Off grid freeze prep

Morning!  I'm in West Central Georgia, and we don't normally have to deal with ice and low temps that are being forecast for this weekend.  Some models are apparently saying -2 degrees! While it may not be that severe, I'd like to be prepared for the worst and hope for the best. That means bracing for extremely low temps and extended power outage. Preferably without breaking the bank (so no $$$$ solar-powered generators).

That said, my chicken setup has no power. So no way to just hook up a solar generator to an existing electrical system.  My main concerns are making sure the chickens are warm enough (I have 2 1/2 month old hens in addition to full grown hens), and making sure the water stays unfrozen.

So far, my bright ideas are using hand warmers and sandwiching them between a couple of metal sheets underneath my plastic waterers; buying a smaller metal waterer to put the hand warmers under and just refilling frequently; or buying a solar-powered water aerator or small fountain pump.

I have a hoop coop covered with hardware cloth and a heavy duty tarp, but the front portion is totally open.  Is that too much ventilation?
It's supposed to rain for three days, then deep freeze so I'm getting an extra tarp to make sure nothing drips into the coop. So it will be dry, but I didn't know if I should cover the front more anyway.  I think the big ones will be ok, but let me know if there's a temp that's too low. I've always read that full-grown birds are find down to 0 F, if their coop is dry with some ventilation.

And for my younger birds in their coop, do they need extra heat still? They're fully feathered and have been in an unheated coop with temps down to 25 this month. Or are they fine?

I'm getting extra feed this week in case roads end up impassable.

Anything else I haven't thought of from anyone who's dealt with this kind of weather before??  I believe the ice will just be for 3-4 days max, but if it's just historic levels of crazy, power may be out longer than that.

Hi Emily;
I have not raised chickens before, but I have been around the block a few times.
As you mentioned, the weather wizards are predicting horrible weather; they often exaggerate a bit...
With three days of rain coming and then a deep freeze, adding an extra tarp is a good idea.
Perhaps putting straw bales in or around their tent will help.
Closing off the front overnight when it is truly cold will help bunches.
Your hot hands idea would work for a few hours, but it will cool off, and ultimately, the water will freeze.
Are you burning a wood stove in your house?
If so, consider heating clay bricks or large rocks on top of the stove. If you use bricks, you can set the water bowl on top and put plastic over the brick to deflect water.
Warm rocks around the waterer would help.
You will need to check every chance you have that the water is still drinkable.
A lack of water will harm them much sooner than the cold will.
If Chickens are like pigs, they will huddle together to stay warm.

Your cold weather will only last a short while; once it moves back North (where it belongs), your troubles will be over.

thomas rubino wrote: If Chickens are like pigs, they will huddle together to stay warm.

From an incredibly young age, you can trust chickens to be heat seekers. I had to move a young chick into a Muscovy duckling shelter and I was relying on the Muscovy mom + 5 half-grown youngsters to keep the chick warm overnight and he did just fine.

We have moved to rubber buckets for freezing weather. They tolerate having hot water poured into them, and they're easy to flex to get any ice that forming out of them. Size matters - it is easier to keep some water unfrozen in a larger container than a smaller one.

Using old sheets to trap heat in a smaller area than the whole coop will also help. We're more likely to find birds sleeping in nest boxes instead of on their perches when the weather is fowl foul (yes bad pun... couldn't resist), so if you're really worried about the young birds, a large cardboard box with bedding and a chicken-sized entrance will help them "cuddle up". Just cut a few extra holes for air! With my last group of pullets with an adult "mom," I used a dog crate to accomplish this.

Hopefully it will all go well.

Young birds can handle cold, it is the sudden change that bothers them just like us. I definitely would protect the front from wind. Extra straw or shavings for bedding.

Trying to keep waterers thawed without electricity is a lost cause. Just haul a small bucket of water to them several times a day. Use shallow pans, dog bowls, etc that are easy to knock the ice out of and refill them often. It’s a pain for the whole winter, but the easiest solution for a week or less.

Make sure YOU are ready for the cold. Find all your cold weather clothing, hand warmers, extra food, house is ready to lose power best you can. Store up some water in case you lose water (had a friend lose city water because the water main froze).

My current forecast is 3 feet of snow. We are NOT equipped to deal with that, plus then the cold snap will mean it won’t melt in three days like normal

As others have stated chickens can handle cold weather though your ideas sound good.

Here are some idea to help with the chicken waterer:


https://permies.com/t/190712/freeze-chicken-waterer

https://permies.com/t/364210/Winter-Chicken-Water-Years-Testing

Emily Smith wrote:I have a hoop coop covered with hardware cloth and a heavy duty tarp, but the front portion is totally open.  Is that too much ventilation?

Emily, it depends on which end is open. Our coop/run is 24'x36' with 12'x24' under roof and a 12'x12' area with 3 walls almost all the way to the top.

Here the cold weather comes in on winds out of the N, NW, NE. The open side of the 3 sided area is to the south and we've never had an issue with chickens dying from the cold. If your open side is the direction of the prevailing wind bringing in the cold weather, that could be a problem, and I would make sure that is one of the 3 sides that is covered.

Jackson Bradley wrote:
Emily, it depends on which end is open. Our coop/run is 24'x36' with 12'x24' under roof and a 12'x12' area with 3 walls almost all the way to the top.

Here the cold weather comes in on winds out of the N, NW, NE. The open side of the 3 sided area is to the south and we've never had an issue with chickens dying from the cold. If your open side is the direction of the prevailing wind bringing in the cold weather, that could be a problem, and I would make sure that is one of the 3 sides that is covered.

The southern side is open.  And the cold air is coming from the north. Precip usually comes from the west/southwest.