what do you do with the chickens in the winter (snowy, cold climates)

[907chicken]

What are these chickens gonna do up here in the winter, My summer is pretty short. The place that I picked my chicks up just had them in a coop and a little area outside that was shielded from the snow fall. The guy said they would tolerate some pretty bad cold. What kind of temp do I need to start worrying about them? Any info on this subject is greatly appreciated. I have Wyndottes right now. It can get 20 below sometimes where I am at but most often is in the single digits to low teens.

 

[yotetrapper]

Single digits to low teens my flock does fine. Give them unfrozen water, might consider heated waterers to make it easier on you. Might consider insulating your coops. Mine are not, but it is something I hope to get done this summer, as below zero temps can and will produce frostbite on regular combs (rose and pea combs are MUCH more frostbite resistant). YOu chickens will spend most of their winter IN the coop, not in the runs except on sunny, snowfree days. Have room enough for them, and dry bedding. Other than that, don't worry too much about it.

 

[Akane]

The same thing you do with them in the summer. Let them out in the morning, lock them in at night, and open the door every day there isn't terrible weather. If your coop is well designed that all it should take. Too narrow of roosts can increase the incidences of frostbit toes and poorly designed ventilation will increase the odds of any type of frostbite by alot. Frostbite is even more likely at just below freezing in humid situations than -20 F in a better designed low humidity environment. Most breeds of chicken handle down to -20F with no issue so long as they have night time shelter.

 

[Beekissed]

Deep litter will help you keep them warm in the winter and, if you can manage it, a covered area where they can get fresh air without plowing through snow drifts. Some folks shovel their chickens an area on which to walk after a snow, so they can get outdoors. Mine opted to stay in the coop for more than three weeks during the worst part of the winter...the deep litter came in real handy during that time. Using the deep litter prevented frostbit combs for me for the first time this winter...will definitely be using this method to keep my uninsulated coop warm again each winter.

 

[hensonly]

My birds live in a three-sided coop, year round (new coop with a "real" house almost ready!!!). The house faces south with the run extending to the south so the prevailing winds are blocked. The house is insulated. The roost is a 2x4 laid flat so they roost on the wide side. It's about 4 feet off the ground so it's sort of up under the roof. On cold/windy nights I keep tarps up around the run (which is also roofed). Most drafts are blocked, but there is certainly plenty of fresh air!! We always have a couple of weeks in the low twenties/teens/single digits, most of the winter in the low/mid twenties. When I go in there early in the mornings, it's very much warmer in the coop than outside, even with just tarps around the open sides. My birds do fine. Their first winter, several of my hens didn't grow back the feathers broken off by the roos, and went through the entire winter with bare backs. During the really cold days, I did put a heat lamp on one corner of the run so they could warm up but they didn't really seem to use it. A little bit first thing in the morning when it was so cold my nose hairs froze, but I ended up taking it down after just a couple of days. As long as they have a sheltered spot to get out of the wind, they should be ok. I did keep lots of litter in the house portion of my coop and had to put out new water two or three times a day so it didn't freeze.

 

[MareeZoCool]

I keep plenty of straw in my coop & run during the winter, at least 6" deep. It's easy to clean, just rake out the messy stuff, and toss in fresh. Sunny winter days I let my chickens decide if they want to roam, I open the door to the run. Sure is funny, seeing chicken prints in the snow! And they are sure to go back to their pen fast at night.

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
Aw, that's not so bad. There are Alaskans and some Canadians on this forum who routinely get -40 or colder

(*their* chickens mainly stay indoors during that part of the winter)

Your weather sounds like mine, maybe even a bit milder. I give my chickens a LARGE indoor area (so they don't get all crabby and start pecking each other to pieces) and their runs are roofed and I put plastic or burlap on the run so they're sheltered from wind on 2.5-3 sides. My chickens do FINE.

Now, I do have a very large heavily-insulated slab-floored building, so my indoor temps don't get as cold as your indoor coop temps probably will, but you have a very well-chosen breed in Wyandottes and as long as you keep things decently ventilated so it's not real humid inthe coop I suspect you will have no real problems.

Put a max-min thermometer in the coop, so that next winter you can see what temps they are REALLY experiencing overnight, and keep an eye on them during real cold snaps just in case there are any signs of impending frostbite or hypothermia (there is another thread going on that topic right now)... but I expect you will be just fine

Good luck, have fun,

Pat