chickens in the winter

[Gabrielle1313]

So, I live in New England and winters can get really cold and this is going to be my first winter with having chickens. What should I do to keep them all warm and healthy? Also, what should I do to keep hens laying throughout the winter? Lastly, since they are free range, should i still let them out in the winter even if it snowed?

 

[RodNTN]

Hello there!

Make sure the coop is well ventilated but not drafty. Coop is dry, make sure they have dry, soft bedding (what type do you use?)

Keep their water unfrozen, I recommend a heated waterer. I assume you don't have a run (a pen)? If not, make sure you get some things to keep them entertained and keep them from getting bored out of their minds and being aggressive with each other.

You can hang a head of lettuce or cabbage and let them peck at it, give them treats, and you can even buy "chicken toys" Just search google and you'll find it.

If you do have a run, cover it with plastic or a tarp to keep the snow out.

Its the chickens choice to come out or not, some chickens don't mind the snow on their feet (you can throw straw on the ground to help with the cold). Some of my chickens have to be forced out of the bitter chill and snow, but some of my other chickens prefer to stay in the coop where its warm.

If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to ask! Best wishes!

 

[Lynn Meyer-Barlass]

Mine are covered with tarps & plastic on top of coop & housing. They have plenty of perches( I found bamboo for winter perches),fescue hay also works well for mine( but it can be pricy).Good luck!

 

[lazy gardener]

So, I live in New England and winters can get really cold and this is going to be my first winter with having chickens. What should I do to keep them all warm and healthy? Also, what should I do to keep hens laying throughout the winter? Lastly, since they are free range, should i still let them out in the winter even if it snowed?

Lots of ventilation: 1 s.f./bird is recommended. Be sure your coop is not overstocked: recommendation is for minimum of 4 s.f. in coop/bird. In winter wonderland, it's even more important not to crowd your flock b/c they spend a lot of time inside. In my coop, 2 of 3 windows are cracked open on all but the very coldest of days and nights. I open the pop door during the day any time the temp is above 15*. They have a winter run that is covered on the sides with construction poly, and 1/2 of the top is covered with a green house tarp. the other half is covered with 2 x 4 welded wire mesh. I need to keep a secure run year round b/c I have heavy hawk predation. They spend a lot of time in their winter run b/c it warms up nicely and they have a deep composting litter that they can shuffle through, and even dust bathe in year round. I am in zone 4B.

I let them go through a fall slow down and molt, then start ramping up artificial light. Warm spectrum 9W LED, increasing 1 hour/week until their lighting schedule maxes out at 14 hours: On at 6:30 AM, off at 10:00 AM, on at 3:00 PM, off at 8:30 PM. I use a solar landscaping light very close to the LED so the LED keeps the solar light charged. The landscaping light acts as a night light to give them just a bit of extra light for a short while when the big light goes out.

 

[BantyChooks]

Make sure you've got plenty of space and ventilation as detailed above. Don't worry about keeping them warm, worry about keeping them dry. My birds are fine in -30F weather with zero heat.
My birds keep laying somewhat with no extra light, but follow LG's advice if you're just worried about getting as many eggs as possible.

One tip---empty waterers completely at night. It takes a pretty powerful heater to keep the water unfrozen and they don't drink at night anyway. I live in a climate at least as cold as yours and I do not use a water heater. I just break ice multiple times per day. It's a pain in the neck but it makes me sleep better at night knowing there's no potentially fire starting extension cords in the coop. I had a near miss a few years ago so I'm more paranoid than most.

 

[lazy gardener]

I have a power strip with GFC just inside the door of my coop. All electricity runs through the power strip. Heated dog bowl. I can understand the fear of fire issues. Safety first, but... electricity can be used if it is managed with common sense and safety in mind.

 

[ZachyWachy]

I have a small coop suspended in the air for my bantams. There isn't really any insulation, but they are positioned and roofed in such a manner that little can even get into their run. I have recently put some hay on the bottom for them to sit on (they don't really roost) and one is a silkie. What more can I do to keep my silkie warm?

 

[PetesChicks]

My 2 silkies did fine last winter. Just plenty of ventilation and shavings to bed in for one of them, the other roosts with the bigger girls.

They didn't seem to mind the cold too much, a few times I'd go out to check on them and they would be out in the snow. A little white Silkie with a couple inches of snow on her back looks pretty funny.

I just did my best to make sure they shook the snow off before they went back to the coop.

 

[flyin-lowe]

I'm in Indiana and I guess we have fairly similar temps. Last year we had some nights well below zero with wind chills -20to-30. Like others said ventilation is important. I have 4 windows and an open ridge vent. I left everything wide open all winter with no issues. I do use 2x4's sitting flat for perches so their feet are spread out and they sit on them to keep them warm at night.

 

[WildCHILD400]

Having more than one chicken is a big help already because they keep each other warm. I would make sure they have plenty of bedding and I am going to put an electric dog heater on the floor of the coop so the chickens can lay on that. To keep your hens laying thy need lots of calories because they burn lots of calories just getting ready for winter by growing more down. Feed them oats dry or cooked and/or cracked corn. Both options provide lots of calories for your birds. You can also buy them sweaters or jackets if it gets super cold. If it gets below 25 ferinhight I would put them in a dog cage in your garage or somewhere for a day. They like to hop on and rip apart boxes for fun! Hope this helps!