Winter is Coming! Checklists, tips, advice for a newbie

[spainterrd]

I put a heat lamp in the covered run for my flock today. They are predicting negative 20. I think my rooster was sunbathing when I checked on them this evening!

 

[Rettarain2]

They'll be fine GAfarmGirl.  I know it's cold for you and your birds though...colder than what you're used to.  Big thing in those cold temps is watching for condensation or humidity where they are housed in your coop...sounds like it shouldnt be an issue if you got it pretty opened up.  and then some dry bedding, thick so they don't get their feet too cold say on bare clay ground--or have wet feet that then freeze...etc.  A place to roost wide enough to cover their toes with their breast feathers.  Out of the prevailing wind is a good idea too.  Mine go out in the run when it's 0 and above and horse around all day.  So  7 degrees you'll still find them pretty active doing their chicken things....they'll surprise you.

 

[Rettarain2]

Okay..so the hens stay in their coop 24/7 these days. Im in MI. going below 10 as a HIGH..
No drafts..ventilated..heated water..lots of treats and warm oatmeal every morning..but im worried for them..
I hung a 75 watt lightbulb..hopefully to generate some heat. GOOD IDEA OR NOT?????? OH lots of straw on floor...
I have leghorns and isa browns.. i love them Dont want to loose them...
HELP PLEASE.... thank ypu!!!

 

[Hokum Coco]

going below 10 as a HIGH. im worried for them..I hung a 75 watt lightbulb.

Chickens are not polar bears we have to keep in mind. Laying, vocal, and active birds in my opinion is a sign everything is right in their world. That being said when a chicken has 4 trips around the sun it is there as a pet not for egg production. If your birds or animals are showing signs of stress you have to do what is right in your situation. The one size fits all is a recipe for disaster.

Take inventory on your animals daily and make daily decisions is what I do summer and winter. A heat lamp and TLC can happen not only in winter and not always due to cold.

In Canada I am subject to -40º cold snaps. I do NOT heat or give extra light in my coop. Murphy's law says my birds will find out what -40 is all about when my hydro goes out. Regardless what you decide feed Extra Corn over the winter you will not be sorry.

Or something like this may help also; You could even knit a hoodie for those extra cold days..

 

[SIMZ]

Okay..so the hens stay in their coop 24/7 these days. Im in MI. going below 10 as a HIGH..
No drafts..ventilated..heated water..lots of treats and warm oatmeal every morning..but im worried for them..
I hung a 75 watt lightbulb..hopefully to generate some heat. GOOD IDEA OR NOT?????? OH lots of straw on floor...
I have leghorns and isa browns.. i love them Dont want to loose them...
HELP PLEASE.... thank ypu!!!

Last winter I fed my chickens warm oatmeal during a cold snap (around 0), and caused several of them to get frostbite on their wattles. (the moisture stuck to their wattles and froze.) I also took out a bowl of fresh water and let them drink....causing my rooster to dip his wattles in the water and swell up to the point he couldn't eat. That may have just been my experience, but I will not feed them wet, moist treats again during the cold! I do give them scrambled eggs when it isn't too cold and lots of scratch grains with corn.

Disclaimer: I am still having frostbite problems, so I certainly don't have all the answer.

 

[Hokum Coco]

Disclaimer: I am still having frostbite problems, so I certainly don't have all the answer.

I never had problems too much with frostbite. My rule of thumb was temperatures around the freezing point door and ventilation windows open. Temperatures around 15º F or -10ºC and ventilation windows closed. Since I added 7 more birds to my flock (17 birds housed in coop) I find my ventilation windows have to be left open 24/7 to avoid frostbite. My coop is a salvaged 4x8 footprint shed.

 

[K Epp]

Just saw on the news with the wind chill we are expected to have -28* Monday. What the Heck this is Georgia. Good thing I did that extra work on the coops. If it doesn't blow away!

 

[SIMZ]

It's 29 degrees now and it's going to be -14 tonight. Nothing like easing our way into the coldest temperatures in several years.

 

[Rooster Rules]

It's 29 degrees now and it's going to be -14 tonight. Nothing like easing our way into the coldest temperatures in several years.

Here is my answer for this, but I am going make a "Blanket Statement", to all of those in the South or northern areas to, I do sympathize with this cold, it will be brief for most of yall, in my case it will be 75





% of the winter with nightly temps below 0f.
This is my little insulated coop with heat sources, works for me. We are blessed with the lowest priced electricity in North America, and power outages are very rare.....

 

[Rettarain2]

I like the oil heater idea..i was thinking of that but dont want the ladies getting weak to fight off cold temps. Think ill stick with my 75 watt bulb for now..the floor is thick with straw..dont want them fried...so concerned about fire!!!