By and large, backyard chickens are pretty tough cookies. But even the toughest hen needs a little extra TLC to help get her through the coldest times of the year. We live in Minnesota, so many people ask me about how to keep chickens in winter?
Depending on where you live, you might be dealing with anything from a slight chill in the air to severe blizzards. Here are some suggestions for keeping your flock safe and warm throughout the winter.
How to Keep Chickens in Winter:
- Be prepared! Spend some time in the autumn doing some basic preparation before things start to get really chilly. This includes making sure the coop and run are snug from cold and rain, and that all fences are predator-proof as predators will be extra-hungry in the winter.
- If you usually free range your chickens, consider keeping them indoors or at least confined to their coop and run area. You can make the run more fun and cozy by adding fall garden clippings, corn stalks, tomato vines, and dry leaves, so there’s plenty of organic matter for them to scratch in when they do venture outside.
- Use the deep litter method to keep your chickens warm and dry all winter. Essentially deep litter acts like a compost pile with layers of wood shavings and chicken poop that you allow to build up over the summer and fall. The litter is scratched over by the chickens which aerate it and gets the beneficial microbes working. By winter, your flock will have a lovely deep warm pile of bedding to snuggle into, warming the whole coop naturally.
- Give them a nice warm supper before bedtime. If you feed your chickens some cracked corn or even a little warm mush before they go to bed, it will make them feel good and keep their digestion moving all through the long winter night.
- Put up some toys. If your chickens are used to foraging and free-ranging, they will get bored by being confined to their coop and run all winter. Give them something to play with like a cabbage hung on a string. They’ll have a great time pecking it as it swings around. Suet cakes and other chicken treats will also keep them occupied and keep their tummies warm and full.
- Give them some extra food. Chickens need to eat more in winter to keep their body temperature at the optimum level. Make sure their feed is good quality, add some fats to their diet and give them chicken scratch on the floor of the coop to keep them busy and well fed.
- Build your chickens a sunroom. Just because it’s winter doesn’t mean your chickens have to miss out on any sunshine available. You can build a glasshouse attached to their coop and let them out for some fresh air and sunshine when the weather is nice.
- Keep them safe from frostbite by not letting them walk on the snow, no matter how cute they look. If you live somewhere really cold, you can keep your chickens’ wattles and combs safe by smearing them with Vaseline.
What You Should Avoid:
- Draughty coops can spell death for chickens in winter. Make sure the walls and floor of your coop are well sealed, and there are no cracks or knot holes. Ventilation is important to keep enough air flow to stop ammonia build-up. Vents should be up near the roof where the cold air won’t blow on the chickens. Air vents can also have a mesh insert and a sliding door or hatch, allowing you to have the vents open during the day and closed at night to keep your flock snug from the chill and rain.
- Don’t let your chickens sleep on the ground. Make sure there is adequate roosting space for all your chickens, so they can fluff up their feathers and snuggle together to stay warm. Roosts should be at least two feet off the ground.
- Don’t let your chickens’ water freeze! You can try heated waterers, or just keep changing their water throughout the day, swapping out frozen water containers with fresh ones, so they always have access to fresh, drinkable water.
Some Winter Chicken Myths:
- You need a special chicken coop heater. Heaters are unnecessary if your chickens have good deep soft bedding, and they naturally huddle together for warmth and comfort anyway. Not only that, heaters are a fire risk! Make sure to keep your henhouse properly ventilated too.
- They stop laying eggs. Some breeds naturally keep on laying all year round, but you can choose to keep your birds laying by giving them extra light with a light bulb in their coop. You can use a timer to switch the light on before dawn and off after sunset to ensure the chickens get 14 hours of light, even in the middle of winter.
Do My Chickens Need Sweaters?
To sweater or not to sweater? Chicken sweaters are a controversial issue among chicken owners, but proponents say they keep their chicken warm through the molting season and give an extra layer of warmth through the coldest months.
Sweaters have openings for the head and wings and button in front of the bird’s chest for easy dressing and undressing. No need to get a beak snagged in the sweater!
Chicken sweaters are also used by rescue organizations to help the chickens feel secure as well as warm. There are patterns available online for crochet or knit sweaters, plain and fancy with cables and frills. Or you can buy them readymade online or at your local pet store. If you love to knit or crochet, check out the many free chicken sweater patterns here.
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Resources:
- https://www.thehappychickencoop.com/the-definitive-guide-to-keeping-chickens-in-winter
- https://www.thespruce.com/keep-chickens-in-winter-3016590
- http://www.thepoultrysite.com/poultrynews/37917/how-to-keep-your-chickens-warm-in-winter
- https://blog.mypetchicken.com/2012/11/16/cold-weather-chickens-8-things-not-to-do
- https://blog.mypetchicken.com/2012/11/16/cold-weather-chickens-8-things-not-to-do
- https://northernhomestead.com/keeping-chickens-in-winter
- https://www.backyardchickencoops.com.au/how-to-keep-your-chickens-and-their-coop-warm-all-winter
- https://www.backyardchickencoops.com.au/thechookcoopblog/caring-for-chickens-in-winter
- https://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2013/11/winter-chicken.html
- http://vomitingchicken.com/hens-lay-eggs-winter-long
- https://www.thespruce.com/keep-chicken-coop-smelling-clean-fresh-3016827
- https://www.mnn.com/family/pets/stories/does-your-chicken-need-a-sweater
- https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/search#view=captioned_thumbs&query=chicken%20sweater&sort=best&pc=pet
we are thinking about getting chickens so I hope your tips will help us! and do you think brownie is a good name for a brown chicken.