A sudden freeze in early April taught me a hard lesson about my coop heater

I've kept a small flock of six hens for about eight years now, and I always thought I had the winter routine down. This past spring, we got a nasty cold snap after a week of warm weather, and I didn't plug in my radiant heater, thinking the girls were fine. Woke up to find my favorite Buff Orpington, Mabel, with a mild case of frostbite on her comb. I felt awful. The vet said the quick temperature drop was the issue, not just the cold itself. Now I watch the forecast like a hawk for those late-season dips. Has anyone else had a heater policy that backfired when the weather turned fast?

3 comments

3 Comments

dylan_patel2mo ago

That "watch the forecast like a hawk" line hit home. I once got cocky after a warm March and left the coop vent wide open. A surprise ice storm rolled in overnight and I basically turned their home into a wind tunnel. My poor girls looked at me like I'd personally betrayed them over breakfast.

tarab542mo ago

Yeah that's the worst feeling. I keep a cheap weather radio in the mudroom now, the alarm will wake you up for any sudden warnings. Saved my flock from a few nasty pop-up storms last fall.

dakota_rivera1mo agoMost Upvoted

That "watch the forecast like a hawk" thing is exactly why I don't rely on alarms. By the time the warning goes off, you're already in a panic. I check the radar myself every night before bed, no matter what. Lets me make the call early. I get why @tarab54 likes the radio, but I need to see the storm's shape and speed myself.