will chickens do ok out in the snow?

mine do fine. my chickens love to be out in all weather exept hard rain and thunder storms. I wouldn't let them out durring a blizzard though.

My chickens are not doing too well in the snow- one beautiful rooster just died- I noticed he was under the weather a bit but still eating, then his breathing got more rapid and tonight I brought him in the house and he died. It's been getting down to 2 degrees at night- I keep a light bulb in the coop at night on-hoping it will be warm enough for them. Most of them go out during the day in the snow, but it does not get higher than in the 20's and they are very cold. What am I to do to make it warmer for them? I'm also wondering if the light on all night keeps them awake and they don't get the rest. Any help?

Chickens are not made for snow and cold weather. We never let ours out when it is below about 40 degrees. They are in a snug building with a roost hood that holds heat around them at night. The fountain has a bulb on it that puts some extra heat into the roost hood. The building is at about capacity so they make their own heat to some extent, and it faces south so on sunny days there is some passive solar.

When it's cold, they may go out, but shouldn't. They are not constructed so as to hold heat very well, like ducks are. Even the ducks are in the barn now.

Your building should be tight enough to keep out drafts, but not so tight as to trap all the moisture. Deep bedding helps, and northern climates benefit from insulation, too. The cold makes them more susceptible to respiratory problems. Hope this helps.

Dr. Smith, the chicken, as we know it, many times has been made in a cold climate. The chanticleer of canada was developed to withstand a cold climate. The orgins of many American breeds is the nothern U.S. (Giant, New Hamp., RIR, RIW, ect.). Heavy featherd breeds do well in cool weather and/or ones raised inb cool climates. Even lightly feathered breeds do well if raised in cool or cold climates (though I would be more careful with Turkens). I let my birds ou every day and they are both heavy feathed and lightly feathed. Good luck to ya!

YoYo

I have all heavy feathered and large breeds (Orpingtons, Australorps, Barred Rocks, Comets etc..) and they show absolutely no interest in stepping out from their coop in freezing weather. When I am working in the coop, they will stick their heads out the doorway to peek at the snow but don't want to step out.

One day was about 32-35F and I threw a couple birds out in the snow to get some fresh air but they stood, almost stranded, holding feet up etc. Since then, I do not let my birds out in freezing weather and they are all healthy and I have no deaths to report.

ANother coop advisor gave me the tip of hanging suet from a string in the coop during Winter months. This ecourages jumping and some excercise while not outside.
Hope this helps.

Heavy breeds take cold weather better than lighter breeds, but this generally means they are protected inside buildings when it's really cold. Anonymous above was talking about birds being outside at temperatures like 2 above zero. Sorry, but that's too cold for about any chicken to be tracking snow. Can some survive it? Probably. Unlike nature, I'm interested in more than bare (no pun intended) survival.

For heat, try using a red bulb. I like the red outdoor flood or spot bulbs because they are made to survive if splattered with a little water when hot. Generally, chickens can't see in red light very well. A white light will encourage them to get down off the roost and have a more disturbed rest pattern at night. It also throws off their production, which is geared to length of day. The idea is generally about 14 hours of light each day for best egg production. Good luck.

Well, thanks for the comments- I have since I wrote installed a heat bulb-much better- my poor Bufforingtin rooster has frost bite on his comb and jowls and there's nothing more I can do about it- except to put bag balm on them - he has not wanted to go out side since this happened- to clear it up- the temp is in the 20's during day and gets down to the single digets at night. I think one of the reason's my Araconna rooster died was he was picked on alot and felt left out- this led to him not eating well and then the cold weather and then more picking and this weakened his condition- we were suppose to have all hens in our flock and we had 4 roosters- we gave one away and I probably should have given this one away as well- he was very beautiful and very noble. Egg production is still good. The heat lamp is working out well- and they seem to be sleeping ok as I have it closer to the floor and the roost is higher up so it is darker for them. One of my Bifforfington hens decided she just had to brood and so we let her stay on two eggs and separated her from the rest- our two chicks are doinng well, about a month old now, still with their Mom- we'll introduce them to the rest of them in the spring, when their bigger and it's warmer. Thanks again- oh! one last question: should we have the new chicks innoculated and protect them from certain diseases?

I'm a firm believer in vaccinating for Marek's disease. If your original stock came from a reputable hatchery they should be pullorum free. Marek's vaccine probably is not effective at a month old, so keep your fingers crossed for your little ones. Good luck.