Since December is approaching, and that pretty much means most of us will be getting blasted with winter weather, you may be wondering how to care for your chickens when it gets cold outside. Chickens are pretty hearty birds and can withstand cooler temperatures if you provide them with enough to do and a strong place to say warmer and out of the wind. Here are some tips on How to Care for Chickens in the Winter.
How to Care for Chickens in the Winter
A heater is not necessary. You may think that your chickens will need one, but really, chickens are outdoor animals and fare much better than you might think in the cold temperatures. Running a heater is a fire risk and the bills for doing so can be outrageous.
Make sure to provide fresh water. Chickens, like most birds, need a lot of water to survive and produce eggs. Since water freezing in the winter can be an issue, I suggest getting a heated bowl (the kind used for outdoor dogs) and keeping an eye on the water level. This is a low cost way to make sure your chickens always have water available no matter what the temperature drops to outside. Also, do not allow your water to be left in the coop as it can be a moisture problem.
Watch for chicks. Baby chicks can require extra care in the winter, so make sure you watch for a potential hatching. If you see some, or you are trying to get some, make sure you have a setup inside for taking care of them once they hatch. This can be as simple as a heat lamp area.
Provide extra food and even treats for your chickens. Chickens often don’t even want to leave their coop in the winter since they don’t like snow or ice and can potentially get frost bitten if they do. This means you have bored chickens and heavy competition for food since it is scarce anyway. Make sure to provide extra food and treats for your chickens during the cold months so they have extra energy to stay warm as well.
Make sure they still have a place to scratch. Scratching is important to chickens and in the winter it can be hard to give them space to do this. One way is to build a run that is covered and protected from the wind. Make sure to keep the area clean and dry by covering with something as simple as a tarp or plastic.
Keep predators at bay. If you are not a city chicken farmer, but live in a more rural area, you might have issues with predators such as foxes. In the winter, this can be extra work to keep them away since predators are finding it harder and harder to find food and may come down into farmlands to do so. Do a quick once-over of your coop area to make sure it is secure.
Provide good ventilation. In the winter, the chickens will crowd in to stay warmer. You may have an issue with moisture and that can lead to sickness. Make sure to have plenty of ventilation on your coop to keep things dry inside.
Do you have any tips for caring for chickens in the winter? Let me know in the comments!
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Lisa says
This is my first winter with chickens. We built the coop with large indoor area that has 3 nest boxes in each side and 2 roost areas in the middle. The front opening has ladder for them to go outside into a roof covered run. We have a small wire covered vent hole in the back of inside box for ventilation. My question is, Should we cover that back vent and put cloth over front opening for the winter or leave them open for air flow? They have plenty of bedding in nests and under roost area. Also should we put plastic around wire in outside run to keep snow or ice out? We usually don’t get a lot of snow here in Kansas but it does get cold.
Nunya says
I built an insulated coop (walls only). I only heat if it is going to be -20 and even then, I only heat it no warmer than 40 (cozy legs). I get cold hardy hens (no combs). Never lost a bird to the cold. I shovel for them so they can go outside when snow is on the ground. I don’t coop ’em in. Deep litter method. So far so good, 3+ years now.
Jodi Day says
We live in Los Alamos New Mexico sometimes we get super cold weather and lots of snow other times we slightly warmer Winters. We put a chick lamp in our coop is attached to an external thermometer it does not turn on unless the temperature reaches 50 degrees or lower and only comes on for an hour or so at a time it keeps the coop very warm as we have very chickens and has not posed any substantial fire risk we have a heat lamp but as for chicks and also resistant to dust in the air Catching Fire Etc we have not have a frostbitten chicken yet however we have only have them 2 Winters
Pamela says
We recently moved to Idaho in the Boise Natinal Forest area from California. We not only get a lot of snow but it’s common for us to run in the negative to single digit temps Dec. through Feb. You mention not heating the coop, is insulation going to be enough with our very cold winters?
Thanks,
Pamela
Alea Milham says
You need a chicken coop designed for extremely cold weather, not a basic coop with added insulation. I recommend checking out coops at your local feed store and see if they provide cold-weather coops.
Shirley says
Hi I live in Ontario Canada and we get extremely cold winters. I do not heat my coop. My only problem is water freezing. I have an old tire that I filled will foam isolation and use a black watering bowl with two plastic bottles filled with salt water with lids tight on them so they don’t leak. This helps the water not freeze as quickly. My outdoor run is wrapped in clear plastic to let light and wind out. This is my 3rd winter with these girls. They are happy and lay all winter. It is the cold wind that they can not tolerate, the plastic stops that. On warm sunny days I open the door to let them out into the yard.
Dee says
So I had three chickens that I got as pullets In September. They have a small coop inside the garage with a doggy door to outside which is closed at night. The last few days the temps in Michigan dipped to negative degrees. I added a heat lamp because their skin under feathers was not warm. I lost the smallest sweetest chicken last night, she froze. I am afraid to keep the other two out there now. Any advice?
Alea Milham says
A doggy door is usually quite thin and can allow air around it. Can you provide more insulation for their coop? Deeper bedding for insulation? Can you move the coop to a warmer spot?
Nunya says
Bring them inside when it is going to be that cold. It beats losing a chicken. I use a large dog crate with a stick lodged through so they can roost for the night (broom handle would work). I am a firm believer of “when in doubt, bring them in”. I know a LOT of folks that lost birds and rabbits that way. If you have too many to bring in, pick and choose the oldest/weakest to bring in or any loners. If you are lucky enough to have a basement, bring them all in.
Deb Sellers says
I really enjoy reading your information. Thank you for all the helpful information. You have given me many ideals I can’t wait to get started. Thanks Deb