Do You NEED to do Anything?!
Chickens do really well in the winter. Actually, they do better in the winter than then do in the heat of the summer. They will do well as long as they are kept dry and out of the wind. If you live somewhere with snow and cold temperatures (think 40°F or below) then your chickens will appreciate a few winter weather accommodations.
If you do not prepare your coop for winter, you may regret it! Chickens can easily get FROST BITE on their feet, combs and wattles. Not only is it painful, but it is difficult to deal with on your end. Some of the things I do to prepare for winter are for the chickens’ sake and some of them are for mine!
Roselina enjoying some evening sun!
Dry and Draft Free
If you do nothing else to prepare your chickens for winter, make sure they are going to be dry and out of the wind. If they have a chicken run, it is best to wrap it in plastic and put a covering over it if you don’t already have one. Without this extra space to hang out, they will all want to stay in the coop during bad weather and as we know, chickens who are “cooped up” will pick on each other and could end up with disease from the crowded conditions. Here is what I do to keep them dry and draft free…
-Close coop windows
-Cover drafts in the coop. You can use old feed bags and a construction stapler!
-Wrap the run in plastic using 6mil painters plastic and wiggle wire. Watch a video on this technique HERE.
-Make sure there is fresh bedding in the coop.
-Leave ventilation open at the top of the coop.
-Give them a few bales of hay to hide behind outside.
My coop all buttoned up for winter!
Heated Waterers
Your chickens need access to water all day long. If it is frozen, you need to go break the ice or refill it. I get too busy sometimes so I invested in heated waterers. My favorite waterers are THESE from Rent A Coop. You can use one of THESE drop in heaters to keep it from freezing and the spouts work even in the coldest weather! If you use similar waterers but with cups, those will freeze unfortunately. I don’t like using open waterers in the winter because the chickens who get wet wattles are more likely to get frostbite. But, I have a crossbeak chicken in my flock and she is unable to use the spout waterers so I have to use THIS ONE.
I don’t have electricity in my coop so when plugging anything in, I use 12gauge or higher outdoor extension cords. I also use extension cord covers to keep them out of the snow and rain. Bonus if the extension cord lights up at the end because I can see from my house that it is still plugged in and working!
This year we are working on establishing solar power. I will update you if it works!
An image of frostbite from one of my followers. Ouch!
To Heat or Not to Heat
First off, throw away the heat lamps! Check out my HEAT LAMP highlight on Instagram for more information and pictures of horrible stories involving heat lamps.
Most of the time, chickens don’t need any heat at all. They do really well adjusting to the colder temperatures. If you heat their coop so it is toasty warm, they will have a really hard time leaving the coop to hang out in the run or the yard. It could cause them to go into shock. If the power goes out (as it always seems to do at least once a winter for us), the chickens wouldn’t be able to handle the sudden drop in temperature.
One thing we have found helpful are these SWEETER HEATERS. They are infrared heaters and don’t raise the temperature of the coop but a few degrees. Their purpose is to take the chill off above the chickens’ heads at night when it is the coldest. This has helped our ladies and Big Mike avoid frost bite. We hang them just about 5-6 inches above their heads. The chains attach at the center so if a chicken were to jump up on top, it would tip. We haven’t had any chickens even try.
Sarah doesn’t mind a little cold.
Humidity
A real concern for frost bite is too much humidity. I try my best to keep it at 50-70% (lower is better). Keeping the coop clean, putting water in the run, and having good ventilation up high will help. This HYDROMETER keeps track of the humidity and temperature. You just hang it in the coop and you can check it from your phone anytime!
I hope this blog was helpful!
Here is a full list of my winter supplies.
Here is a youtube video I did about winter prep.
And here is my instagram winter coop highlight.
Stay warm & dry this season!!