Birds in cold weather Wild birds are used to wide varying temperatures. Temperatures can easily go into the 30s and flock birds will survive by nestling together in shelter. House birds are not used to these types of temperature swings and during cold weather it is recommended that house temperatures be at least 65 degrees and for younger birds 68-74 depending on their ages, down, and feathering. Baby birds need temperatures well above 80 degrees up to 92 degrees. I’ve always said that birds are susceptible to drafts which Dr. Murphy made an obvious observation that birds flying at 50mph are exposed to extreme drafts and if this was true, birds would be falling out of the skies. However, a constant draft will chill a bird by sapping away body heat. Think about wind chill. There is a formula to determine how your body feels by heat loss however the formula breaks at 50 degree Fahrenheit or less; at this point it’s a leap of faith and common sense that drafts reduce body temperature. Another way to put a layer of insulation around your bird is to have a night bird shroud for their cage. It’s cold out there so keep your birds warm inside!
Posted on: Fri, 09 Jan 2015 00:21:37 +0000