Hi Treats for Chickens community, it's me, Dawn!
Keeping chickens in winter is no easy task! Fortunately, my flock and I live in California where a cold winter is typically considered a day of 45 °F.
In the early days of Treats for Chickens, we did live near the Oregon border and experienced snow, cold rain, black ice and chilly chickens. So, with what I gleaned from that damn cold experience I'm here to share with you what I did and how to care for chickens in the winter.
First and foremost it's important to ensure that your chickens have a shelter from the storm {and that includes proper ventilation} to keep them comfortable, healthy and happy during chilly winter months.
Keeping them healthy during the off season is an important step to ensuring they are in their prime when egg laying spring and summer rolls in.
Winter Chicken Coop
Photo Credit: The Garden Coop
The most important part of chicken care in winter is making sure your flock has good housing to protect them from predators and the weather!
So, what exactly “constitutes” good housing when it comes to keeping chickens in winter? I’m glad you asked!
Don’t Rely on a Heat Source
Photo Credit: Times Call
I know, I know, it’s tempting to keep your flock toasty warm when raising chickens in the winter - the urge to plug in {and blast} a heat source in the hen-house all season.
The reason you shouldn’t do this is because if you preserve a warmer temperature through artificial means in the winter, your chickens won’t grow their full winter feather interior fluff and down-ish feathers -- and if anything happens to that heat source your chickens won’t be acclimated and prepared for the colder temperatures.
It’s not uncommon for the electricity to go out in the winter, especially during ice storms, so we don't want to be getting the flock usto temperatures from a heating source that can't be guaranteed 100% consistent during the winter.
Plus, coop fires are an all too common sad, sad, occurrence in the winter.
But if you MUST use a heat source, please make sure you follow all the manufacturer’s instructions and safety precautions! What ever heat source you use, make sure it is securely set up in a way that it can’t fall or be knocked down by any members of your flock, which may cause a fire.
If it gets -20° F or below then those rules go out the window, and its time to bring in some artificial heat! Experts say chickens are fine until inside their coop drops below -20 degrees Fahrenheit.
Chicken Coop Ventilation
Photo Credit: Better Hens and Gardens
The colder it gets, the the more time your chickens are going to spend roosting, loitering and preening in the chicken coop. All those stationary, fluffy, chicken butts allow cold air to condensate into moisture in the coop.
Thankfully a little bit of air flow allowed to circulate in your chicken coop helps moisture dissipate. So, go ahead and crack the vents, windows or door open in your chicken house to allow air to circulate, which keeps moisture and frostbite down. Just a crack though: we don't want to treat this like a spring clean where we fling open all the doors/windows. A crack will suffice.
Speaking of frostbite: frostbite is a no, no for chickens. It's a hard-pass for all of us, really. A simple layer of Vaseline on large waddles and combs aid in the prevention of frostbite btw.
Have Shavings Ready and Available
While we are on the subject of ventilation: let's talk about chicken poop and ammonia. You can implement the deep litter method during the winter [ie: not cleaning up as long as you add straw/shavings, etc so it can naturally breakdown]: either way I strongly suggest DooKashi - I toss it in and around my coop, under roosting boards and on the ground all-seasons but especially in the winter when poop and ammonia is more prevalent since my flock is more cooped up because, well it's winter and raining or cold as heck and they are loitering.
I'll be zipping into my local feed store to grab a bale of shavings. I don't usually go the way of the deep litter method bhuuut I am right now. At least this week I am. Pro Tip: Get a bale of shavings [it comes in a wonderful poly/plastic wrap aka you can put it in your car], dump a good foot or two in the coop, under roosts and especially in nesting boxes. Whalla. Just like new! And the shavings hold in heat too.
How and What to Feed Chickens in Winter
You’re going to want to provide your chickens free access to food because their energy needs vary so much during the winter that it’s better to play it safe and provide your birds with all the extra energy they may need to burn to help keep them warm during cold winters!
Egg laying typically slows down in the winter and so you might want to decrease the heavy intake of calcium and increase more caloric intake with feed and nutrient rich treats - but not too many. The calories help to keep your chickens warm in the winter. May I humbly suggest certified organic Cluck Yea, certified organic Chicken Crack or blended organic ingredients Gourd I Love You? All with high quality, unique ingredients.
I have heard of chicken keepers switching from regular laying chicken feed to plain chicken scratch and I don't recommend that at all.
Chicken scratch is too much junk food and is missing the necessary vitamins and mineral supplementation that is still needed.
How to Keep Chicken Water from Freezing or Becoming Unsanitary
Photo Credit: Avian Aqua Miser
At least once a month give your feeders and water fountains a good scrubbing in hot water and allow to dry before refilling with fresh clean water and/or feed. Keeping the fountains clean and free of mud, leaves, debris and feed will ensure healthy hens in the off season.
Chickens in the winter need their feed fresh and water clean like any other season of the year. The difference is now their access to water and feed needs to be constant during the winter months!
{PS: Mark your calendar for a day of the month and do it consistently over the winter and it won't seem like such chore.}
Another concern for chicken keepers that experience very cold winters is how to keep chickens water from freezing. I remember for a.whole.winter.season I brought out hot buckets of water..........oh the love of chickens.
If you’re dealing with freezing temperatures you’re going to need to prevent your chicken’s water from freezing.
There are a couple ways for you to accomplish this:
- purchase a chicken water fountain warmer base
- storing water fountain inside the chicken coop roosting space where temperatures do not drop below 32 degrees
- changing the water multiple times a day to keep the water warmer.
- Add Water Protector to their fountains. It's full of enzymes and assists in keeping water from freezing.
Give your Chickens Foraging Options
The weather is brisk, the ground is muddy or nearly frozen. For me it's muddy. My chickens have minimal places to forage for goodies. I'm going to add Healthy Hen Wellness Blend to a bigger feeder that I'm going to find in storage in Petaluma [see more about that below] and I'll be mixing up a batch of Molt Mender. It might sound crass but I'll be opening up the door between rain storms and flinging the Molt Mender patties out into the chicken yard. My flock will be so grateful and won't even notice my less than cordial quickie amidst the rain and hail. Thus, it also keeps them active. #winwin If you are interested, I wrote a DIY on Easy Boredom Busters for your Flock. You can find it HERE.
Following these steps should ensure that your flock remain happy and healthy throughout the winter months. With proper maintenance of the coop, and proper attention paid to your flock, you can ensure that your chickens remain cosy and keep producing eggs.
Happy Wintering! Summer sunny skies will be here before we all know it!
- Dawn, Treats for Chickens 🧡
Let's keep your flock happy + healthy!
Got something to cluck about? Have other suggestions? Questions?
Help fellow chicken parents and leave a comment below!
