What are you doing to keep your chickens warm?

We've had temps in the single digits the last two nights. So far, all the chickens have survived. They are inside the barn in a coop with about a foot of pine shavings.Their water bottle plugs in so it doesn't freeze. We've given them extra rations and broadcast some corn and sunflower seeds around for them to find. Yesterday morning we plugged in a space heater just outside the coop so it could blow warm air in there. They all gathered round and enjoyed the warmth. I know that sounds extreme. Maybe it is. I just was wondering what everyone else does in weather like this. It was 6 degrees this morning when we woke up and it's supposed to get that cold again tonight I think. We're in mid Michigan.

Brenda

you could always put a heat lamp in the coop for them

Loon I do the same things you do except the heater,my big girl coop is ok unless it goes way below 0 and the wind is blowing then I put in a heat lamp.My silkie coop has a heat lamp that I keep on if it is going below 18,they probably would be ok as there coop is small and there are 13 of them but they just look like they have cotton balls on them instead of feathers to me.

We don't do anything extra. We do have a draft free coop (ventilation at the roof level, but no drafts) and keep a good thick layer of bedding down, but that's it.

We also have standard laying breeds like Wyandottes, Barred Rock, NH Red, Easter Egger, Speckled Sussex. No breeds with atypical feathering like silkies or frizzles that may not have the best insulation value in their feathers. So if you have something like that, I could see providing a heat lamp for them.

Chickens overall are very hardy birds. Ours are out in most kinds of weather, even pouring rain. They stay in the coop usually on the first really cold day or the first day it snows, and then they adapt and go back to their normal routine.

I'm totally useless in this thread.. I live in Cali.. we don't get snow. I don't know how you people stand it.. but my hat's off to ya!

Thanks for your input everone. It's going down to 3 degrees tonight. The chickens seem to be staying inside the barn coop and not going out in their run. There are 21 of them in there. We did leave the heat lamp on for them tonight. My husband shut the doggy/door for the night to keep more heat in. We'll open it in the morning. There is ventilation at the top of the coop. The coop does have a low ceiling since there is a hay loft above the coop. If I had known we were going to have this cold of a winter I would have stored a lot of hay up there above the coop for insualiton. I do have golden comets and rhode island reds and some mixed breeds I got from fertilized eggs from the neighbors. Not sure what they are exactly. So far nobody has frost damage. I did have a large window put in this fall on the west side of the barn to let light in. It does help heat it on sunny days. It makes it more cheery too having the sunlight steaming in.

I'm just worried about them.

Brenda

Where I live, the temps can get down to 10 below zero and I am told sometimes down to 30 below zero.
My chickens are in elevated rabbit cages, for now. Hopefully this Spring I can build a decent chicken house.
I keep several birds together and cover the cages. This year I used an old carpet that was to be thrown out. Over that I put 2 layers of tarp and over that a layer of plastic. This holds in heat and keeps the chickens dry.
My friend who lives almost next door to me, has his Seramas inside a large, covered, round coup with a light. They can come and go as they please and seem to be doing very well. Got my eye on a couple of the roos.
Otherwise, he has his cages covered about like I do. He has several layers of tarps and/or other stuff. He also puts down a good layer of straw, wood chips, or whatever he can find to put in the bottom of the cages. This keeps the chickens dry although they do sleep on the upper most roost.
This Spring though, I want to build a decent chicken house complete with a stove of some kind. I free range my chickens, in the summer, but at night they all must be in some kind of very secure enclosure as I have a lot of trouble with racoons.
All of you who use heat lamps. Please be very very careful with these things. I know of one house that a heat lamp burned to the ground. I don't use them as I am afraid of them now. I also don't use heat tape on pipes. Scarry things to say the least.
Chickens are tough, but the larger breeds have an easier time with Winter. The Seramas on the other hand don't do as well.
Last year it got down to 10 below and all of my chickens did well. I am breeding a line of Serama that can take the colder temps but it will be awhile before this line is really developed.
Hope this helps.
cs

Opps so sorry everyone, somehow I double posted.
cs


This message was edited Dec 14, 2010 9:02 PM

I'm worried about my chickens too. The easter eggers seem to be handling the weather, but their coop is small and they don't go in it during the day except to pay the rent. :) Our rescue chicken, Monty, appears to be elderly and not so hardy. She's decided to stay in the coop today. It's windy and about 16F, windchill must be lower. I have a 100 watt incandescant lightbulb inside the coop which tends to keep it warmer, but not terribly above freezing in weather like this. I'm concerned about what to do when the eventual snow comes. We've had a lot of snow the last few years and I'm a lot worried about insulating the coop. Any suggestions? My dh thinks that we should pile bales of straw around the freestanding coop to act as windbreaks. Yeah, we haven't thought this chicken thing out too well, but we really love the girls....
Suggestions? Please?

Really, they will be OK! I know it's hard not to worry. Snow itself is a good insulator so you could let it pile up around the base of the coop and it will block the wind even more. Straw bales are a good idea if you want to do that too. Just be sure that you do have ventilation in the coop because you don't want humidity building up inside - that's worse than the cold.

I read a summary of a study done with small wild birds (like chickadees, finches, etc). They put small temperature sensors under the bird's feathers next to their skin, and they found out that if they have access to enough food, the birds will maintain a temp of about 72 degrees (!) under their feathers at skin level. And these are tiny birds. That's why I say that if your chickens have good feathering and enough to eat, they will be fine. They aren't feeling the cold like you think they are, as long as they are healthy and well fed (add some corn to their feed maybe, as that helps warm them up).

If a bird looks "off" or uncomfortable while everyone else is doing normal chicken-y things, then you might consider bringing that one in, or providing a heat lamp.

Hi Gallesfarm!
The four ees are young and seem to be handling whatever mother nature throws their way. Monty is an elderly lady we think and she's keeping warm inside. She's just recovered from "basketball syndrome" - ie: blown up with fluid retention. She was on diaretics for a week. The vet cleared her to go off meds and back outside, but she's just not so happy. I managed to lug one bale of hay and put it to one side of the coop (it's a tiny coop) to act as a windbreak and the girls are taking full advantage of it. So smart sometimes! We might bring Monty back inside, but she was so happy to get back to being with the rest!

It doesn't get as cold here as when I lived in The Great White North. But last winter (my first winter with chickens) I was still worried about my hens as it did get unusually cold here. One of you kind folks recommended that I make some hot oatmeal (plain and just cooled to warm) and put it out for the girls in late afternoon, early evening to provide extra energy to keep warm. It seemed to work well for the girls, and if it didn't do anything for them it did make me feel better that I was doing something to "help". I just keep several of the large economy containers of store brand quick oats. I've only had to do this once this season so far, but the girls think I am the queen of the run when I show up with a feeder full of warm oatmeal for them! I just make it in the microwave. Very little effort.

I use brooder heat lights. We have gotten down to 20 a couples of time already. That ain't supposed to happen down here and to beat it all it will be 70 tomorrow afternoon now that all my plants are good and dead for the year grrrrrrrr

Boy Donna do I ever understand! We get cold here but usually it is a gradual occurrance . but this Cold front hit so fast and the temps got down to 15 one night and 18 another.
To my surprise, my Chickens took care of their problem all by themselves! I have two big large breed coops , which are actually on either end of and old pole shed. Well almost a week ago , just before the weather started getting rough, the Chickens all decided to get into one coop! Now we are talking 19 Hens and two grown Roos who do not get along! All of a sudden everybody is just fine all bunched up together at the back of the coop on the four step roosts. It is amazing and So Funny!!
I did notice though that today my BCM roo who has a magnificent Comb has suffered cold damage and the Comb looks black on the tips....What do I need to do for him?

I guess just watch it. If it looks to be getting infected you'll probably have to cut it off

ZZsBabiez... I am with you..LOL..my chickens wouldnt know what to do if it snowed but I am ready with those long hanging xmas lights in there in case it does get really cold here..LOL

We have two heat lamps in the coop. It's draft free but it's sooooo cold (5 to 15 degrees at night) and windy!! I turn off one of the lamps during the daytime since there is full sun coming through the windows and it does seem to warm it just a bit. We've also been keeping the over head light in the coop on until 8 at night. The Girl's have gone from 2 to 4 eggs a day to 8 eggs today! Both of the Wellies started to lay yesterday, finally at 7 months of age, tiny pullet eggs and not the interesting speckled egg I hoped for but will give them time.

NONE of my chickens will go outside of the coop if there is so much as one flake of snow on the ground, spoiled babies!

Gallesfarm was right on with her advice. Snow is a great insulator and generally speaking is a bonus as opposed to just plain cold air. Most chickens especially full grown are not threatened by the cold. It's really cold drafts and wind that are so hard on them. The hay or straw bales if available are also a great asset as they protect from the wind. Feeding cracked corn as galles said is a very good idea when its cold.

Seramas do very well in the cold if they are fully feathered adults, I have eight that live out doors with no heat at all and we were down to -4 for over a week. They did great. If not fully feathered they don't stand a chance below forty. The amount of heat is dependent upon the state of their feathering. I lost several seramas during our cold spell but everyone of them I lost was under ten weeks old. Not one of the full feathered missed a beat including the laying of eggs.

" you don't want humidity building up inside - that's worse than the cold."

gallesfarm, Help! I thought they were better off with the warmth from the deep litter decomposing, but I guess it's causing humidity, too. The inside of the plastic window covering is fogging up, and was frost one morning. I can vent it, is that what would be best?

What is a chicken and where did it come from? Not all birds are the same, some can stand cold weather and some can not. Some very small birds stay in the north and some large birds fly all the way to South America. Peafowl are large birds and the largest, Javas, do not tolerate the cold as well as the India Blue. Domestic chickens were bred up out of the Jungle Fowl, a type of pheasant. Thousands of years of domestication has changed them considerable. Some things have not changed as much as size and shape. Most chickens lay more eggs in the Spring and early Summer. That way, if they are hatched they will grow to almost adult size before the really cold weather comes. Cold is a relative term. I live in north Texas and we get our share of cold weather but it is no where near as cold as where some of you live. I stop hatching most peafowl eggs around the end of June, unless they are Javas ( they run $300. and I hatch every egg laid ). This way they have some size to them and can stand the cold. In the past, if I hatched eggs laid very late in the season, the birds never got the size they need and often became sick and were lost anyway. The next thing I do is feed very good feed through the warmer months to help them grow to a healthy size. Like DonnaB says, good feed is not cheep but in the long run, it does not pay to feed the cheep stuff. Then when it does get cold, I feed lots of grain and corn is as good as any. Grains are high carbohydrates and help keep the birds warm. I keep the crumble in feeders at all times and pitch the grains in their pens as needed. In Texas we will dip into the teens one week and be in the 70s the next. On the warmer days the birds will cut back on the grains but when it gets cold, even if they have crumbles in the feeders, they are walking the fence line wanting their grains. Birds are not very smart but they know what they need.

i have a terrible time with humidty,I have four vents and big ones and still have a problem,I use the deep litter method to and put in fresh shaving a sweet pdz and through in scratch so they keep it turned over and also have poop borards that cleaned off everyday.But no frot bite on combs..

Kenboy, my friend hatched a batch of mottled Javas.. is that the same?

I'm of no help in the subject of keeping the birds warm.. I'm sorry.. I'm in Calif.. :)

Mottled Javas are chickens, I am referring to the Java Green peafowl;

"Yes, if you can create a vent or two up high, that will help keep the humidity down."

Turns out venting is no longer a problem :). The coop became "self-venting" when the window covers came loose at the top. There was always a small opening at the very top of the salt box type roof, so I'm hoping we're okay.

The bedding isn't damp, now that I've solved the problem of the girls dumping the waterer, or filling it with shavings, so I'm going to be optimistic. It's cold enough this morning that I'll get a good idea of conditions, I think.

LOL - mine seem to be warm enough now that they are living in the garage! We had a hawk tear through their protective netting and ruin it all. Now the 4 remaining girls are in the garage until we can secure their area better. Prob. until after Christmas since we are going to Mom's.... they don't like it at all!

Mom doesn't want chicken guests?

Mom has 2 golden retrievers and a kitty and a houseful of guests. Not to mention local foxes and coyotes.....
They may not be happy in the garage, but they'll be happier there than in Mom's garage or the car (and so will I, since I'm the chicken coop/garage cleaner!)
:)

all the netting I have seen is not cheap. Why do you all waste the money on it if animals can get through it that easy. If a Hawk can come through it, it will be like paper to a coon, fox etc.

I can not use anything but netting, if I use wire overhead the peafowl will get spooked and fly strait up and break their necks. Coons do not get close enough to chew their way through the netting.

because you have the mighty protectors for your flocks Ken. Still can't find any here or anyone willing to ship

I use the deep litter method, I have no moisture and don't understand why there is a moisture problem in any of the coops if they are dry and vented properly. It has been very cold here but no frozen shavings cause there is no moisture in any of my coops. Sorry I am just trying to understand why some are talking about damp shavings that freeze...Hay

Also I'm confused about hawks attacking netting. I use netting and have hawks all year long and never have seen one that would come close to any netting. Am I living in a different world or what?

I must be living in your same world, Haystack. At least for the past two years anyway. We have various hawks and one juveline bald eagle living in our general vicinity. I've seen a Cooper's hawk diving through some of my rose bushes after birds, but have never seen any of the local raptors diving at the chicken's run (covered with combo of netting and hardware cloth). Never any evidence of anything trying to tear at the overhead coverings, and that Cooper's hawk is a really agressive hunter. Of course, now that I've said it I will be jinxed and every hawk in the neighborhood will be over to my place. But there you have it for the present!

We've had so much wet weather here, including about 3+ inches of rain recently, that the dampness gets into everything. Although, probably the main reason for the top layer of shavings getting frozen is that there are also 5 ducks that spend nights in that particular coop, along with the 11 chickens, and the ducks roost on the floor (mostly) and these are big Muscovy ducks, and big ducks produce big poop. :) And it was just too much for the bedding to handle, especially as the chickens don't spend much time inside the coop at all, and so aren't in there stirring up the bedding (and I hadn't stirred it up with the pitchfork either), so the top layer was really really MOIST, and then the temperature plummetted and everything froze solid.

Which was good for doing chores, cuz I hates doing chores in sloppy mud, but it meant that the coop needed some help in the bedding department.

But, we never get frost on the windows.

The hawk basically pushed the netting down, tore it from it's supports and landed on the poor chicken. The chicken was still inside the netting, hawk on the outside. And believe me - that hawk was HUGEMONGOUS!!! the netting bounced back up somewhat after the hawk split, but we are not taking chances. We are going for solid construction next time!

I don't know if turkeys are more hardy or what. Yesterday I observed a couple dozen wild turkeys walk out of the woods and get a drink from our pond. We run a windmill that areates the pond so it doesn't freeze. They seem to survive no matter how cold it gets so maybe I shouldn't worry so much about my chickens who are inside a nice dry barn with a heat lamp on them when we get into single digits. :)

While I have a covered leanto type roof over my chicken's run when the weather is good they free range all over our farm with no protection. Knock on wood, I have never lost one to a hawk or anything else. Whenever they feel threatened they all run into the barn or under a big trailer we have. When the neighbor's dog gets loose and chases them they run into the woods and hide. :)