Keeping chickens in winter

[User12345]

Has anyone any tips for keeping chickens in winter , how to keep them warm at night , how to dry them off after they have been in the rain , any supplements they might need , coop and run maintenance and so on . Thank you

 

[DobieLover]

There are literally hundreds of threads on this topic.

In a nutshell:
Provide a large area that is protected from snow/wind for the chickens to use during winter if you are in the north with regularly freezing temperatures. I think the often quoted 10 sq ft per bird in the run is too small and prefer a minimum of 15 sq ft.

Having adequate ventilation in the coop during freezing weather is something most new chicken keepers severely underestimate the importance of. You need to think in terms of square feet of ventilation oriented in such a way to allow/promote air flow through the coop to remove moisture laden, stale air to prevent frostbite and keep the air quality good.

I wouldn't bother drying a wet chicken coming in to roost for the night. They generate enough body heat that they will be dry and fluffy by morning if the coop is properly ventilated.

Something else to consider is that chickens generate body heat throughout the night by slowly digesting the contents of their crops. That is why it is important that they go to roost with crops full of a balanced feed and why it is so important that they be able to eat very soon after coming off the roost with empty crops in cold weather.

Lots of fluffy dry bedding to hunker down in on brutally cold days is always appreciated.

Keeping thawed water available during waking hours and preferably outside of the coop if the water source is open is very important as well.

The key is to keep things DRY and keep drafts off the birds that are strong enough to blow open their feathers. When it's cold they fluff up their feathers to trap their body heat. As long as there is no moisture to condense on their exposed skin (combs/wattles) and no air to open their feathers and blow away their heat, they do quite well in very cold weather.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Hi, welcome to the forum from Louisiana. Glad you joined.

Where are you located? What kind of temperatures are you talking about? That information is important in answering questions like this. If you live where it is brutally cold there are precautions you need to take. If you live where it hardly ever freezes it is totally different.

Your location is often important when we are answering many different questions. If you modify your profile to include that information it is always available. That can help us help you.

 

[WI chickens]

The only thing I would add to DobieLover's excellent post is that if you are in a truly cold climate the way I am, I strive to keep ALL drafts off my chicken's roosting area, no matter how slight they may be. Any draft will hasten body heat loss and in a very cold climate, you don't want any draft at all directly on your chickens. Great ventilation with no drafts is my goal.

 

[DickMidnight]

There are literally hundreds of threads on this topic.

In a nutshell:
Provide a large area that is protected from snow/wind for the chickens to use during winter if you are in the north with regularly freezing temperatures. I think the often quoted 10 sq ft per bird in the run is too small and prefer a minimum of 15 sq ft.

Having adequate ventilation in the coop during freezing weather is something most new chicken keepers severely underestimate the importance of. You need to think in terms of square feet of ventilation oriented in such a way to allow/promote air flow through the coop to remove moisture laden, stale air to prevent frostbite and keep the air quality good.

I wouldn't bother drying a wet chicken coming in to roost for the night. They generate enough body heat that they will be dry and fluffy by morning if the coop is properly ventilated.

Something else to consider is that chickens generate body heat throughout the night by slowly digesting the contents of their crops. That is why it is important that they go to roost with crops full of a balanced feed and why it is so important that they be able to eat very soon after coming off the roost with empty crops in cold weather.

Lots of fluffy dry bedding to hunker down in on brutally cold days is always appreciated.

Keeping thawed water available during waking hours and preferably outside of the coop if the water source is open is very important as well.

The key is to keep things DRY and keep drafts off the birds that are strong enough to blow open their feathers. When it's cold they fluff up their feathers to trap their body heat. As long as there is no moisture to condense on their exposed skin (combs/wattles) and no air to open their feathers and blow away their heat, they do quite well in very cold weather.

you can lock this thread up after this response. nailed all of it.

 

[3KillerBs]

Welcome to BYC. Where are you located?

Winter here in central North Carolina for me and my chickens is a far different matter than weather in New England, Minnesota, or the Dakotas.

Assuming that you're in a temperate area that gets a cold, snowy winter, here are a couple helpful articles:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/cold-weather-poultry-housing-and-care.72010/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/aarts-extreme-weather-spiel.75893/