Will My Chickens Freeze To Death??!!

[wamtazlady]

My chickens were happily scratching and being chickens in their run when it was -22 F.

 

[duluthralphie]

Keeping them out of drafts (not ventilation---drafts) is beneficial for really cold temperatures; I believe @duluthralphie had one lose a wing to frostbite and die when it was outside in -40ish weather.

He lost his toes...We call him "Hobbles" now...

 

[BantyChooks]

He lost his toes...We call him "Hobbles" now...

There was another that died, yes? I am pretty sure I remember that.

 

[Chickassan]

So,not to hijack this thread just one quick question. I'm seeing all these subzero temperatures, mine should be fine at 18 above right?

 

[duluthralphie]

There was another that died, yes?

Oh yeah!!!
I forgot about him! He was a rooster that refused to go into the coop. My Roosters have a bunch of "coops" they can go into and one big pen they can run around in to avoid "battles to the death"...

This rooster (cockerel) refused to use any coop. There were empty coops out of the wind or coops with roosters huddled together..

He wanted to show how Macho he was..He sat out one night in 40 below temps with 30 mph winds...

In the morning when I went to feed them. I thought he looked odd sitting there, I went to move him and he was frozen upright stuck to the roost. I had to break him off the roost...

Stupidest bird to ever live...I am glad he died before he reproduced. He is the only bird I have had die from cold that did not have another reason for dying...

I use the cold to cull the weaker birds. If there is a question as to whether I should breed them or not a few days of 20 below or more makes the decision easy.

I do not believe anyone should breed a weaker bird. For us in the north that means a bird that dies when it gets cold.

 

[duluthralphie]

So,not to hijack this thread just one quick question. I'm seeing all these subzero temperatures, mine should be fine at 18 above right?

They should be wearing Bikinis and sunbathing at 18 above.

 

[Amer]

They will not freeze to death. This week we got -11 degree weather and though they stayed in the insulated shed to stay away from the wind chill, the chickens acted as though there was no cold, even though the only heat we use is to heat the waterers, and it is literally cold enough to freeze eggs, I know, because I found one in the coop. At night, the coop stays above freezing, because of body heat.

 

[duluthralphie]

They will not freeze to death. This week we got -11 degree weather and though they stayed in the insulated shed to stay away from the wind chill, the chickens acted as though there was no cold, even though the only heat we use is to heat the waterers, and it is literally cold enough to freeze eggs, I know, because I found one in the coop. At night, the coop stays above freezing, because of body heat.

My coops all are below freezing and I am making a cracked frozen egg collection.....I hate frozen eggs, Yesterday I only got 1, but I checked for eggs 3 times.

 

[Welshies]

I leave mine without a heat lamp in -40 temps (that includes windchill). They are out of the wind in a insulated coop, only my injured chick and her stunted growth companion get a heat lamp... they do just fine, even my 8 week old chicks. The coop stays at about -25°C at that temp, and my chickens do well.
They get 24/7 access to food though, because they need to generate body temperature. If it got below -30°C in the coop I would give the adults a heat lamp.

 

[Chickassan]

Allright! Suns out buns out! Thank you.

They should be wearing Bikinis and sunbathing at 18 above.