Chickens - How Cold Is Too Cold?

[LittleBittyBigJohn]

This is my first winter with chickens. So far they are all doing well and I'm still getting around 8 eggs a day from 9 hens. It's been down in the 20's a few nights here and there. Other than a little crust of ice on their water, they seem to be doing fine. On my coop below I covered the windows with clear plastic to stop the drafts. At what point do I need to add some form of heat? I already have several inches of straw in the bottom but they roost up high so other than insulation for the coop it's not doing anything for them.

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[RoostersGarage]

I put a heat lamp in mine pointing at their roosting location when it's about 25. Even then I've walked in and some were roosting as far from the heat as they could get. They can handle the cold pretty well but I wanted the heat lamp for those that might need a bit of warmth.

 

[RobA]

I've had chickens for 4 years and have never added heat to their coop. The coop has wood shavings on the floor and the windows are closed off in the winter. I have a heated water bowl in the run area. I live zone 6B and have had occasional nights of single digit lows. A vet told me chickens have an easier time dealing with the cold versus the heat.

 

[Alan W.]

18 here this morning and my chickens and turkeys are fine as usual.
It will get down to 0 at times here and have never had problems or needed supplemental heat.
I have a heater for their water to keep it ice free. The only time my turkeys will even go inside is when its raining.

 

[denchen]

Chickens can stand a fair bit of cold if they have enough food and can get to water. We have an old saying, `as soon as they get their feet wet, they stop laying`, but they don't seem to mind snow and frost.

 

[LittleBittyBigJohn]

OK this makes me feel better about it. I closed up the windows when I noticed them huddling up closer together at night. Once I did that they all spread back out along the whole roost. I guess I'll just keep an eye on that and if I see them all huddled up with the windows shut I'll add a heat lamp.

 

[nybirdman]

I have had birds(pheasant,quail,chukars) for 40 years,my father before that;we never added heat in winter,they just don't need it.
chickens will stop laying.
Ever hear of a "down"jacket?

 

[Oaktree]

I can't imagine any place in Arkansas would get cold enough to worry about with chickens. I'm in northern N.H. and no one I know has heat in their chicken coops. Watch for drafts, but you still want air circulation.
I would think that in your part of the country summer heat would be more of a problem.

 

[scaredychicken]

most chicken breeds are hearty enough for some cold. i select layers based on how they manage temperatures. No heater in the 16ft x 20 ft coop. We are currently -15C to -20C with some wind. I'm feeding them inside the coop these days because they don't enjoy the run with 18 cm / 7 inches of snow on the ground. When it gets to be a hot summer, i have a repurposed ceiling fan operating in the coop.

 

[Bearsixty7]

Hmmm, Guess I was overly concerned. I put in a warming panel (like below) in our small coop last year when it got down below 32F and stayed there several days. We just have 4 chickens now and they pretty much stopped laying a few weeks ago.

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/cozy-chicken-coop-flat-panel-heater-200w?cid=Shopping-Bing-Product1225112-&msclkid=2371a7e9aab9160ab09dc460a2c56e04&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Shopping%20-%20All%20Products&utm_term=4585375807245420&utm_content=All%20Products