Wind chill doesn’t count, right?

[SourRoses]

Good morning from Florida. Now that I'm older, I put on socks at 30, thank you. Going down to 19, maybe 17, tonight. Wind gusts 45mph+

My chickens do fine w/o heat in this, just as they did last year when we had inches of snow on the ground for weeks - and they were chosen for heat tolerance, not cold heartiness. While they have plenty of dry, draft free places to get out of the wind, some of my idiots will likely choose to roost in full view of mother nature again tonight. and not for lack of space. I have roostings under shelter in wind blocked locations for a flock 6-8x my size. They are all adult birds, of course.

How are yours doing after last night?
Mine were very grumpy this morning that their water was frozen. It may be the first time that's ever happened for us.
Our RV water supply hose was frozen too. But thankfully we had gallon jugs of bottled water available to bring out for them.

Not sure if the plants will make it. I performed a very... umm, "creative" wrapping job with all the frost cover, tarps, and even a shade cloth we had, and lashed it down against that terrible wind. Put a spare brooder plate in there on high.
So I hesitate to unwrap it all before tonights freeze.
My mother was laughing at me last night, wearing TWO pairs of socks, two pants, and three long-sleeved shirts, to go out there. I mean, it's not like most of us Floridians have the garments for this stuff.

But you panhandlers have it worse! Did you get any of the snow?

 

[U_Stormcrow]

How are yours doing after last night?
Mine were very grumpy this morning that their water was frozen. It may be the first time that's ever happened for us.
Our RV water supply hose was frozen too. But thankfully we had gallon jugs of bottled water available to bring out for them.

Not sure if the plants will make it. I performed a very... umm, "creative" wrapping job with all the frost cover, tarps, and even a shade cloth we had, and lashed it down against that terrible wind. Put a spare brooder plate in there on high.
So I hesitate to unwrap it all before tonights freeze.
My mother was laughing at me last night, wearing TWO pairs of socks, two pants, and three long-sleeved shirts, to go out there. I mean, it's not like most of us Floridians have the garments for this stuff.

But you panhandlers have it worse! Did you get any of the snow?

Thanks for asking. All the critters here are fine. MAY have some damage on the plants in the greenhouse. No supplimental heat, big open space, some air gaps left to fill. Dropped to 28 last night in there. But I don't think I lost anything (apart from a few eggs that froze solid), just some leaf damage.

Hope your plants pull thru.
No snow, no moisture at all. Just cold and windy. Very, very windy.
I was pulling sweats over jeans, long sleeve (thin)shirt, tshirt over that, sweater on top of that to take the dog out to do her business. My wife was laughing too, till I told her I was going to warm my hands back up on her. Wisely, I put gloves on instead - so we're still married.

No broken pipes, either. At least, none that I can see. Warming trend starts tomorrow, I'll see if I lost any sacrifice PVC for the spigots in the pasture and the yard - but I'm not expecting to. Most of the water lines were empty, and the hoses disconnected.

 

[EvaMarie02]

It’s going to be -20 to -40 where I live this weekend. But that’s with windchill. If the chickens are in a coop, that doesn’t count, right?

I know it’s a silly question but I’m worried all the same.

I’ve had a hen lose her feet due to frostbite - 10 years ago and in a different situation…but it still haunts me.

I have good ventilation. It’s been fine but maybe close it up for a couple of days? I’m pretty sparse on bedding currently. I have stall pellets and they’re hard to manage in the winter.

I need to moisten them inside the house so they fluff. Then wait for them to dry before putting into the coop. I won’t have time to add more before the arctic front comes.

This is only my second year having chickens

 

[Greenwolf]

Nice set up. I've had the impacted crop and even did the surgery. But not sure how the pellets would keep them as warm. Will have to study more on this...

Honestly, pellets are far more expensive and less insulating than hay or straw. Good luck! Stay warm!

 

[Greenwolf]

This is only my second year having chickens

Don't worry the addiction will grow along with your experience and one day soon you'll be able to help a newbie with something you've had to deal with or even a veteran who has come up with something they've never had to deal with before but you've done where your bird(s) have not just survived but thrived!

 

[U_Stormcrow]

This is only my second year having chickens

"Chicken math is Real"

Done Properly, it involves both addition AND subtraction.

Good luck on your chicken keeping journey!

 

[Critt211]

The wind doesn't count for temps if the coop is not drafty. If it is, some of our northern folks say they use filter material over the vents to reduce drafts without trapping moisture and ammonia.
Last week we had a cold spell (it actually felt like winter in FL) down to about 20f. It was horrible, I had to wear socks. Anyway, it was a terrible wind that blew all that free AC down from the frozen tundra. We put tarps on the open sides of our 3 walled coops. As the wind was coming from that direction I sealed it up as tight as I could. But on the other walls, left the upper ventilation untouched. The direction wind is coming from matters a lot, if you can pinpoint it.

Thank You
Was dealing with the cold weather in Nature Coast area of Florida
I covered 3 sides all day, then covered the door area when they went to bed. I covered the vent so the cold wind didn't blast in and turned on their heat
They all thought I was crazy trying to pen in it to stay covered with the door half open on the few days it stayed cold all day
Even my dogs are wondering where my toes have gone!!! You know it's cold when a Floridian wears socks. ROTFLMBO

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Thank You
Was dealing with the cold weather in Nature Coast area of Florida
I covered 3 sides all day, then covered the door area when they went to bed. I covered the vent so the cold wind didn't blast in and turned on their heat
They all thought I was crazy trying to pen in it to stay covered with the door half open on the few days it stayed cold all day
Even my dogs are wondering where my toes have gone!!! You know it's cold when a Floridian wears socks. ROTFLMBO

Hello "Nature Coast" - I'm also Florida - North and West of you, farther from the Coast, and a decent bit colder. As long as you block the windward side enough to keep drafts off your birds, and don't trap moist air in with them, any of your fully feathered adult birds have absolutely no need for heat.

My birds were out in this, Jan 2025. Not a single bit of frostbite, no other health conditions as result of the weather.

How deep was it?

Hello from the FL Panhandle/Wiregrass region, spittin' distance from the AL border.

 

[Shelleyfitz]

Thank You
Was dealing with the cold weather in Nature Coast area of Florida
I covered 3 sides all day, then covered the door area when they went to bed. I covered the vent so the cold wind didn't blast in and turned on their heat
They all thought I was crazy trying to pen in it to stay covered with the door half open on the few days it stayed cold all day
Even my dogs are wondering where my toes have gone!!! You know it's cold when a Floridian wears socks. ROTFLMBO