First winter with chickens. For the last 2 days, I've had to keep a small heater running in the coop to keep things from being ridiculously cold. The heated water dish and heat lamp was just not enough to keep things bearable in the -35C weather. Putting vaseline on combs and wattles is a bit of a fight with the girls. Wondering if Im doing anything wrong... Just want to make sure the hens don't end up with frostbites!

they are lucky chickens, I keep lots of bedding on floor, at least six inches, run on heat lamp on a timer for light mainly that goes off at night, make sure I have draft free wide roosts for them to snuggle on and increase their fat and protein content in feed.. when very cold, I add Boss (black sunflower seed to their daily same with the rabbits)

as for the frostbite, i breed for smaller comb and i let nature do its thing. normally they will only lose tips, they get frost bite, they get black, they fall off and that's that and i never have a issue with that bird again. i keep my birds for three to eight years and i figure it the tips get took, they were to big for my climate.. interesting my Icelandic landrace chickens all have tiny combs and never have a issue.

I never put heaters in barns or coops, the risk of fire is not worth it to me.. at most a proper livestock heat lamp. now i do run a double door to the outside with flaps an in winter blankets so they have to push the outside, come though wall and come though inside and then i put a small square of straw that they can jump up an over to keep as much draft out of the sleeping area of the coop.

Thanks for the tips farmgal! I was certainly very concerned about the risk of fire and rigged things with fire in mind. I have a mix of chickens and a few seem a lot more cold hardy (small combs and wattles). Mrs HP conceded we would get a few more chickens this springs and I'll get Icelandic or BCMs for that reason. Plus a few more chickens should help with body heat in the coop!

(Didn't mean to hijack the thread btw)

In other news, ensuring the cistern and septic fields don't freeze either!

This cold is brutal. My two outside feral cats are hanging in there. I bought myself (for Christmas) two electric Extreme Weather Heated Pads for their homemade insulated cat shelters (a.k.a. double Rubbermaid buckets). I'm comforted to know that they at least have a chance when the temperature gets down to -38 at night.
I'm burning lots of firewood upstairs in my cookstove and even had to turn on the Pellet stove downstairs first thing in the morning (I usually turn it on around 5 p.m.). But that's okay, I have lots of firewood - even next year's supply and more ordered for the spring.
In limited heated areas (where the furnace only turns on overnight) like my mudroom, I leave two incandensent light bulbs (the old fashion kind) on 24/7 for heat to keep the pipes in there from freezing (fingers crossed).
When I do go out to resupply (milk, bread), I buy enough for at least a week and keep the extra in a cooler in my garage. I also have an old unplugged fridge there for storage of supplies like tea, sugar, salt, pasta, etc. The mice can't penetrate the fridge's steel outer coating.
And I wear longjohns inside the house......

Breaking news: Hell seems to have frozen over!
So here, we have -25 temps with -mid30 windchill.
Certainly burning our share of wood, but we have lots ready and a few standing deads ready to harvest if need be.
We also have a gang of ferral cats...4 of them who shelter in an abandoned house nearby. We feed once a day and they seem to be doing all right.
I no longer have chickens, but when I did, I never heated the coop. It was small and kept with a deep litter and I never had an issue with cold.
As for us, fleece sheets on the bed. Insulated pants for outdoors. Lots of flannel shirts and wool socks and hot stews and soups.
We of course have the extreme cold weather warning, but I found this quote in it that I found interesting...
"Keep emergency supplies in your vehicle such as extra blankets and jumper cables."

Haven't had this much snow this early since I was a kid. Doing OK in Niagara. Our flock of 5 'lawn ducks' seem happy to be loose. I've nicknamed them snow slugs because they leave 'slug trails' in the snow. Finally got snow tires on my car instead of my bald all seasons. Opened some pickles last night and was disappointed to find two jars that were spoiled. I'll have to check the rest. We stocked up on dried pasta this week, as Zehrs had them on for 88 cents a pack. The weather sucks, but at least we haven't been snowed in yet!

Nice, today is yet another deep freeze and we plod along getting it done and have a big old pot of soup in the crock pot simmering away, as its officially a holiday, getting the laundry kept up and other baking and canning etc.. lowest power rates at the moment.. I really have learned to hate the three tiers of power costs now in Ontario.

Burning though almost double the amount of hay to keep the critters "engines" at peak in these cold temps.. just grateful that I have the extra hay put up to be able to do so.

We were snowed in for a couple of days, as the plows were very busy on the main highways. If you don't have a big pick up or the equivelant, you don't get out. For us, we have a little Aveo, with good winters, but couldn't get our driveway plowed as all our regular guys had broken equipment. Our neighbour came over and hand shiveled for us on New Year's Eve. At 63, I can't shovel any more. Just too hard on the old body. Beautiful and sunny today, at -6, I like to go for brisk walks, to see if there are any fresh critter tracks. Saw some Cougar tracks.
Hope the weather moderates for all you folks back east.

Nice on the tracking! and glad you got help on the shovel out.. we had still been in the deep freeze but we get a small break tomorrow and then they say back at it for the weekend and then if they are right more normal temps for next week.. this will be a very good thing if true.

Light snow now and for days to come is what they say.. so we will have even more of the white stuff to move. the good thing about the cold is that its going to be hard enough that it will do a fine job at killing off many of my garden bugs that I do not like and this larger then normal already amount of snow means my soil, gardens and general land has a outstanding snow cover. The damage that we could have had to the land (tree's and so forth) if we have this kind of cold without the snow cover.. shudder.. droughts, floods and then the deep cold..

I for one am grateful for the snow pack cover even if I don't much like shoveling it 🙂

We were snowed in for a couple of days, as the plows were very busy on the main highways. If you don't have a big pick up or the equivelant, you don't get out. For us, we have a little Aveo, with good winters, but couldn't get our driveway plowed as all our regular guys had broken equipment. Our neighbour came over and hand shiveled for us on New Year's Eve. At 63, I can't shovel any more. Just too hard on the old body. Beautiful and sunny today, at -6, I like to go for brisk walks, to see if there are any fresh critter tracks. Saw some Cougar tracks.
Hope the weather moderates for all you folks back east.

Have you considered an ATV? Thats what we use. We have a long country driveway and my now 60 year old father can plow the snow with it. My parents love it as it can do a lot of heavy lifting and carrying for them.

w had a brief break in the weather for two days and it was lovely, only -10 felt downright warm compared to what we have had and now back in the deep freeze, all those on the east coast in this weather bomb as they are calling it stay safe.

Yay, plus 2 today, and snowing lightly. Yes, Rachel, we are considering an ATV with blade. Wouldn't mind one with a blower attachment also. Could do wonders with that set up. Can't buy an ATV/quad anywhere right now, as everyone else has the same ideas. Definetly keeping our eyes open for one, as it would be fun to go to the beach on one.....in the summer, that is.

Hi all. Have no farm animals but always love reading about the various tricks used to keep them healthy. All the best with surviving the winter. Cheers

Thanks for the tips farmgal! I was certainly very concerned about the risk of fire and rigged things with fire in mind. I have a mix of chickens and a few seem a lot more cold hardy (small combs and wattles). Mrs HP conceded we would get a few more chickens this springs and I'll get Icelandic or BCMs for that reason. Plus a few more chickens should help with body heat in the coop!

Chanteclers we're breed to survive winters without heat. They have cushion type very small combs. Lay well and the roosters are about 9lbs and taste exquisite. They were developed by a monk in oka Quebec over 25yrs and are the only true Canadian registered chicken! The reason why they developed them was roosters we're dying and it was a big problem in the north where -50c happens regularly. Perfect homestead animal.