Winter Chickens?

[IslaBean]

I have had my chickens since last spring. I have raised them since they were 2 weeks old. This will be my first winter having chickens and I'm not quite sure what to do. I live in Michigan, so that means one day there will be two feet of snow, and the next day 50 degrees. But mostly, it's just really cold and snowy. I have heard that chickens actually like snow. Is there anything I need to worry about when it comes to winter. So far, three of my four girls have stopped laying and its only 40-50 degrees out. I would love to have eggs during the winter, but if it's too much stress for my girls, I'm okay with them not laying. So far, the only thing that I think I'm going to change is a heated water dispenser. Do I have to worry about my girls getting cold? Thanks for advice!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

You shouldn't need to do anything differently. Just make sure they still have excellent ventilation. Closing off openings increases humidity and can cause frostbite and respiratory problems.
IMHO, they aren't fond of snow. I always keep a bale or two of straw to spread on the snow so they can walk about.
Thawed water is essential.
Chickens are adaptable to a wide range of weather conditions so most breeds don't get cold if they're not sick. Jungle fowl (ancestor of today's chickens) native range goes all the way into the Himalayan foothills. Most breeds were developed over the last few hundred years in quite cold climates and those people didn't worry about them getting cold. After all, they go to bed wearing down coats.
Temperature has virtually nothing to do with egg production. Day length is the primary determinant for ovulation. It just happens to be cold when day length gets short.

 

[KHoward]

I live in Boston and never heat the coop. ChickenCanoe is right, ventilation is the #1 priority in the winter. It's counter-intuitive but the more air flow (not draft) the better. You will not believe the humidity that they can create in the coop on the overnight, which is bad for them (think pneumonia).

If you have chickens with large combs (Leghorns, etc.) they may be susceptible to frostbite and all it takes is a little vaseline on the comb to protect it. In 8 years, and more than 200 chickens, I have only had two cases of frostbite (one Ancona and one Leghorn).

I love, LOVE, my 3 gallon heated waterer from Farm Innovators and have replaced all of my heated waterers with this one. (Don't buy the 2.5 gal, it had a bad design).

As for laying in the winter, you can always add a low watt light bulb into the coop to simulate sunlight to keep them laying. Or let Mother Nature handle it. I bought a solar powered garden light and that is just enough light to keep the girls laying.

HTH!

 

[Pork Pie]

These links may be useful:

http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/winter-chicken-keeping

http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/winter-coop-temperatures

 

[IslaBean]

Should I leave the windows to my coop open to increase ventilation? Or would that cause too much draft because both windows are level with the roost.

 

[KHoward]

It's hard to say without seeing a picture. I have ventilation holes at the apex of the coop, and always keep the two windows open at the bottom about 3". The windows are at the same level as the roosting bars. In my case, neither window is on a windward side so I'm not at risk of a constant draft. The chicken door is always open from the coop to the yard, 365 days (the yard is fenced).

How many chickens do you have and what sized coop?

Unless there is a snow storm or really cold temps, I open the coop door in the morning when I collect the eggs and leave it open until I put them to bed at night. This helps get any extra moisture out.