Submitted by ProfessorMandark t3_10qc9gh in Maine
I've never had chickens in severely low temps, and I want to ensure they stay safe. They are semi-protected from wind, and they don't have any open areas in the coop they stay in at night, but if it's that cold, I can't imagine they'll want to leave the coop, and I don't know if it's ok to leave them in there for so long.
You should take them inside if there's not too many. Just for fun.
I need to get them diapers first lol!
Or you could play chicken bingo all night long. You might need a lot of newspapers tho.
And waste all that kindling, you're outta your mind!
This is also our first winter with chickens! We’ve added loads of fresh straw, pushed snow against the coop & placed additional bales of straw surrounding it to help retain some heat. Just make sure there aren’t any major drafts and feed them cracked corn to help regulate their body heat. Consider a brooding plate if you’re really concerned. There is a Maine Backyard Chickens group on Facebook where a lot of people are discussing the care of their flock during this weekend’s extreme drop in temperature.
Oh I'll have to check that out, thank-you!
Most folks put in a heat lamp and button up the coop on really cold nights.
I bring mine in when it is going to be below zero overnight, but I have one moron that likes to roost on it's own outside the coop. To keep her alive they get a spa day....
I love that!
I use a heat lamp and close the barn door.
I just close up their coop overnight. I only did a heat lamp on the coldest nights their first winter. Most of mine are 6 years old and barely laying now, so they’ve managed the cold.
Watch out for frostbite on the combs. A couple of mine had had some very superficial frostbite on the tips of the comb.
Be sure to check on them as their water might freeze. We also use a heat lamp to make sure they are okay.
We have a lamp that we can give them; they don't have heat as of now, just a really warm coop!
Why only ladies this sounds like reverse sexism?!?!
/s
Hahahahaha!!! Chicks before Dicks don't you know?!
MrBudlee t1_j6p6wyg wrote
Making sure they have fresh water and a draft free coop is the biggest concern. If you don’t have a water warmer just be prepared to have fresh water on hand.
They will huddle together and warm up the coop just fine. For extra measure you can rub Vaseline to the combs to prevent frost bite. I’ve never seen the need for the heat lamps inside the coop. They can tolerate the cold extremely well, although some breeds not so much.