Every winter has it’s spring.
H. Tuttle
Winter in the Pacific Northwest is not my favorite. It’s wet, gray, and it gets pretty cold. While I don’t like it and I tend to over bundle myself to go outside, my animals adapt quite well. We have a pretty big cold snap hitting our area right now and I have seen so many questions about chickens and how to keep them warm. Should I add heat to my coop? Do I need to move them to my garage? While I am by no means a chicken expert, I do know one thing- farm animals are built for outside. Of course this has variations, but for the most part they will adjust and adapt with little input from us. Here are a few things I know to be true about keeping chickens in the winter…
Prepare Your Coop
The biggest thing on my list for winter chicken keeping and especially with our cold weather we are experiencing right now, is to keep my coop clean and dry. I bed a little deeper than I normally would and this gives my gals a little extra insulation when they head in for the night. My hens have free access to a run and their coop every day, with being locked inside at night for safety, and I trust that when they need to warm up or dry off a bit, they will head inside. So far I have been right.
Make sure your coop is both well ventilated and draft free. You don’t want to lock them up tight with no air circulating as that can lead to sickness, however you want to make sure there are no big drafts flowing through your coop that could cause your chickens to get chilled.
Say “no” to heat lamps! The only time we have ever used heat was when we raised baby chicks. Chickens grow their feathers according to the season and the weather. This is why they molt in the fall- to lose the summer feathers and grow in their winter jacket. Heat lamps just disrupt the natural way of their feather growth and discourage them from growing winter feathers. If your chickens are under heat every day and don’t grow those feathers, what happens when the power goes out? Some very cold chickens! Heat lamps also pose a huge fire risk, and while I haven’t experienced it first hand, I have seen many a picture of a burned down chicken coop due to a heat lamp.
Feed
During colder months, your chickens will eat more. The digestion of feed warms their bodies from the inside out, and things like corn make that process work even harder. I like to feed my hens free choice year round, and haven’t had any issues with over eating. I just like to check it more frequently this time of year to keep the feeder full.
You will also want to make sure your chickens have constant access to good clean water. This will mean breaking ice and all the fun things that go along with frozen water in the winter time!
Egg Laying
Hens need 14-16 hours of daylight to lay an egg. This means, even though we may not like it, they slow down in the winter, if they don’t come to a complete halt. A lot of people will hang lights to fool their hens into laying some eggs, however I like to just let them take a break. It’s their once a year vacation here on the Huskisson Homestead, and they deserve it. In keeping things as natural as possible, there are certain breeds that aren’t affected as much as others when it comes to winter laying. Do some research and get those power producers!
Extreme Conditions
We don’t have temperatures cold enough in my area to be considered extreme very often, however I do follow some chicken gurus in areas where frostbite is of concern for those chickens with big combs and waddles. They advise putting Vaseline on the exposed areas of concern to ward off frostbite.
If the weather does venture down the extreme path where you are, you can also mix their feed with some warm water to give them a little soup like dinner. This will encourage them to eat and get some water in them, as well as just warming their little chicken souls like soup will do. Just make sure it is eaten within a couple hours or so as it will go bad if left to sit too long.
Be Vigilant
I don’t know a ton about wildlife, and honestly I don’t want to, but I do know when the temperatures drop and there is snow covering the ground, the predators are also desperate for a good meal. When they get more desperate, a backyard chicken is an easy and delicious dinner. Make sure your flock has a safe place to sleep at night and that they are protected from the predators that have a limited food supply this time of year.
Happy chicken keeping!
~Tara