When provided with adequate shelter and their environment is managed properly, chickens can withstand surprisingly cold winter temperatures. Despite this, chicken keepers sometimes think it's a good idea to close up the coops and add heat in the winter. These practices can both cause health problems and increase the risk of coop fires.
In cold weather, chickens fluff up their feathers to stay warm. By doing so, they create tiny air pockets under their feathers that are warmed by their body heat. A chicken will stay warmer if it can trap and warm as much air as possible with its feathers. Chickens have featherless feet, so they stand on one foot while tucking their other foot into their feathers to keep it warm. In addition, they tuck their heads under a wing while sleeping to keep their heads warm and prevent frostbite on their combs and wattles.
Chickens do better in cold weather than in hot weather. The chickens don't need a heated coop unless they are very young (featherless), are not a cold-hardy breed, are molting or ill, or if temperatures are dropping drastically.
When caring for chickens in cold weather, avoid using heat lamps or other sources of heat since chicken coops are usually wooden and chicken bedding is highly flammable. Fires in chicken coops kill more chickens each year than exposure to cold. In cold winter regions, it is wise to choose cold-hardy breeds, raise chicks in warm weather, and treat any molting or sick chickens individually.
During the winter, chickens need to eat more to generate body heat. Free-ranging flocks have an extra need for feed during winter confinement since they cannot forage for food. During winter, chickens will consume 25 to 50 percent more food than they do during summer. Allow them to eat whenever they want during the winter by leaving feed out all day long. Modifying their diet to increase protein and fat consumption is also beneficial.
Try offering dried insects that are rich in protein and fat, such as mealworms or black soldier fly larvae, in addition to their regular diet. In addition to ensuring your hens have healthy feathers to keep them warm, a lot of protein promotes feather growth. On cold nights, you can add a bit of olive oil or peanut oil to their feed to add extra fat.
In the winter, you can provide your birds with a little scratch grain about 30 minutes before bedtime to keep them warm. This will increase their carbohydrate content, which will keep them warm when it is cold outside. If you feed your chickens scratch grains in the coop, they will also turn over the bedding, making deep litter management easier.
The ventilation sources ought to be placed high above the chicken's roosting areas in order to remove humidity and fumes while preventing drafts. Under the eaves of the coop, open vents (covered with hardware cloth to keep out unwanted visitors) circulate air, but also helps prevent drafts. The sides of the coop facing the prevailing wind should be covered with straw bales in order to prevent drafts in lower areas. This helps insulate the coop, as well as reduce drafts.
The chickens can also be encouraged to exercise by hanging vegetables like cabbage, pumpkins, or squash in their coops or runs. For edible garlands, you can string radishes, cranberries, grapes or carrot pieces on twine. The fruits and vegetables provide entertainment, and the chickens enjoy eating something fresh during the winter.
In coops or runs without electricity, make sure the chicken waterers are full of water several times a day and that the water isn't frozen. You must break and remove any ice built up with your beak since chicken beaks are not strong enough to break even a relatively thin layer of ice. There are several heated chicken waterers and pet bowls that prevent water from freezing if electricity is available or an extension cord can be run. If you intend to purchase a heated bowl or waterer, make sure it has a chew-resistant cord to prevent your chickens from pecking through it.
Chickens fluff up their feathers at night and huddle together to stay warm. The roosts they use must be sized appropriately so they can do this most efficiently. There should be enough room for all the chickens to find a spot to sit together in the roosting area. They reduce the amount of cold air they are exposed to by snuggling together and instead borrow their neighbors' warmth.
Chickens can keep their feet tucked under their feathers all night to stay warm when they roost on wide roosts. Chickens' feet should be fully covered by their feathers on top and the roosting surface on the bottom while they sleep. 2-by-4-inch boards arranged so that their feet are accessible are ideal because their toes do not hang over the edges and become cold at night.
The deep-litter method of managing coop bedding promotes warmth in addition to using straw as bedding material.
You can achieve this by layering a 6-inch layer of pine shavings on the clean coop floor, adding a thin layer of straw daily, and turning over the soiled bedding regularly. Basically, it's a compost pile inside the chicken coop. Research shows that composting produces both heat and beneficial microbes which are important for the health of chickens.
The deep-litter method gets its name from the fact that straw is added daily to the coop, which makes the litter in the coop deeper as the winter wears on. As well as generating heat itself, this deep layer also insulates the coop from the cold ground below. In the spring, all the litter is removed, the chicken coop is cleaned, and the cycle begins again.
How Do Chickens Stay Warm?
In cold weather, chickens fluff up their feathers to stay warm. By doing so, they create tiny air pockets under their feathers that are warmed by their body heat. A chicken will stay warmer if it can trap and warm as much air as possible with its feathers. Chickens have featherless feet, so they stand on one foot while tucking their other foot into their feathers to keep it warm. In addition, they tuck their heads under a wing while sleeping to keep their heads warm and prevent frostbite on their combs and wattles.
Chickens do better in cold weather than in hot weather. The chickens don't need a heated coop unless they are very young (featherless), are not a cold-hardy breed, are molting or ill, or if temperatures are dropping drastically.
When caring for chickens in cold weather, avoid using heat lamps or other sources of heat since chicken coops are usually wooden and chicken bedding is highly flammable. Fires in chicken coops kill more chickens each year than exposure to cold. In cold winter regions, it is wise to choose cold-hardy breeds, raise chicks in warm weather, and treat any molting or sick chickens individually.
Winter Feed
During the winter, chickens need to eat more to generate body heat. Free-ranging flocks have an extra need for feed during winter confinement since they cannot forage for food. During winter, chickens will consume 25 to 50 percent more food than they do during summer. Allow them to eat whenever they want during the winter by leaving feed out all day long. Modifying their diet to increase protein and fat consumption is also beneficial.
Try offering dried insects that are rich in protein and fat, such as mealworms or black soldier fly larvae, in addition to their regular diet. In addition to ensuring your hens have healthy feathers to keep them warm, a lot of protein promotes feather growth. On cold nights, you can add a bit of olive oil or peanut oil to their feed to add extra fat.
Scratch Grains
t's generally recommended that chickens eat scratch grains in moderation because scratch grains are high in carbohydrates. Scratch dilutes the nutritional value of a balanced diet. On the other hand, scratch's higher fat content may be advantageous in winter.In the winter, you can provide your birds with a little scratch grain about 30 minutes before bedtime to keep them warm. This will increase their carbohydrate content, which will keep them warm when it is cold outside. If you feed your chickens scratch grains in the coop, they will also turn over the bedding, making deep litter management easier.
Ventilation
It might seem right to close the chicken coop in winter to keep the chickens warm, as chickens need a secure, draft-free coop during cold, snowy weather. Proper ventilation is essential though. A dry environment is essential for chickens to survive even at colder temperatures. They don't sweat; instead, they exhale an enormous amount of water vapor. The result is a buildup of moisture and ammonia fumes in a closed coop, which can cause frostbite on the chickens' feet, wattles, and combs, in addition to serious respiratory problems. You need to increase the ventilation of the coop if condensation forms on the windows or if you smell ammonia.The ventilation sources ought to be placed high above the chicken's roosting areas in order to remove humidity and fumes while preventing drafts. Under the eaves of the coop, open vents (covered with hardware cloth to keep out unwanted visitors) circulate air, but also helps prevent drafts. The sides of the coop facing the prevailing wind should be covered with straw bales in order to prevent drafts in lower areas. This helps insulate the coop, as well as reduce drafts.
Edible Entertainment
The chickens can also be encouraged to exercise by hanging vegetables like cabbage, pumpkins, or squash in their coops or runs. For edible garlands, you can string radishes, cranberries, grapes or carrot pieces on twine. The fruits and vegetables provide entertainment, and the chickens enjoy eating something fresh during the winter.
Fresh Water
Maintaining uninterrupted access to fresh, unfrozen water for your chickens during the winter can be a hassle, but it's essential for their health. Water is still vital to their survival in the winter, even if they don't drink as much as they do in the summer. Without water, chickens cannot digest their food, generate heat, lay eggs, or grow feathers.In coops or runs without electricity, make sure the chicken waterers are full of water several times a day and that the water isn't frozen. You must break and remove any ice built up with your beak since chicken beaks are not strong enough to break even a relatively thin layer of ice. There are several heated chicken waterers and pet bowls that prevent water from freezing if electricity is available or an extension cord can be run. If you intend to purchase a heated bowl or waterer, make sure it has a chew-resistant cord to prevent your chickens from pecking through it.
Provide Adequate Roosts
Chickens fluff up their feathers at night and huddle together to stay warm. The roosts they use must be sized appropriately so they can do this most efficiently. There should be enough room for all the chickens to find a spot to sit together in the roosting area. They reduce the amount of cold air they are exposed to by snuggling together and instead borrow their neighbors' warmth.
Chickens can keep their feet tucked under their feathers all night to stay warm when they roost on wide roosts. Chickens' feet should be fully covered by their feathers on top and the roosting surface on the bottom while they sleep. 2-by-4-inch boards arranged so that their feet are accessible are ideal because their toes do not hang over the edges and become cold at night.
Bedding for Warmth
In chicken coops, many materials are commonly used as bedding, but straw works best for providing warmth in cold winter regions. Throughout the night, the hollow straw stems emit heat because they hold warm air during the day.The deep-litter method of managing coop bedding promotes warmth in addition to using straw as bedding material.
You can achieve this by layering a 6-inch layer of pine shavings on the clean coop floor, adding a thin layer of straw daily, and turning over the soiled bedding regularly. Basically, it's a compost pile inside the chicken coop. Research shows that composting produces both heat and beneficial microbes which are important for the health of chickens.
The deep-litter method gets its name from the fact that straw is added daily to the coop, which makes the litter in the coop deeper as the winter wears on. As well as generating heat itself, this deep layer also insulates the coop from the cold ground below. In the spring, all the litter is removed, the chicken coop is cleaned, and the cycle begins again.
