Will My Chickens Get Too Cold?

[PiedPiper]

And to address Newwell, we run on generator when the power goes out, and my chickens benefit from the consistent heat because of that. Otherwise I'd recommend that they be "brought in" if the power goes out and you have no alternative power source and if it's SUPER cold. That's just my opinion being a NW native and having kept chickens pretty much my whole life. They would be FINE without heat in almost all of our weather (unless we get a sub freezing dip that lasts days and days) especially with added shavings/straw in their coop. I have never lost a chicken to the cold (even without heat added) or the humidity. I keep mostly standard breeds like barred rocks, sex links, orphingtons and the like. I have, however, lost them to the heat when it climbs above 90.

 

[cmclean]

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Do racoons really seek out the chicken smell? Now I am worried because my yard borders woods and a creek. What about snakes? Do they smell chickens and go to them, too??????

 

[artsy1]

People.....COME ON.............of corse, snakes. possums, dogs , cats. racoons hawks. WILL EAT YOUR BABIES
All wild animals will eat your chickens if they can get to them...................
CHICKENS ARE YUMMY AND EASY TO CATCH AND EAT......................THEY HAVE NO DEFENSES..............
Please lock them up at night.. Make sure nothing can get in...snakes go right through the chicken wire..............
RATS LIKE CHICKENS TOO...............THEY CAN GET THRU IT ALSO...........CHICKEN WIRE SUCKS..............
NOT SECURE ENOUGH

 

[wyododge]

lots of wild birds out here survive the -30 to -40 temps for jan and feb, wind, blizzards, not much food...

I wonder how they do it.

 

[Smarcebird]

I read about a product called Snuggle Safe, it's supposed to be for whelping puppies I think. Looks like a hard microwaveable disc that holds heat for 8 hours or so. My coop has no electricity and it would have to be a LONG extension cord. Was thinking on SUPER cold nights, I could throw that sucker in under the shavings, maybe provide a little extra warmth. Whaddya all think?

 

[wyododge]

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If your talking about the nest boxes, it might avoid a couple of frozen eggs, I would not waste the money trying to heat the coop with it. On the really cold nights, and you know what really cold actually is (-30* to -40*) in Durango, if your roosts are on one side, hang a blanket so the roosting area is reduced. That will create a smaller area for their body heat to be captured in. Or hang blankets on the inside walls of the coop. This will reduce heat/cold transfer (think heavy drapes at grandma's house over the windows). Preferably wool or polyester so they don't absorb moisture and loose the insulation value. They also wont get eaten by mice. Another good thing is we both live in a very, very dry climate. Most can not comprehend what 10% humidity is like at -30. You simply can not hold any moisture in air that dry and that cold, so ventilation is good to have, but when you open up the coop in the morning, it will dry like a wild fire went through it. Point is, we can button up a little tighter than most, just don't make your coop a level 5 biohazard area by sealing it completely, and remember that ventilation is a good thing, we need to use the dry air to our advantage.

I can button up my coop completely, shutters doors closed, window in and the bedding is dry as a bone in the morning, there may be a little wet spot here and there, but that is it. Durango is very similar, at least I remember it to be.

But to be honest, they will be fine. Assuming you have birds that are appropriate for the climate there. When I start to think about chickens being to cold, I think of pheasants. They roost in trees, with very little if any cover, the fight, dig and scratch for every morsel of food, eat snow and ice for water, and absolutely thrive out here. A chicken in a coop, has fresh water, four walls, fluffy dry floor, roof, and plenty of food. Compared to the poor old pheasant, they are living the highlife.

 

[wyododge]

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You don't need to provide any additional heat for them. It really does not get cold enough there for them. I would focus on ventilation and keeping them dry, before I worried about cold. They will play and frolic right through a 7 day cold snap at -10. At -30 they get a bit cranky and fluff up, but they still goof off.

Keep both windows open, you don't want to cover the rafter vents. With an average temperature of 31, you have no worries of cold at all. If it makes you feel better, we will leave our coop essentially wide open till it gets close to 0. Right now we are closing it up to check that our ventilation is working, once I verify that, the window comes out and the shutters remain open all night.

FWIW, my chicks were outside daily and left well into the night at 3 days old (50*). and in the coop at a little over 2 weeks. We followed the advice of a member here named 'ruth'. And would never raise chicks any other way.

 

[ajlynco]

Wyododge, I've been following your snippets of advice since you became a member and you seem to know your chickens. My biggest concern is the winter weather and, after reading your posts, I feel confident my girls will be alright. Thanks for sharing your experience and knowledge. Re: ventilation-how do you know if the coop is properly ventilated, is there a ratio(ventilation area per chicken) and can a person test thier coop in some way to determine if it's getting enough ventilation? My coop, 4'X8', has a shed roof w/eaves vents in the upper and lower blocks(between the rafters) just like a house. Is this enough? Looking forward to your future input.

 

[wyododge]

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You are very welcome.

This is kinda strange, and I didn't really plan to test this way, it just kinda happened. We had a huge fly outbreak from one of those stupid fly catcher bags, so I got my compressor and drywall texture gun, and sprayed DE inside the coop and all over the inside of the barn. Our coop is actually built in the old tack room, with pine trunks as supports. We put the OSB right up to the trunks as close as we could. All the other walls are somewhat square but to stop intrusion I placed a piece of OSB at a 45* angle in all the corners. So the the coop is somewhat tight but has an envelope of fresh air around it. ANyway, While spraying the DE, I did not want it to go everywhere, so I closed up the window, door and shutters.

After walking out, it looked like the coop was on fire, except with white smoke coming out of all the corners where the coop is, and from under the roof. There was little if any breeze that day also. So by accident I was able to see that in fact there was ventilation in the coop, that was basically caused by thermal expansion.

Is there a ratio or something, I am sure there is, but I have no idea. As far as is it enough, I really don't know that either, I do know that our litter is bone dry, it is a bit damp in the morning, but not for very long. To test, I would put a fan on and sprinkle DE in front of it (not on it) or take an air compressor and and blow a pile off of a plate shut the doors, stand outside and watch. If there is air movement, the DE will find it and you will be able to see the ventilation. Preferably do this on a windless day.

As far as knowing my chickens, I suppose, but we raise them much the same way we raise our cattle, and for that matter our two boys. The strong will survive, the weak will die. We give them food, a source for fresh water, and the shelter we can. The rest is up to them. In reading through the threads on the site, it is apparent that there are a great deal of chickens who are raised similar to a great many children, pampered, spoiled and weak. That of course is the owners right, and for all I know I am wrong, but we choose to raise them tough so as to have robust, healthy, vibrant chickens who can take a smack on the mouth and keep walking.

Just my opinion though, and as I said, It may be woefully inept and misdirected. I will find out in two months...

 

[Mrs MIA]

For some discussion on the pending winter, check out the thread from last winter...
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=421122