What Temperatures Can Chickens REALLY Withstand in Winter?

[@joeyl.rowland4153]

You know it is too cold for the chickens when Dalia makes her hubby sleep in the hen house, and her chickens are warm inside the house😂😂😂😂. Almost as bad as chicken math huh Dalia?

[@genenegreenwell1593]

You are awesome. You not only have excellent advice about chickens but you also inspiring people to be better & more forgiving & caring. Love your posts. I watch them over & over to make sure my girls are as well cared for as possible for me.

[@angiecolwell9596]

Just because they CAN survive in extreme cold doesn't mean you shouldn't take comfort into consideration. My girls have the option to sleep inside a mildly heated coop or roost in their secure run. Every single time, they choose the warm coop

[@mary-leejames6359]

We wrapped our run in greenhouse plastic to help keep the heat in...works great so far.

[@lilyavery8230]

My girls do not like the snow...imagine being outside shoveling the yard like a crazy chicken woman so my girls can walk through the yard...the only bonus...they can't follow me up to the back door if I leave the snow...was the first time in forever feeling like I can walk out and not be swarmed by a pack of hens! It's love. Even more fun to make walkways to see them get through the maze from shoveling! Thanks for sharing. Your chickens always make me smile. :)

[@cathyl4622]

I'm glad you are talking about this. I had this happen to me about 3 weeks ago. I noticed one chicken was molting when all the other same breeds had finished a couple of weeks prior. She probably had 50% less feathers. We had an unusually cold night 27° and she was gone in the morning. I didn't think the lack of feathers would affect her so much and the coop was winterized. Naturally I was heartbroken.

[@eddieabernathy5998]

My motto is if it's too cold for a person it's probably too cold for most animals

[@KellJell]

Last winter was our first with chickens and we used heat lamps, mostly because it made ME feel better 🙄 although, we did have a few nights that dropped to the negative teens. After watching and listening to you, this year, I have decided to not use supplemental heat, except to keep their water liquid, unless it actually drops well below zero. We have Brahmas, Americaunas and Auricaunas that I'm not really worried about. However, we have a Comet and a Leghorn that make me worry a little more. But last year I lay awake worrying about fire and my husband is a firefighter and goes to coop fires all winter. We are hoping to get a sweeter heater for the super chilly nights. Our coop is really like a small barn and well constucted and dry, but not insulated. Thanks for helping me through last winter and Ill be listening and watching this winter too as I build my chicken keeping skills!

[@RobynG70]

I live in south carolina by the coast and we can get down to 30s 20s at night with. 2 weeks spell of teens at night, I only have 2 girls so I do suppliment heat in their coop. They may not NEED it but that doesnt mean I shouldnt make the winters easier on them if I can, and I do...

[@eddieabernathy5998]

I have a hoop roof over my entire Chicken Run year-round with silver tarp. And I also use a grommet gun with clear plastic and zip ties on the walls during the winter months. Leaving the Gable ends of the Run fully ventilated. Very cold wet winners in Illinois. I also keep a panel heater in the chicken coop that is plugged in to a power Cube. The heater only comes on at 35°. I've been doing it this way for a few years now and the girls really seem to love it.🐔🐓🐓 l also you straw in the chicken run during this time.

[@MaisieTheBlindHen]

Your videos are the best 🙏☺️💜 so informative 💕💕💕🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️

[@angiemiller7039]

I love that you give cheaper ideas with safety advice. I use hot plastic 16 oz bottles with paper towels wrapped around them for my younger chicks, but I live in South MS.

[@stingertang]

Just lost my 2 leghorns to the cold. I installed a wood stove in their chicken mansion for reliable heating whether we have electricity or not.

[@ronindan2539]

My grandma had a chicken coop made of straw, clay and horse dung, and not a single chicken died. Mostly foxes and minks eat them The snow reached up to 2 meters sometimes with temperatures even below minus 20 degrees. Old school is the best school, it's my opinion and I'm not trying to start any polemic. Thanx for the video...a new subscriber. All the best

[@misschris325]

My husband and I live in a big, old house. We turned the original bedroom into our chicken room. My husband bought livestock before building a barn, or coop. It's ok, it works. They get a heater and our ducks have a heater in the garage. They are comfortable at night❤ We have back up heaters, a generator, and a contingency plan in case it gets that bad.

[@discardedgranny9475]

We have a home in SoCal AND an off grid ranch in NoAZ. Our 12 girls go back & forth w/ us every month. My girls are at the “tail” end of their heavy molts. We canNOT go back to our ranch (low 20s) until they grow all their feathers back. Our girls are all cold & heat hardy breeds but that only counts IF they have feathers. It’s mid to high 50s at night here in SoCal so about 25 degrees colder in NoAZ.

[@heatherrue2655]

Yep! It’s been about 25 to 35 degrees at night here in northern az. It stays about 8 to 10 degrees warmer in their coop, but I worry about them. I wouldn’t want to be out there 😂

[@Funkyjunk11]

Thank you, much needed info !!❤

[@greatfulchristian4314]

Ty madam President!

[@ShortbusMooner]

I'm central Florida, and because I have 2 small coops (roosting on the floor), I use heated blankets that have been wrapped & put under the straw.. 🐔❤🐔

[@lisagayhart2482]

My leghorn is molting …I bring her in every morning to warm up and give her some meat to get those feathers in fast.

[@JohnWright-fy3hq]

I live in central Alaska. We have Australorps. temps down to -50 below. We had -20 a couple weeks ago. Also only 6 hours of daylight during the winter. Our coop is very well insulated and we have a deep bed of hay for them. We have a water heater but at these temps the water still freezes, so we go out several times a day to make sure they have water. When the temp gets down to low, -30 and lower, I put a oil filled heater in the coop. Some folks around here don't have insulated coops and their chickens still do ok. Have seen some people's chickens with frostbite on their combs, not good.

[@PineyEdge]

What oil filled heater are you using?

[@sandypipher5846]

I bought a heated dog water bowl for the real cold days.

[@Threes_Coopany]

How cold was too cold? I'm in lower Michigan and we get winds and temps blowing from the west that can be brutal.

[@321morlan4]

Thank you bringing logic and reason to this topic, Dahlia! I have a frizzle, tiny bantams, and birds undergoing a hard molt. But all I see is that chickens never need supplemental heat. I suspected there was more nuance to this. I am wanting to build a little chicken area at least in our garage, but husband thinks I’m crazy (true, but chickens may still benefit!😅

[@Thingys-Jill]

I kept my chickens in the garage with supplemental heat last winter because I moved to Idaho in December and couldn't build a coop. I used a doggie play pen and wrapped that in cardboard plus put a cloth tarp on top held up by 2x3s. This was to help keep the dust and mess contained. This year they're out in their insulated coop.

[@321morlan4]

​@Thingys-Jill nothing like making things do! We did keep them as baby chicks in our garage in a beach tent, worked great. But i'd like to have a mini coop in there for just the banties in winter!😊

[@sandralafond3818]

I currently have my girls' radiant heater on low because a couple of my girls are going through a hard molt, and they were shivering. Poor things. Otherwise, they can get through all but the coldest nights in a typical Michigan winter. I don't know what I'd do without their heated waterer, though!

[@sassybdiy7565]

I'm in south Texas, cold isn't even a word we use lol. We get cold maybe 3 times, that's it

[@steelroz7567]

Ditto lol

[@TheNakidGardeners]

😅😂

[@SimplyPlanimals...]

True lol

[@joeyl.rowland4153]

Same here in N.Ft. Myers Florida

[@kaiyakershaw1028]

I love in rural West Central Texas, so we’re typically a little dryer/less humid than the coast. What I worry about is those few months when we can go from 80 degrees on Monday to 20 by midnight Tuesday! They’re usually ice storms and they can come out of nowhere. The chickens can’t acclimate that fast! Our weather has become so unpredictable that the trees and plants can’t keep track of what season it is. A few weeks ago in early November we got down to 32 several nights in a row. Now it’s Dec 8 and supposed to be 80 tomorrow! 🤦‍♀️ I worry about them freezing slightly less than I worry about them overheating and dehydrating in July and August when it gets to 106-110 for more than a week in a row and the drought is so bad that hay is spontaneously combusting on farms and wildfires are being blown by wind gusts!

[@janw491]

I got tough ladies who prefer the cold to very hot. They have a wrapped run and a coop full of straw boss that is soft and warm. I use a big silica bag out of their reach for humidity. They snuggle after a furnace stoking supper. We do get cold but they seem fine

[@judithporter1551]

I use a heating pad for animals. It's only 25 watts. Just enough to warm the feet. Doesn't heat the coop. If they don't need the warmth, they don't sit on it.

[@potato6658]

We have a lamp secured very well, our coop has sand for flooring. We generally do not use it, but last year we had a drop to -40 so we put it on for a few nights, because I didn’t want to worry that they were cold. We also kept the door closed, and it was warmer inside than out. I will definitely make sure to keep the lamp dusted if we ever need it again. Some places in Canada this last week were over -50, it was insane. I would say in Ontario it’s usually-30 plus wind chill, but it’s not usually-40. But I keep a heated water bowl all winter so I don’t worry that they don’t have access to water, and I want the heat for time’s unexpected. It’s important to always be prepared as much as possible, because you just never know what life will throw at you. Thank you much for all your videos, you have a lovely personality and are not judgmental but take a balanced view of things. I’ve learned a lot from your videos. Do you have a video that talks about all the medical things we should keep on hand , like I’ve read in chicken groups to have vitamins, ivermectin, tums, canestin or yeast type creams. What are some other things we should keep on hand?

[@lisacaroline76]

My birds go out in snow and pouring rain.

[@sylvieroy3751]

Thank you Dalia in Quebec Canada it’s cold and I put ceramics lamps in the coop it’s safe more comfortable and the chickens sleep in the dark it’s not good to them have lights when they sleep just like us but I know you know 😅❤ the ceramic lamp dont explose like the conventionally lamp( the orange one)☃️❄️🐓

[@julie-annepineau4022]

I live on the east coast of Canada (PEI) and we do get cold (-10C) I think it is more the quick changes in temperature that hurts birds here. We are going from +13C to -6C in less than 12 hours on Monday. Between that, the constant winds, and the humidity I do worry about my chickens this winter. It is my first winter having them.

[@dougfreeman7641]

For off grid...i used hand warmers in socks for the chicks. They are doing great and always slept through the night!

[@silviadias7791]

Last year when we had the horrible cold snap, it got down to -27 degrees here in central WA. We had the oil filled radiator heater with a small fan going on it to keep the hen house just above freezing. This winter so far my Dominique's are molting and had to place them in the coop with a little heat, to keep them warm. My Maran's still roost in the run. Hopefully we don't get anymore weather like last year.

[@Patchouliprince]

I got chicks in October for the first time this year and I was brooding them outside but of course with a little brooder plate for the first couple of weeks. At first I tried to get them acclimated to being outside bits at a time slowly, especially because I was worried the bigger hens would hurt them. But eventually they just really didn’t want to go back in their brooder and I said to heck with it, I put them in the big girls coop at night and they’ve been fine ever since. If the weather has gotten too cold I make sure to set them all up next to each other so they are snuggled and warm. Thankfully we have had a mild cold so far so it’s been the perfect slow gradual adjustment to the cold for the littles

[@katedutchie]

Every winter I worry that my chickens are going to freeze. I literally stress myself out thinking about it. I live in an area where the temperatures drop to -25C regularly. But I know I have do my absolutely best to keep them warm. Their coop walls are insulated. And they get a thick layer of shavings. Their outdoor run gets covered to keep wind and precipitation out. And I lay a layer of shavings and straw in the run to keep their footies warm. I do need to work our ventilation though. I don’t think we had enough last year.

[@carolynmcbride3136]

I have lived my entire life in central Florida, & in my humble opinion, if it snows where you live, it is NOT a mild climate😬😁

[@CarisaRealtor]

I like the bird bath heaters

[@sarahoflonecrowadventures9493]

Where did you get that cute green crate that houses your cords? I've been on a mission for years to find a small workable container and that definitely looks better than what I'm using

[@ctviera]

I wanted to ask about that too and how it works out. Thanks for mentioning it.

[@joyg8904]

So inspired by your video's, i bought your book today 😊

[@beverlymichael5830]

I have a sweeter heater for those extreme temps. I have cold hearty breeds but if it gets real Severe I have built a coop and run inside my barn and will bring them in.

[@eddieabernathy5998]

I also use a heated waterer

[@granitemoss1451]

We had a day that got down to -40 here in NH last winter, which is a good 30+ degrees less than even our coldest winter days. I made a makeshift run of tarps and totes in my garage for 24 hours. No one was happy (including my poor birds) but no one was injured from the cold. This year my flock has expanded and is too large to do that so I need a plan B just in case. I am thinking heat plates and extension cords. Not ideal but will do in a pinch

[@josephinekelly5647]

It went from high 40s to -6 degrees where im at. My chickens got a heat lamp screwed into thier coop and the extention cord secured to the side. We were watching it really closely. They were so happy to have access to the chicken yard today. All the ice and snow seems to have melted. It was too cold too fast for me.

[@christine5585]

I have 2 of those, named Laverne and Shirley. They are like the bopsie twins. Got mine in a trade. I had 2 unexpected silkie roosters. I can't have roosters so I found a home and he traded 2 bantam cochin frizzles that were a year old. I have 4 polish chicks but we knew we wouldn't be introducing them until spring. I will add heat as it gets below zero for my silkies and cochins, a radiant heater.. I also have a small polish, she was a bad case of wry neck but I saved her after 8 wks and it seemed to sunny her growth.

[@clucksnducklins]

What is your take on the chickshaw? The floor is hardware cloth and it has a hardware cloth window on each side on the front and on the sides...

[@overbeefineart2974]

I recently seen someone use a crockpot for their water! Genius!

[@JonDoe-wo3ec]

So chickens could live in the snow?.i have chickens that live in the trees and bush and different places in and around my yard.they eat the bush ,cat food and scraps and random feed,i live in israel

[@lrg613]

Now I’m upset. Newbie me got a leghorn because the site (reputable breeder recommended by my brother-in-law whose had chickens for over a decade in Iowa) said Leghorns were cold hardy. Looking at her comb and light stature, I’m going to have to keep an eye on her. I wonder if my brooder heat pad will work in my small Omlet coop. It’s not big enough for everyone but the others are cold hardy. We only get cold in late December/January/early February. We also got a cover for the coop and wind break clear tarps for the pen and run under the coop.

[@MJ-wz6jo]

My chicken's first winter we had a polar vortex for a week my rooster was doing great but my girl squirt started to shiver when I checked on them that was under a heat lamp. I brought both in side cause I didn't want to lose her and then chick-a-dee would have been alone.

[@amyjohnson9240]

Awesome common sense video

[@DuckTunes79]

Last winter was very cold. It dropped below zero and since everyone was saying not to use a heat lamp, we didn’t and so a lot of our chickens got frostbite. So we decided to put in a heat lamp. It was very secure. They loved it! They’d stand under it and just bask. As for what is happening now to my roo, I’m a little concerned. He’s only a year and a half old and the low has been 50° F, so not too cold. But his comb sometimes turns purple and looks a little white like frostbite. I checked it again about half hour later and the purple was gone. So I’m not sure if it has anything to do with the cold or if it could be a heart issues. He is part cornish cross and I know they have heart issues sometimes.

[@johnwalters7415]

I have 3 hens that have not layed a egg in mouth but I see them go set on the nest.

[@VictorsFarmingAdventures]

hrmmm ... I have viewed a bunch of your video's and I have noticed something that is lacking today ... Like The Chicken and the Octopus | Chickenlandia Stories may be time ... just saying Also, I would like to take the time to say thank you for all these reasons and more ... thank you for the time effort and entertainment and for the education ...

[@sandypipher5846]

How are my chickens who have their butt feathers gone from hen pecking do this winter?😢

[@canadienguy2193]

I had 2 chickens pass this week winter has been mild there is snow and they won’t go outside my coop is 6x6 one is killing the others

[@marciabosteder9781]

Its to cold today..13 on olympia wa

[@renitameares3838]

Higby (sp) looks just like my Fonzie. He’s a Bantam Frizzled Cochin and the only one that I have to keep an eye on. 👁👁 If I turn my back on him, he may come after me. Thankfully, we don’t have the frigid temps that you have but it can dip in the teens. Their coops are fully enclosed and I have brooder plates for the house he is in, my Bantam/Silkie/Cochin house.

[@janna860611]

Hi Dalia!! Ive been watching you for over a week and I just love your channel, we just got 8 Andalusian chicks and they are adorable! You have been teaching me everything there is to know about little chicks! Thank You!! Also, when you have chicks and its like 40-50 degrees outside how can you get them acclimated to that weather? Im thinking putting my chicks outside 5 minutes at a time and every time I add 5 minutes, not sure if that's ok.

[@Thingys-Jill]

I'm not Dahlia, but your chicks probably should stay indoors if it's cold where you are. They need constant heat, lowering it about 5 degrees each week for the first month. If you have a broody hen, you could then put them out there (at night) so the broody finds them under her by morning. Make sure you have accessible food/water for them. Dahlia has a course on raising chickens. You might want to check it out.

[@janna860611]

thank you!! that helps a lot! @@Thingys-Jill

[@tracyroake2815]

Well I'm in a world of hurt this winter I have sand in the coop and it's wet right now. I know you're not a big fan of sand. I also have a question, what about the Ducks

[@MJYouAreNotAlone1]

❤️🙏

[@ronmcdowell4794]

I'm ready to take the plunge. I've always wanted chickens, but lived in neighborhoods. Now I have a half acre. My chickens will mostly be pets. God I would never eat one. Just the egg thing. I'm building a coop and run now. Coop is 4x6,run is 5x 15. I'm thinking of getting 3 silkies. What do you think. I live in central Florida and don't really get cold here. Am so excited about getting them .

[@christieheyblom]

I live in sub tropical climate it literally never snows here and last night I had an unexpected death of a healthy young hen and everyone has said “mAyBe iTs tOo cOldDd…..” I was like ummmm I don’t think so 🥴 I am quite perplexed though…. Very unusual, it was a cooler than usual night last night though so today I’m trying to fix up some things just in case 😫

[@trextv2154]

So my orpington is molting around her neck and it"s is 18 degrees tonight. They are on the roost bar and the two in charge are next to her keeping her warm. one from each side. it's so cute. I am concerned for during the day they never stay in the coop they love their run and they love to watch the dog from their run everyday. ( the dog has no access to them) He runs out to go potty says hi to them everyday through the door. Bertha the chicken greets him and he comes running back into the house. The run is covered in plastic except for air places to vent. Should I keep her inside this week while she is molting ?? To keep her warm during the day? My flock gets along so good and they all take care of each other I don't want to loose her. She's not a year old yet she is almost a year old. They love to watch the dog run around the yard in the summer. The one we call road runner she runs back and forth inside the run when the dog is running back and forth outside the run. it's like a game. Road runner also plays run away with feathers. she's really fast and hard to catch. We love your channel.

[@reneebrown2968]

I've got 7 buff orphingtons and I live in Southern Alabama. It's supposed to be 19 degrees tonight and wind chill at 5 degrees. I've got a heat lamp in my coop but I don't want to burn it down. I'm wondering about if I should turn the heat on for them tonight.

[@daddybenjamin8732]

Yep, we all make dumb calls with our animals, and life is a cruel mistress. Ours was a dog that had a growth in his neck. Dr said he wouldn't worry about it. Just watch it. Well 😢 we watched it until it killed him. By the time we became concerned about it. It had grown into his shoulder and was affecting his neck and lung. Now, we get hyper if one of our dogs has a growth. Have one that has a growth on her leg. Dr says they aren't concerned.. We are saying "no, it's grown and we want it gone"! Get it done while it's a minor issue

[@michellegarbarinorirs4255]

I have a question I am having a very hard time getting a straight answer on, My girls just turned 3 years old, I have a couple six month old, everyday they get a 16 layer crumble, scratch, sunflower seeds and dried worms, they Also get alot of various vegtable and meat scraps, on some days it seems they don't eat much if any layer crumble, they are fat and seem healthy, should I be worried about their lack of love for crumble?- they also have a large Yard to free range.❤ if you want to actually see them I have a few Videos posted.

[@KasmirViola]

We live in Lapland and it gets cold here for 6 months, we always have some heating in our coop. It's not above 0 but it also won't get -20 in there. We used to always let our chickens out in the big barn during the day but our rooster got frostbite, now when it's below -15 celcius they have to stay inside the coop. Lesson learned. They do not want to go outside in the snow at all.

[@karenbirdsall2897]

Last year we had several consecutive days at -35. Our girls were plastic wrapped with ventilation and loads of bedding. They also have a coop inside their run to stay warm. And a water heater to keep the water from freezing. They did well through those super cold days. 🎉 They are all cold hearty ladies. Thank you so much for my chickendom education!

[@ForsakenCrimmy]

Awhile back I saw a video where you posted about losing some of your hens due to too much protein from treats if I remember right? I've got a pullet that stopped laying and is molting. She's 8 months old. I've got a 1.5 year Wyandotte as well and another. None are laying. All are molting. I really want to up their protein and I've got soldier larvae but I'm really apprehensive after that video. Do you have any guidelines on how much is ok to give them at different times of year or in general?

[@WelcometoChickenlandia]

That wasn’t my video as I’ve never had that experience with my flock. Too much protein could cause some adverse effects in the long term, but it’s doubtful that giving your hens a little more during a molt will harm them. If you have your hens on a layer feed with 16 to 18% protein then some extra would be good for them during their molt. What’s even better would be to offer them a good chicken vitamin in their water for a couple of weeks. Molting can be hard on their bodies. ❤️

[@ForsakenCrimmy]

@WelcometoChickenlandia gotcha. Apologies for assuming. How much is too much though? I want to say the video I saw described giving a handful of grubs every day and it wound up leading to liver failure or some kind of organ failure and a lot of guilt for loving them to death.

[@justmestill7485]

​@@ForsakenCrimmyI suspect it was a vid on giving too many sunflower seeds causing fatty liver.

[@WelcometoChickenlandia]

@@ForsakenCrimmy I know exactly the video you are referring to. I feel really bad for her because I know she feels guilty, but I really don’t agree with the assessment she got from the folks who did the necropsy. Fatty liver can be caused by over-feeding, but in the case of backyard hens I really feel it has more to do with how production chickens are bred than over-eating, assuming they have good nutrition and adequate exercise. This means there was likely nothing she could have done to change the outcome. Remember, the standards that they are using to make conclusions from necropsies come from factory farm studies, where all a chicken has to do it eat and lay eggs. They have poor nutrition, high stress, and no exercise. A backyard flock is a completely different situation. I believe the person who made that video was also dealing with a chronic illness within her flock (if I’m remembering correctly) so I think that in addition to losing a chicken from fatty liver was very traumatic. I hate that she’s blaming herself. It is very likely nothing she did wrong, especially if it was only a handful of grubs for her flock a day!

[@ForsakenCrimmy]

@WelcometoChickenlandia thank you. That was comforting and reassuring. Ladies got a heaping handful of grubs and seemed quite happy with it.

[@jamesjessee4064]