Keeping chickens warm in Winter?

[Delphene]

We have three days coming up that are below freezing and after that still near thirties, our Hens don't have frost bite but are puffing up huddled at the corner of the coop, our Roo has white bits on the top of his comb and a small black spot next to them. We put coconut oil on the comb and feet of him the others seem to be okay, were going to keep checking on them. We are especially worried about our one Silkie who has a bald spot on her back and is-well a Silkie. (Not the cold hardiest) And our Rooster because of his huge comb. We have a rabbit pen (Big that they can go in from our old rabbits) that we covered with a wooden panel to block wind. (There's a spot where they can go in) And a dog house (The past owners of the house had a dog) that we did the same thing. We also blocked the coop door with sheets to block the wind. (Don't worry they have plenty of ventilation already) Any tips? Recommendations?

 

[LaFleche]

Are your bird bantam or standard sized?

During cold weather it is even more important to have good ventilation in your coop and a run that will provide shelter from the elements to prevent frost bite.

Other than that and if they are bantams you could move your birds inside for a few days as bantams need more warmth to stay well.

 

[Delphene]

Are your bird bantam or standard sized?

During cold weather it is even more important to have good in your coop and a run that will provide shelter from the elements to prevent frost bite.

Other than that and if they are bantams you could move your birds inside for a few days as bantams need more warmth to stay well.

We have 12 chickens one Silkie Bantom. The rest are standard.

Thank you! We had wind blowing on them so we blocked that part of. Otherwise we have ventilation.

 

[Mrs. K]

People want to think warm, but dry is more important. When one thinks warm, the tendency is to shut up the building tight, reducing ventilation.

It does not sound like that is a problem with you. I am a pretty tough, no-nonsense chicken keeper, and I am a firm believer of out doors and sunshine is very important to chicken health, and 30 degrees is not even cold where I come from...

But if you want to bring that silkie in, just to get past the worst of it, or at night, I am not saying a word. The rest will be fine. Do not keep the silkie away from them during the daytime, as reintroducing a silkie is going to be tough going.

Mrs K

 

[Delphene]

People want to think warm, but dry is more important. When one thinks warm, the tendency is to shut up the building tight, reducing ventilation.

It does not sound like that is a problem with you. I am a pretty tough, no-nonsense chicken keeper, and I am a firm believer of out doors and sunshine is very important to chicken health, and 30 degrees is not even cold where I come from...

But if you want to bring that silkie in, just to get past the worst of it, or at night, I am not saying a word. The rest will be fine. Do not keep the silkie away from them during the daytime, as reintroducing a silkie is going to be tough going.

Mrs K

I'm worried because were having a snow storm. And yes our coop is very dry we made sure of that. Oh yes, we are letting our chickens outside, I agree with you and I'm fully a Free Ranger kind of chicken keeper. We'll keep them in during the storm. My Rooster is starting to get frostbite.
Our Silkie seems to be okay... She's staying inside the coop mostly and so she's not super cold I was thinking of taking her in during the worse of it (Yes) though. Thank you for the advice!!