Wisconsin temperatures getting colder

[ChickenGirl555]

I have heard of chickens being able to withstand up to -20F but I wanted to make sure because one night we had -12F which scares me a little. I have never given them a heat lamp in Their coop and don’t plan to unless temperatures get REALLY bad, like under -20F. The days are fine, ranging from 1F-10F. It’s really just night time I’m worried about. This is my first winter with chickens, and unfortunately it’s much colder than it usually is in Wisconsin winters.

I have 6, 5 month pullets and 1, 3-4 month pullet with her 3-4 month brother.

I thought it’d be good to mention that since they produce heat. The two younger ones usually don’t huddle with the adults, though.

Any help would be wonderful! I don’t really know for sure how much a chicken can handle, and I’m pretty new so I could really use some help! I want to make sure my gals and boy survive through their first winter.

 

[song of joy]

Temperatures are colder than usual here too - teens in the daytime and close to 0 at night. A couple of years ago, we had a few nights ranging from -20 to -25 degrees F. No heat in the coop, and the chickens did fine.

They should be OK as long as they're out of the wind. Maintain ventilation in the coop, but make sure they're not in drafts. Wide wood perches help to keep feet warm. A good layer of bedding in the coop will help as well. A handful of scratch before roost time will boost metabolism and give them some extra carbohydrates to keep warm. A heated waterer is a plus as well, so they're not drinking ice-cold water.

I understand your concern about over-wintering young chickens. This is the first year I've had relatively young birds (less than 5 months old) in winter, and I'm not terribly comfortable with it because of the smaller body size and the fact that they're still growing. No more late-summer hatches, as I definitely prefer it when they're at least 6 months old by this time of year!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Hello neighbor. My chickens do fine without extra heat. Some of my older birds are looking a bit cold during these drops in temperatures but in general everyone looks fine.

I do see a touch of frostbite on some comb points, and wattles, especially in my roosters.

I haven't had birds as young as yours go through a winter though, so I cannot say how they will do. I would assume they should be okay.

Some of my birds will huddle and others don't. I also have a few roosters penned separately. They mostly keep themselves warm with a proper coat of feathers.

It's not really more colder than normal, it's just a bit earlier than normal. Generally we don't see these temperatures until the middle to end of January and running right into the end of March. You are probably just more aware of the cold now with chickens to worry about outside.

 

[ChickenGirl555]

You are probably just more aware of the cold now with chickens to worry about outside.

Yeah I just realized that. I would always just simply pay attention to if it was below freezing, or in the negatives for how cold I would get! Now every day I check to see how cold it will be almost every hour! I’m getting a little crazy with how much I love my chickens!

It’s also great to hear advice from somebody like you from WI. Thanks for the advice and my little cockerel is even huddling slightly, but I only think it’s because his sister that he grew up with is hanging with the older gals more.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Yeah I just realized that. I would always just simply pay attention to if it was below freezing, or in the negatives for how cold I would get! Now every day I check to see how cold it will be almost every hour! I’m getting a little crazy with how much I love my chickens!

It’s also great to hear advice from somebody like you from WI. Thanks for the advice and my little cockerel is even huddling slightly, but I only think it’s because his sister that he grew up with is hanging with the older gals more.

I have been keeping a weather journal since 2001. Not an everyday thing but I write down stuff here and there as well as garden, and animal notes. It helps me keep track of what's normal and what's not, and just helps me to remember stuff.

A hunched bird is similar to when we put our hands in our pockets and we pull our necks into our coats. It warms them up. It looks sad to us but it's functional to them.

Thankfully they are talking in the 20's by next weekend, that will fell like a heatwave.

 

[ChickenGirl555]

I have been keeping a weather journal since 2001. Not an everyday thing but I write down stuff here and there as well as garden, and animal notes. It helps me keep track of what's normal and what's not, and just helps me to remember stuff.

A hunched bird is similar to when we put our hands in our pockets and we pull our necks into our coats. It warms them up. It looks sad to us but it's functional to them.

Thankfully they are talking in the 20's by next weekend, that will fell like a heatwave.

Oh well that’s good! When I cleaned out their coop I had to come in every few minutes because it was dangerously cold.