How to keep your chickens warm in the winter

Good article to point out things people may not be aware of that they could do to improve living conditions for their chickens. I really hate hearing people say, "they'll be fine," and I've said it too, but sometimes they aren't fine and things have to change to improve life for them.

This article has good tips, but there were two things that I found wrong. The first is saying that roosts should be two feet of the ground. That is wrong. All roosts should be 20 inches of the ground to prevent bumble-foot (however you spell it...) a chicken should never jump down higher that twenty inches because of the impact (especially for heavier birds). The second thing is saying that you should put petroleum jelly on the wattles. Petroleum jelly is really bad for you. I don’t think humans shouldn’t use it and neither should chickens. A good alternative is unscented chapstick. I know that lots of people use petroleum jelly and say to use petroleum jelly, but it just isn’t a good choice. I really loved the way you described how to deep litter, and I didn’t know that cedar is harmful to chickens!

You have some good tips in your article such as making sure that you have adequate ventilation! A lot of people don't realize how important ventilation is especially in the winter! I also like the recommendation to check to see if there is enough roost space for all of the chickens. The deep liter method that you mention is great for all of the reasons that you mentioned plus it generates heat itself. One of the few comments that I don't agree with is when you stated that keeping your chickens warm and cozy will help them to produce more eggs in the winter. Egg production is a result of the number of hour of light that chickens get each day. It is not impacted ( at least not much) by whether or not the chickens are warm and cozy.
Another good suggestion that you had was about putting petroleum jelly on the wattles and combs to help prevent frostbite. Frostbite occurs when condensation settles on the wattles and combs and then freezes due to the cold temps or possibly cold drafts that cause the condensation to freeze. So keeping your coop well ventilated should be your first line of defense. The petroleum jelly is a good back up plan or added defense.