Will My Chickens Freeze To Death??!!

[Allie Grace Sanders]

Ok, next week the weather will be -7 degrees Fahrenheit at night! I'm really worried about my chickens freezing to death. Bring them inside is not an option. Plus, there is snow everywhere. I have ISA Browns if it matters.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

They won't freeze to death. They are wearing a nice winter coat with a down undercoat. Chickens are adaptable to a wide range of climates.
Just make sure they have nice dry bedding in the coop and as for the snow, spread straw over it so they have something to walk on.

I wonder, do the wild birds freeze to death where you live? They are smaller than chickens with fewer feathers.

 

[sfaith102]

Do you have a garage that you could house them in? If not here's a option, heat lamps. I have quail and it works great for them. I know they're different kinds but maybe it can work. Also straw. Best of luck!

 

[BantyChooks]

#2

 

[BantyChooks]

Do you have a garage that you could house them in? If not here's a option, heat lamps. I have quail and it works great for them. I know they're different kinds but maybe it can work. Also straw. Best of luck!

Please no heat lamps... not worth the risk for those temperatures... might be different for quail but chickens sure don't need it.

 

[sfaith102]

Please no heat lamps... not worth the risk for those temperatures... might be different for quail but chickens sure don't need it.

Ok then! Thanks for telling me that!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

The only reason we have chickens in coops at night is for safety from nocturnal predators, not because they are cold.

 

[BantyChooks]

The only reason we have chickens in coops at night is for safety from nocturnal predators, not because they are cold.

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.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

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.

That would be rough. It has gotten down to -19F here and we're in the middle of a couple weeks of lows in the single digits above and below zero. My coops have huge openings at roost height on both east and west walls. I would probably close off one of them if it ranged as low as you and ralphie get.

 

[chickens really]

I run heat. It's getting down to -34C tonight but will feel like -38C ...Lots of animals succumb to Cold in the Wild. We just don't see it happen.