How to keep an 11 year old hen warm when temps get below 10 degrees F

[crazychick26201]

I have an 11-year-old hen who is having some breathing problems and it’s supposed to get down to 4° in a couple of nights. She can no longer roost and rest on the floor of the raised area. I have six other healthy adult hen in the flock, I wonder if I should bring her in. For the night. I worry about her, adjusting to warmer temperature in the day. It is hard to find any information about hens this old, so any advice would be appreciated. CULLING is not an option.

 

[TwoCrows]

I've had old hens just as you describe here. They get to the age where they develop heart disease, have breathing issues, become thin, arthritic, no balance,.can't roost and have to sleep on the floor.

Old hens need supplemental heat on cold nights as they truly can freeze to death and or have a heart attack from the cold. I keep my old hens caged at night so I can use blankets and extra heat. For mildly cold nights, I use a panel heater (150 watts) and set it on bricks against the outside of the cage. With an old quilt, I cover all sides and most of the top, except the side with the panel heater, and this creates a warm room. If it's really going to get cold, 5 or below, I use an infra red lamp on the outside of the cage, sides only of the cage covered with the quilt.

If you can't do either of these, you should definitely bring her inside at night, or at least into a warmer building or garage. Old birds just can't tolerate the cold without dying, especially heart patients as your girl probably is.

 

[Mrs. K]

I would just bring her in to the house at night. And I am not a big fan of chickens in the house. Anything else, you are going to feel terrible if she passes. It will make you feel better if she is in the house. Do not worry about sudden temperature changes, they really don't phase chickens too much.

Do know, that at 11 years, she is going to pass soon. Maybe not this week, or this month, but that day is coming. But if it so happened to coincide with a cold night, you might blame yourself.

mrs K

 

[NanaK]

I have a 10 yr old hen with arthritis. She comes inside when our temps are very cold. I have a large bin she sleeps in.
It also gives me time to observe her to make sure no new health or mobility issues popping up.

I agree old birds need special considerations in extreme weather.

 

[SueT]

I have a 7 yr old Sebright, who I bring into our basement when the temp falls below 10F. I am setting up the cage for her today.

 

[crazychick26201]

I've had old hens just as you describe here. They get to the age where they develop heart disease, have breathing issues, become thin, arthritic, no balance,.can't roost and have to sleep on the floor.

Old hens need supplemental heat on cold nights as they truly can freeze to death and or have a heart attack from the cold. I keep my old hens caged at night so I can use blankets and extra heat. For mildly cold nights, I use a panel heater (150 watts) and set it on bricks against the side of the cage. With an old quilt, I cover all sides and most of the top, except the side with the panel heater, and this creates a warm room. If it's really going to get cold, 5 or below, I use an infra red lamp on the outside of the cage, sides only of the cage covered with the quilt.

If you can't do either of these, you should definitely bring her inside at night, or at least into a warmer building or garage. Old birds just can't tolerate the cold without dying, especially heart patients as your girl probably is.

Two Crows! I am glad to know you are still here! You have given me such good advice in the past, and actually this is Buffy, the same hen we corresponded about a few years ago. Your suggested solution is doable for me because we already have a flat panel heater installed on one wall. So far she is doing ok with a supplemental flat panel heater above the roosting area, but since she can’t roost the heat does not reach her. The other heater is on the ground level, below the boxed in part where they roost. So I can create the warm room as you describe. So far we have not had nighttime temps below 25, but that will change this week. It’s supposed to be 18 one night and then dip drastically to 4, and then 2. What temperature range at night is mildly cold, in your opinion? We might do the warming crate earlier in the week, but bring her in when it drops to below 10. We plan to bring her in to our basement which will be around 50 degrees. I would like to bring her back out to the others during the day but fear the temperature difference would affect her negatively. If I bring her in, what would a minimal appropriate daytime temp be to take her back out? Also should I crate her alone, or with another hen?

 

[arizona_chicken_noob]

What an incredible lifespan! That's just such an achievement to me, to have a chicken make it to that age.

 

[TwoCrows]

Two Crows! I am glad to know you are still here! You have given me such good advice in the past, and actually this is Buffy, the same hen we corresponded about a few years ago. Your suggested solution is doable for me because we already have a flat panel heater installed on one wall. So far she is doing ok with a supplemental flat panel heater above the roosting area, but since she can’t roost the heat does not reach her. The other heater is on the ground level, below the boxed in part where they roost. So I can create the warm room as you describe. So far we have not had nighttime temps below 25, but that will change this week. It’s supposed to be 18 one night and then dip drastically to 4, and then 2. What temperature range at night is mildly cold, in your opinion? We might do the warming crate earlier in the week, but bring her in when it drops to below 10. We plan to bring her in to our basement which will be around 50 degrees. I would like to bring her back out to the others during the day but fear the temperature difference would affect her negatively. If I bring her in, what would a minimal appropriate daytime temp be to take her back out? Also should I crate her alone, or with another hen?

Glad to hear Buffy is still alive and doing well!

Your plans sound good on keeping her warm. If you use the panel heater or other heat source with her cage, she should do OK by herself but if she seems stressed, put one of her buddies in with her. None of my old hens have ever had difficulty sleeping in warmer night time temps and then going back out to cold temps during the day. They seem to take it in stride, their bodies adjust well. However if the days are really cold, I will turn on a heat lamp that hangs a couple few feet off the floor so the old hens can use it if they are cold. Day time cut off for my old ladies is 30. Higher temps and heat goes off. Below 30, lamp stays on, but if nobody uses it, I turn it off. Just make SURE the lamp is firmly bolted to the wall, use a safety chain too just in case, added safety precautions to prevent a fire.

Give Buffy a hug for me!

 

[WoDia]

My old girls winter in the outer room of my fully-insulated quail building. I provide flat panel heaters, and I’m able to keep them very comfortable. They’ve been with me so long, that it’s the least I can do for them. If I saw that they were having a difficult time (even with supplemental heat in frigid temperatures out there), I’d then move them to a large cage in my cellar (near a window) temporarily.

Edit: I’d like to add that I also have an air filtration system running, during their short stay. I think that’s important, since even one chicken can create dust during a few day stay.

 

[crazychick26201]

I brought Buffy into the basement Sunday evening because when we went to put the chickens to bed she wouldn’t come in from the run and was standing alone in a corner. Temps were 17 degrees. Her breathing was labored and her comb was gray. When I picked her up and covered her with a blanket to take to the house she didn’t even move. Inside the basement it is 50 with the heat turned clear down. Once in her crate she started eating some warm mash ravenously and drank a lot of water. I sat with her and watched her comb turn pink again. I nearly wept to realize how much she had been suffering out there, trying to keep up with the others. Today is Tuesday, her second full day in the basement. It has been to cold to take her back out yet. Temp is 20 in the coop, 17 in the run, 16 outdoors, and going down to around 5 tonight. Radiant heat in the roost area keeps it about 4 degrees above the outdoor temp. The earliest it might get up to 30 during the day is Thurs. Thrn back down to zero at night this weekend. Her breathing is still a bit labored, and she sometimes sneezes. But not a wet sneeze. I conferenced with our vet and she thinks it might be air saculitis based on what I was describing. She has ordered medicine, but that was a week ago and it has not arrived. I am dosing her with Vet-RX but it does not seem to be helping and I am not sure what else to do. Whatever she has is not contagious I don’t think because she has been doing this for three weeks and no one else is sick at all. It seemed to coincide with wrapping the run in plastic so my vet suggested that it could be caused by dust. Any suggestions?

Also I don’t want the rest of the flock to forget her because she will be a pecking target.