What to look for when checking on chickens in the cold?

[Tortoise]

I am in your shoes. I have 2 hens, orps and they are just 6 months. I'm just as nervous as you.
I am so nervous about the frost bite and when should I not let them go out etc.
I did block their run from the wind on both long sides which also helps to block the majority of the. wind from blowing into their coop vents.
I will be watching them closely but not at night. However I do have a camera to install into their coop, so I guess I will be checking on them at night.
Good luck and hoping we all, humans and chickens survive the cold winters like it never happened

 

[centrarchid]

Loosing interest in food and shifting roost site are indicators telling me something is really wrong. Then you have subtle issues of how they behave by fluffing up to conserve heat.

Check them to make certain they are in good weight tonight while they are roosting. Birds in good have more muscle to generate heat for a given amount of surface area. They also tend to have more energy reserves as fat and glycogen which can both be tapped into when energy not coming fast enough at that time from diet.

 

[aart]

You can and should offer one waterer with electrolytes in it for a day or two a week during the coldest days.

This^^^
....but....
I've started soaking rolled oats in a Sav-A-Chick electrolyte/vitamin solution.
This avoids the 'wattle dippage' of an open waterer.
Gives them a boost and gets them hydrated.
1/8 teaspoon to 1 cup of warm water, mix until dissolved.
Add solution to 1 cup of rolled oats, stir well on occasion until all liquid is absorbed, might need to add more oats. Takes an hour or two, then give it to the birds.

Have done this every other day during this last polar vortex, and I believe it's really helped them, they all stayed mobile. Gives me a good chance to assess mobility, any bird that doesn't go for the oats gets watched very carefully and may be brought to a warmer place for a couple hours to 'reset'.

 

[kensey]

It ended up hitting 6F and I went out this morning and they were just as excited and happy as always to see me! (With treats of course haha.) Thank you all so much for the guidance and reassurance! For those who were in a similar situation, how do your chickens look?

 

[aart]

For those who were in a similar situation, how do your chickens look?

They look pretty good.
All but one got down off roosts for scratch this morning.
Someone blew a lot of feathers last night...and there's a lot of feather sheathing on the poop boards.
They stayed in coop all day yesterday because we had 2' of snow the night before.

 

[sorce]

My 2, 4 month old GLW's are good out there. Both came out for water this morning after last night's low so far of 10f.
Coldest day and they came out faster than ever!

I sure wouldn't check on em at night, since the built up body heat will get lost.

Sorce

 

[aart]

I sure wouldn't check on em at night, since the built up body heat will get lost.

Mine don't move when I do a head count every night...so no heat lost.

 

[woodmort]

Mine took one look at the inch of snow and 20-F temperatures when I opened the pop door and went back inside. I checked to see that the water heaters were working--they were--gathered the eggs, tossed some mixed seed scratch a couple of places in the coop to keep them busy and shut the pop door. They've been fine.

Interior temp of the coop was 22 BTW.

 

[sorce]

Mine don't move when I do a head count every night...so no heat lost.

You don't believe any heat escapes their fluffed feathers?

When I open my coop in the morning, it is quite warmer than the outside.

Sorce

 

[aart]

You don't believe any heat escapes their fluffed feathers?

When I open my coop in the morning, it is quite warmer than the outside.

Sorce

Not in my coop, but my coop is in a big shed big so opening the door doesn't let in much if any wind.

Then you might not have enough ventilation, which is way more important than 'holding heat'. Temps outside and inside coop should be about the same.