involved, but the door shuts all the way : it’s supposed to get to possibly -8F tonight. No wind. My question is- should we put all the girls together in the larger coop to stay warm, or still keep them separate as they will still huddle together, or should we bring them inside? They did just fine last night, it said it was about -8 this morning at one point. They all were fine when I let them out of their coops this morning and were doing their thing today!

Thanks!

I would think they would be alright in the situations they are in if it registered that low this morning and all was well. We are getting down to -11 F tonight and I put extra wood shavings down for my ducks and have different places for them to huddle. None of the places they are in have doors however but ducks seem to be able to withstand the cold better than other fowl. I pray that yours stay safe tonight along with mine. Good luck.

 

[sourland]

I would not combine the flocks as that would lead to fighting and stress. They should be fine as is.

 

[AChickenNamedBlue]

I would not combine the flocks as that would lead to fighting and stress. They should be fine as is.

Thanks!! This morning there was frost on the ceiling? Not sure if it was because condensation built up? It rained a few days ago and not sure if they are creating it with their breathing as well. It’s a shed that you can walk right into and there are vents at the ceiling front and back

 

[aart]

Thanks!! This morning there was frost on the ceiling? Not sure if it was because condensation built up? It rained a few days ago and not sure if they are creating it with their breathing as well. It’s a shed that you can walk right into and there are vents at the ceiling front and back

Probably not enough ventilation.
Frost on interior surfaces could be caused by humidity from birds breathing, an open waterer, to much poop build up, etc..or a leaky coop allowing that rain to get inside.

 

[AChickenNamedBlue]

Probably not enough ventilation.
Frost on interior surfaces could be caused by humidity from birds breathing, an open waterer, to much poop build up, etc..or a leaky coop allowing that rain to get inside.

So it’s new to them. Fresh pine shavings-which may still have some moisture from being brand new, there’s no waterer in there at this time, not a lot of poop since they just moved in on Saturday. The door was open all day Saturday and it rained so the pine might just be moist from that too. We keep the door open all day and close it up about 530 lately since it’s cold. It isn’t soaking wet by any means. The vents aren’t huge but they are all the way up top. Should we add more ventilation?

 

[AChickenNamedBlue]

I would think they would be alright in the situations they are in if it registered that low this morning and all was well. We are getting down to -11 F tonight and I put extra wood shavings down for my ducks and have different places for them to huddle. None of the places they are in have doors however but ducks seem to be able to withstand the cold better than other fowl. I pray that yours stay safe tonight along with mine. Good luck.

Thanks for the words of wisdom! I’m confident they will be ok! This is our first winter with them so we just want to make sure they are ok! I’ve heard so many different things, from using heaters to not using them to this temp that temp. It’s a lot! Hope your ducks stay warm too!

 

[Luv Ducks]

Thanks for the words of wisdom! I’m confident they will be ok! This is our first winter with them so we just want to make sure they are ok! I’ve heard so many different things, from using heaters to not using them to this temp that temp. It’s a lot! Hope your ducks stay warm too!

Thank you and you are most welcome. I have small Black East Indies ducks and when it was 8 degrees F this morning the one was taking a bath! She would get out and there would be frost on her back from it but she could care less. They are more able to get cold than we think sometimes. I see all of the wild ducks on my bus route still getting in the middle of the ponds where they are not completely frozen over yet no matter how cold it is out. My water bowls are all heated so I think she thinks its her Hot Tub, LOL.

 

[aart]

Fresh pine shavings-which may still have some moisture from being brand new,

Baled pine shavings from a farm store?
Those are usually kiln dried.

Should we add more ventilation?

Probably. Pics of your coop, inside and out, would help here.

Also....
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!

 

[AChickenNamedBlue]

Baled pine shavings from a farm store?
Those are usually kiln dried.


Probably. Pics of your coop, inside and out, would help here.

Also....
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!
View attachment 4033546

Thanks! I made a profile quick and clearly never updated it! The shaved pine is in a big old clear bag.

We are located in MA!