By: Noelle Moser
Summer has surrounded fall leaves wrestle in the wind, fall, then scatter on the ground. The gardens have been harvested, tilled under, and prepared for the coming season's rest. The girls are finishing their yearly molt, roosting increasingly earlier each evening. All this signifies the coming of winter challenges for the backyard chicken keeper.
Many new backyard chicken keepers are intimidated and possibly overwhelmed by how to overwinter their flock. I know because I have been there. Over the years, I have learned a trick or two on how to keep your girls happy, healthy, and comfortable as the outside temperatures plummet and the winter weather rages.
The secret to successfully overwintering your flock is to keep it simple, enhancing your flock's natural ability to weather the elements. Many new backyard chicken owners make the mistake of judging their flock's level of comfort on their own.
Chickens come factory installed with a down coat. The same coats we put on when the mercury drops below a certain point are the same coat your girls are wearing.
1. Heating the coop: If a keeper supplies additional heat to the flock's coop or pen, this heat will hinder the resident's ability to adjust to the falling temperature. In a heated environment, your ladies will fail to grow a down coat sufficient for the weather outside. The flock may be reluctant to leave the comfort of a warm environment; refusing to eat, drink, or get exercise, further compounding health issues.
Problematic in situations when a winter storm knocks out power for hours or days; with the heat source removed, the flock can go into shock and die. Just like us, in the ability to keep warm, they struggle to adequately adapt to this new situation, falling victim to the cold temps.
In the same situation, we put on warmer clothes, huddle under blankets, and sit by a fire. All these necessities are not available to the backyard flock freezing due to their dependence on a heat source that is no longer there. This is the first and the most serious mistake a backyard chicken keeper can make. It is best to allow the flock to adjust to the cooler temperatures, gradually growing in their thick and heavy down coat as nature intended.
2. Heat lamps: The second mistake that new backyard chicken owners can make is the use of the humble heat lamp. Heat lamps = coop fires!!! I cannot recount how many times I have seen on social media or heard about coops that have burned down due to heat lamps. Heat lamps are dangerous for a variety of reasons. When used as a winter heat source, they can be deadly. Heat lamps, sometimes called brooder lamps, consisting of a large, 500-watt bulb that creates a warm environment to raise chicks. While heat lamps are dangerous even when used as a brooder heat source, they are extremely dangerous around adult birds in an enclosed space. Why? There is no way to safely mount a 500-watt lamp in an enclosed habitat where the occupants can fly. A coop full of pine shavings, dry straw, dust, and feathers is a perfect kindling for a fast, furious and complete coop fire. If you take anything away from this article, please do not use heat/brooder lamps to heat your coop. There are better natural ways to assist your girls in overwintering the cold months. I will share the safe methods I employ to keep my flock happy, healthy, entertained, and content throughout winter.
But first, let’s answer a simple question, what does a backyard flock need to weather the worst of Old Man Winter? The needs for backyard chickens in winter are very few. All they need is a clean and dry place to call home. It's the keeper's job to provide these necessary accommodations to meet the basic needs of your flock in the winter. Chickens are adapted to living outside, all they need is a little help to weather the bitter winds and elements.
How is this achieved? The main thing I do for my flock in preparation for the winter is to enclose the pen with construction-grade plastic sheeting. The purpose of this is triple-fold.
1. Wind Break: The plastic acts as a windbreak. As the bitter winter winds blow, the plastic surrounding the pen will block the wind allowing the flock to retain their body heat. Chickens are more than capable of generating their body heat. Using their feathers and down coats, they can regulate the heat their bodies produce, thereby keeping warm in the winter. The cold winter winds disrupt this thermal regulation by lifting their feathers, exposing their skin to the bitter winter winds, and losing the warmth they worked so hard to maintain. The simple act of putting up a wind barrier helps them immensely. If allowed access to free range on a cold day, they will come and go from the protected pen as needed depending on their individual needs. If it’s a cold day, they will stay in the wind-free environment of the pen. If it’s warmer, they may spend more time outdoors hunting and pecking. Allowing them access to the outdoors while providing them a wind-free retreat will keep them happy and content as they weather Old Man Winter.
2. Precipitation Barrier: The plastic keeps the elements out of the pen, providing a dry place to call home. We are all familiar with the misery that the cold winter rains can elitist when we are out in it. Same for the snow and ice. Chickens prefer to avoid these elements if they can. However, since they live outside, their choices may be few. As the weather rages outside, the flock is protected from the snow, rain, sleet, and ice that often plagues the winter. Along with a barrier to the wind creates a dry, wind wind-free for them to call home. Simply keeping the elements out of the pen helps them immensely as they weather the worst of Old Man Winter. If protected from the wind, rain, and cold temperatures are not an issue for the flock.
3. Clean and Dry Coop: Providing a clean and dry home for the flock is essential. Along with providing a wind and precipitation break, a clean coop and pen go a long way. The flock will undoubtedly spend more time in the coop and pen during winter. It is the keeper's responsibility to see that their winter home remains clean and dry. This is accomplished by maintaining the coops daily. We all know that chicken poo can be wet and sticky. The moisture content in chicken poop creates an ideal situation for frostbite. Frostbite will settle on the combs and wattles of your roosters and large combed ladies. Removing the poop daily from the coop and pen prevents these conditions. Frostbite is no fun; it hurts and can be dangerous if not properly treated. As they say, an ounce of prevention is better than a cure. Keeping the moisture levels down in your coop goes a long way in the cold winter months.
Enclosing your chicken pen in construction-grade plastic will provide a conducive habitat for your flock.
Before I leave this topic, I want to caution you on wrapping up your coops too tight. While it's tempting to wrap them up like a holiday package, you need to leave room for them to breathe. Ventilation in the winter months is just as critical as in the summer months. If there is not enough airflow the flock can suffer respiratory and other health issues due to ammonia, mold, and frostbite. There is a fine line between protecting them from the worst of Old Man Winter and wrapping them up too tight.
For example, when I put the plastic barrier up for my flock, I leave the back side of the pen open, allowing fresh air to enter the coop and stale air to exit. Use your judgment when wrapping up your pens for the winter.
Below are some pictures of my coops and pens prepared for the coming bitter season.
As the bitter weather rages, the girls will be safe and warm in their pens. Below are some pictures of the ladies braving the elements in their winter digs.
Along with enclosing the coops and pens in plastic, providing your flock with some entertainment will go a long way. During the coldest days or when a winter storm rages, the flock will undoubtedly spend more time in their pen. If this occurs for consecutive days, they may suffer from coop boredom. Just like us, if we have to spend a lot of time in a tight enclosure, we will get restless and bored. Chickens are no different left too long in these conditions; they will begin to peck at each other creating injury and a hostile flock environment. To prevent this, give the flock a few chicken games to play and things to peck. Below are a few things I provide to keep my girls happier and healthier.
- Flock Block: A flock block is an entertainment tool that I often use during the harshest part of winter. Additionally, because the flock isn't able to forage for grains and seeds in the yard, a flock block provides these nutrients. A flock block is a large block that consists of seeds and other goodies compacted in a square-shaped formation. The chickens will spend hours happily pecking at the seeds and other delectables in the flock block. One flock block will last my flock and the entire winter. They are found at most feed stores and are usually under $20. It is also possible to make your own. At the end of this post, I will leave a recipe I use when I need something a little more tailor-made for my girls.
2. Peck the Bottle: This chicken game keeps my girls busy for hours. Not only that, but it’s also quite a bit of entertainment to watch them peck at the bottle. The supplies needed for this game are very simple. Take an empty plastic water bottle 2-liter or another plastic bottle, and some scratch grains or cracked corn. Take the bottle and poke small holes large enough for the corn or scratch to fall through. Fill the bottle half full of the treat. Place the bottle in the pen.
The flock will peck at the bottle and try to free the corn or scratch contained inside. One by one, the chickens will each peck at the bottle, moving it around the pen to consume the treat. If you have a larger flock, place more bottles in the pen. To step up the game, fill the bottle with dry mealworms. Any flock of chickens will go crazy, working extra hard to get the worms out of the bottle.
3. Cabbage in a basket: To add some greens to your chicken's winter diet, veggies in a basket or suet feeder is a great choice. As the grass and other delectables have long since gone dormant for the season, greens are in short supply. Take a suit feeder, open it, and place the veggies inside. Hang the feeder in the coop and let the games begin. Your ladies will go crazy for some fresh greens. Since it is cold outside, the cabbage will stay fresh for a while. Once the suit cage is empty, refill and play again. You can also put a head of cabbage in a metal hanging basket and place it in the pen or yard for your flock. They will enjoy the fresh greens while staying healthy and entertained.
4. Sand Box Spa: As winter sets in and the ground becomes covered and saturated with snow, the flock will find it hard to keep up their beauty regimens. Place a sandbox in the pen and fill it with sand. If your pen is too small to fit a sandbox, place the sand directly on the pen floor. Not only does this provide them a place to dust bath but a great way to scratch around.
Chickens love to scratch at the ground as they hunt and peck for delectable to dine on. In winter, however, this pastime is hindered due to the ground conditions caused by winter. To keep them entertained, sprinkle some scratch or mealworms on top of the sand and watch the fun begin. They will spend hours digging in the sandbox consuming every last morsel of scratch. This will quickly become a flock activity that they love and relish during the miserable days of winter.
Finally, my last tip for winter care for your flock is water. Many keepers underestimate the need for clean and fresh water for their flocks during the winter months. While they will drink a lot more water in the summer to stay hydrated and cool, water is also necessary to regulate their body temperature to stay warm. During the cold months while a flock is working hard to regulate its body temperature water is essential. For their little bodies to keep their furnace stoked access to fresh water is needed. The hurdle for chickens the keeper is to keep this water in a liquid site. One of the major hindrances to this process is the cold temps causing the water to freeze. To combat this, I use several methods.
1. The haul-it method: For those who do not have a large flock, simply hauling unfrozen water to the backyard several times a day is ideal. If your flock is small and someone is at home during the day, this is the simplest and cheapest method to combat freezing waterers. Since it requires no electricity or expensive accessories, this method is best if applicable.
2. Heated waterer: For a large flock, a heated waterer is ideal. Although these waterers are expensive, they are a lifesaver for cold days. You can find heated waterers at most feed stores; I purchased mine from Tractor Supply. They range from $40 to $60 and are long-lasting. I am still using the one I purchased 5-years ago.
3. Light bulb in a metal tin: The last method I use is the light bulb in a metal tin. Like the heated poultry drinker, this method also requires that you have electricity supplied to your coop. If you have several coops, purchasing a heated poultry drinker for each one is expensive. I use the electrically heated drinker for my largest coops. For the rest, I use this method.
Take a metal tin (cookie or other round tin), drill a hole just large enough for a cord, and string the cord through the hole in the tin. Purchase a light bulb and a socket cord (used for restringing lamps) and screw the light bulb into the socket. Put the tin lid on, and place the plastic or metal drinker on top. You now have a heated poultry drinker.
The radiant heat from the bulb will keep the water from freezing. Since all you need is to keep the water warm enough to remain liquid, a 15 or 25-watt bulb is best. You don’t want to heat the water too high, making it too warm for the flock to drink. The goal here is to keep the water from freezing. This low-watt bulb will supply just enough heat to keep the water in the drinker in a liquid, drinkable state. If you don’t have any metal tins suitable for this purpose, a terra cotta flower pot turned upside down will also do the trick.
Above are all the techniques, tools, and tricks I use to keep my flock happy, healthy, and content during the harsh winter months. As promised, below I will leave the recipe I use to make a homemade suit treat for my girls. The ingredients used in this flock treat are typically found in every kitchen and are cheap to purchase if needed.
The Kuntry Klucker Crew’s Favorite Flock Block
2 cups scratch grains
1 cup layer feed
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1 1/2 cups of raisins (for added fun)
1/4 cup whole wheat flower
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (aids in respiratory health)
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (helps circulation)
3 whole eggs (provides calcium, shells included, crushed to fine pieces)
1/2 cup blackstrap molasses
1/2 coconut oil, liquified
*** Other things you can add to this recipe are Peanut Butter (chickens love peanut butter), Sunflower seeds (added fun), Oyster Shells (calcium source), Dry cat food (good protein source during molting), Mealworms (protein source), and other nuts (good protein source). The beauty of the recipe is that you can tailor-make it for your flock's needs. ***
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, mix the dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients and mix well. Pat into several small baking dishes so your blocks are approximately 2″ thick (so they will fit into suit feeders).
If you plan to hang the flock block treat in your chicken pen, use a chopstick to make a hole large enough.
Bake for 30 mins, then cool completely; if you try to remove them from the pan while still warm, they will fall apart. Once cool, run a knife around the inside rim of each pan and invert to remove the block. Serve to a flock of very happy girls.
Leftovers can be refrigerated, frozen, and defrosted as needed.
Enjoy!!
