we are having COLD weather here in alabama i noticed something weird with my girls....

[Belinda7]

My husband actually hasn't noticed yet.....I'm guessing I may get a comment or two when he happens to decide to try to head out using the front door.....but he is always kind to animals...so I don't think it will be too much of an issue!

 

[the3ofus+oursixchicks]

yes, my chickens got into my house plants before I lured them back out ha ha. so I have quite a mess to clean up. I don't care tho.

 

[deacons]

yes, my chickens got into my house plants before I lured them back out ha ha. so I have quite a mess to clean up. I don't care tho.

Oh man, mine would have thought they landed in heaven if living plants suddenly appeared in front of them

 

[smudge]

You know, if it's windy, they might just be trying to find a low spot out of the wind.

I know that mine will hunker down along the foundation of the house when free ranging when it's windy - on a leeward corner where house meets front porch. And since my house leaks heat like a sieve, the ground is probably warmer there too...

If they have free access to the coop, I would assume that they'd seek the spot where they're most comfortable.

But I totally get where you're coming from. On the one hand, in theory they should be able to handle colder weather, on the other hand, I think that really only holds if it's a gradual change.

 

[ChickenLegs13]

I reckon they are just enjoying the sunshine we haven't seen much of lately.
Mine are acting normal. When I opened the pens this morning they exploded out like a squawking flapping chicken bomb, went straight to the feeder and now some are laying out in the sun, some are rolling in a dirt hole, some are just standing there looking stupid and some are walking around scratching.
It's sposed to be down to 15* tonight and I don't have any coops, my birds sleep on open air roosts which is a 2x4 with a sheet of tin over it, nailed to the side of the barn. It's cold, damp & drafty and all the things that's sposed to be bad for chickens but I'm not going to do anything different.

 

[the3ofus+oursixchicks]

wow, not being disrespectful Chickenlegs13 but I would be worried nuts

if mine were in the open COLD air. I have went out in lightening storms and everything to put mine in the coop if they were sleeping out in the past. we built a new coop last summer and we made roost for them out side in the pen and of course in the coop. they used to sleep outside in the summer and spring so that's why we built them the great roosting section in the pen but they haven't even slept out since we did that. they must love the coop. I must commend you Chickenlegs13 for being so brave . im a big wimp when it comes to my babies

. just comes natural

 

[ChickenLegs13]

LOL! Mine will be fine.
I went out to shut the pen doors a while ago and everybody was all puffed up & content looking, 2 cats were hanging out by the feeder waiting to ambush some mice, it was business as usual.
No worries!

 

[chickengeorgeto]

wow.... Chickenlegs13 but I would be worried nuts

if mine were in the open COLD air. I have went out in lightening storms and everything to put mine in the coop

What part or section of the state do you live in. The reason I ask is because in the little Tennessee Valley town of New Market, Alabama on January 30, 1966 the low temperature was a balmy -27 degrees Fahrenheit. That's 27 degrees BELOW zero and if my math is right, that is equal to a blistering MINUS 32 degrees Celsius.

http://ggweather.com/climate/extremes_us.htm

That night I had 200 or so hens roosting in a peach orchard and two oak trees despite them having a weather tight hen house to sleep in. Because the roads were bad and my yards were 10 miles from my house I couldn't feed or water for two days. Never lost a single hen or had one get sick, although there was some minor frost bite. There was not one Northern, "heavy" or so called cold weather breed in any of my three yards. Chickens are tougher than anyone realizes. The trick is "Never chose a chicken who's escaped from rehab to be a mama or dada. That is the fastest way I know to break either your heart or your bank account.

 

[the3ofus+oursixchicks]

Oh I definitely worry way to much. I mean back in the old days they didn't even have electricity and the chickens were kept for their eggs and meat. mine are just pets. the eggs are an added bonus. mine are probably not as cozy as some of the others I have read about. I did put hay in the coop yesterday and put a heat lamp on them but im not sure if the heat lamp really works to great. I looked in on them last night and they had their faces in their feathers so not sure if the heat lamps is even great or not. my coop isn't air tight so, most of that heat probably escapes before it can do much good at this temp. Chickengeorgeto I live right below you in a town called Grant. I was born in 72 so I didn't get to experience the 1966 cold weather

. What do you mean by a chicken escaped from rehab to be a mama or dada?

 

[chickengeorgeto]

....Chickengeorgeto I live right below you in a town called Grant. I was born in 72 so I didn't get to experience the 1966 cold weather

. What do you mean by a chicken escaped from rehab to be a mama or dada?

I mean to always breed from the healthiest and the strongest hens and roosters that you have or that you can buy. If we don't, before long all we will have is a bunch of weak chickens that produce deformed, unhealthy, sickly, and hard to raise chicks. That is the problem with so called "Puppy Mills," they'll breed any individual just because it looks like what the market wants. You must also look at the future health of either the pack or in the case of chickens consider the overall future of the flock.

When one takes animals on to raise we also assume responsibility for the future of that entire species not just the sickest individuals. When all is said and done it is our responsibility to be sure that the animal species we assumed responsibility for is better and healthier than when we first got our hands on it.