What is the proper way to remove a hen, if she chicken gets frozen on the roof of a hut/coop?

[Raeja]

My Polish White, TopHat, was sitting on top of an old rabbit hutch that we have in the pen for them to sit on. After All, this is Wisconsin. The temperature dropped to -23 at night and was -20 when we fed our two chickens. She was on the hut and didn't come down for feed, unusual but not uncommon. Don tossed bread and still she didn't come. We ran to gas station she was still in same spot. Then we ran to walmart and came back still not moved from spot. We went to get her off the hut and she could not move. We thought hot water but then thought of other bad things to happen. Fortuneatly she wasn't frozen down too hard. She did lose a few feathers. I brought her in the house to warm up. After a couple hours, we put her back in the pen and I could definately feel a very improved body heat temperature for her. I am wondering if there is a safer way to unstick chickens if they get frozen in a spot. I hope it doesn't happen again but we will be looking at -50 degree wind chills in the next few days. They live in a dog igloo with lots of dry alfalfa for bedding and we add more as it gets "stomped down". My two chickens will be 2 years old in April.

 

[cmom]

That is one I never heard of. Maybe take out the hutch for the winter so she won't get stuck again since it appears she like to get up on it. Many years ago I made a chicken ladder that the birds liked to get on.

 

[Raeja]

I guess there is truly "A First for Everything" *LOL*
Thanks for the suggestion ~ I guess Don will be making a chicken ladder. Kinda hard to get the hutch out right now because it is also froze to the ground. I will be removing it as soon as I can.

 

[cmom]

Maybe pour some hot water where it's frozen down and maybe you can thaw it enough where you can remove it. Hopefully your bird won't get stuck on it again.

 

[Raeja]

That was our initial thought but because of the low subzero temps we were afraid that we would either scald and kill her or make her really sick ~ now thining lukewarm water but warm water freezes faster than cold water. Thanks for your advice.

 

[meetthebubus]

My guess is prevention now is what is best now that you discovered the potential danger rather than how to unfreeze them next time cover it, fence it off, etc.

 

[Raeja]

Much agreed,"just in case" for future reference never hurts. I am monitoring them alot more often now with the deep freeze and double digit subzero temps, until I am able to move that darn thing out.

Unfortunately I learned the hard way and do not intend to repeat my mistakes and hope no one else ever has to deal with it

 

[N F C]

Glad you got your bird down!

I'm going to move your post from the buy-sell-trade forum to one where you may get more comments.

 

[Raeja]

Thanks not sure where it was posted I thought it was put under other stuff. Thank You again for moving it to where it belongs ~ by the way TopHat slept in the igloo and did not want to come out to eat this morning, nor did Bubbles ~ can't blame them -17F is too cold but then anything with a minus in front is worth staying inside for

 

[Biddybot]

Wow! This is a new one to me too... I guess my own reaction would have been to use scissors to clip any feathers that were stuck to the hutch as CLOSE to the hutch suface as possible so as to leave your Polish as much plumage as possible. And the feet were okay, I presume? They themselves weren't stuck, were they? I mean, they'd have to be thoroughly frozen and dead before that part of their body would 'stick', I'd think...

Polish are tough! I KNOW I read a story in one of my old poultry books about a 'dead' one being found in a pen and placed outside for later disposal during a wicked cold snap and storm. When the owner went back for the body afterwards, the bird had mysteriously revived and seemed fine and no worse for wear despite enduring many, many hours of sub-zero temperatures...