Worried about the winter months with my chickens

[kimbymarie]

I have 12 three week old chicks. They will be around seven months old come November. I live in Massachusetts so winters can get very cold and snowy. Keeping my chickens warm, cozy and healthy during the harsh winter months is my main concern. Please give me lots of advise, so I can do things right and keep my chicks comfortable and safe for the winter months. I'm a real worry wart, and I really don't want this whole experience to be stressing. I love my chickens so much already and I'm keeping them as pets.

 

[fried green eggs]

Hi, there is lots of information available on the forum. You will want to insulate your coop and make it draft free but still have vents and maybe when it gets really cold run a heat lamp - but most breeds do well in winter if they have a good shelter.

 

[GiddyMoon]

Read Open Air Poultry Houses. Type it into the search box, the link to the online book is on here somewhere. Chickens handle the cold quite well..what they don't handle is dampness.

 

[wingsofglory]

Hi Kimbymarie - I live in Alaska. Mine did fine down to about 10 degrees F below zero - without heat in a plain coop without insulation. I spent a lot of time with them and watched for changes in mood, how they moved, their talk, posture etc. They went about as normal till it got colder than 10 - 15 below, at twenty below they were hurting and two began failing. So I added a heat lamp over the roost. I had 14 mixed kinds: Barred Rocks, EEs, Wyndottes, Comets, Buff Orps and an Andalusian.

At thirty degrees below zero I brought the five hurting the most into the house to a colder room (so not such a shock when went back out) and kept in a box for the night.

The Andalusian was a Meditteranean breed and could not take the cold. Brahmas do very well in the cold - they have an extra layer of feathers and about twice as much feathers as other breeds.

They had an 8 x 12 with another section 4 x 8, and played in it all winter. Would not step in the snow. Would go outside if they could be on the dry dirt around the edge of the coop under the eaves.

Open air is actually good for them. A tight heated coop gets very moist and is not good for them. Old time coops were deep and the south wall wire. The depth of the coop was so they get out of the wind. The wire wall let out the moisture.

Next winter I'm going to build a plywood "hood" for them - a place where they can get a little warmer when they want. I'm looking for plans. Its an old time midwest solution.

 

[dirtsaver]

First things first Kim. Summer heat seems to be more stressful on chickens than winter. Be sure they have plenty of airflow in the coop during the summer. Some people even have removable sides to their coops for the hot summer months.

Now for your original question...

Chickens do very well in cold winter climates without the use of heaters or heat lamps. the main thing is to provide a coop that is draft free but well ventilated at the same time. To do this you want good solid walls(insulation not needed) so cold air does not blow on them when they are roosting. Then you need to provide air vents about 18" to 24" above the heads of the chickens on the top roost. The reason for this is to eliminate the moisture the chickens give off when breathing and the ammonia from their poop. The buildup of moisture is what causes respiratory problems in your flock.

Our coop is 4' x12' and has vents 6" tall and 8' long along the front and back just under the roof. As the weather gets colder I can close off parts of those vents with plywood and rags to regulate the amount of airflow as needed. There is also a vent on one end above the roost that's open in summer and closed completely in winter and a window on the other end away from the roosts that can be opened as needed. The chickens will stay warm this way by snuggling together as it gets colder. Remember they have natural down coats! One other thing to remember is make your roosts with 2x4s laid flat. This way the chickens body will cover their feet and prevent frost-bitten toes.

Hope that helps!
Larry

 

[Judy]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=1642-winter-coop-temperatures

A really excellent article on chickens in the cold.

 

[Fred's Hens]

I don't want to get into the whole heat/no heat debate, but for me there is no choice but no heat. I live in northern Michigan, in the valley, and -20 is just another ho hum night in Jan/Feb. How could anyone possibly provide meaningful heat? And, who could pay for it?

Thus, if no heat, no need for insulation either. It just provides the mice a nice home. Yuk.

I use a heated dog bowl and set a one gallon water pail in it. Works great. Use a couple of them. They eat more to keep warm, that's a fact. I've never had frostbite, laying maintains at 75% of the hens per day. It all begins with keeping only cold hardy breeds and there are many, many to choose from.

Finally, think about this. These breeds, a dozen breeds, are American/Canadian breeds. Created in the bitter cold of New England, New Hampshire, Ohio, Quebec, etc. Too many breeds to list. For two centuries these breeds were developed and kept without any thought, ever, to heat. How did all those chickens ever survive that we might enjoy their progeny?

There are 30 chickens, 20 of which were only 3 months old inside that barn the morning this photo was taken this winter. The temp was probably -15.

Hopefully, your confidence is rising?

 

[Rhys2112]

Not sure what the temperature get down to in your area but I live in somewhat norhtern Canada and when it gets really cold during the winter (-20C to -30C) I have a small woodstove that I start up. If you have access to wood around your area it is a great way to heat. If you heat up stones on the stove also you can put them in with the chickens for some extra heat. I would definatly suggest using a woodstove.

 

[wingsofglory]

Rhys - can you post a pic of your woodstove setup?

It got to forty below zero Farenheit at night for three weeks, twice, and another time for six weeks straight, some years ago. I do not have a garage to bring them into, and six chickens in a box under the kitchen table is not fun. Six is all that fit, the other 8 had to stay out. And they are hurting at that temp although they lived through it. And still layed eggs, frozen eggs.

I've been thinking of how to put a woodstove in a coop - but how to position it so chickens don't land on it, so I can get to it to put more wood in it easily, etc. Probably have to surround it with wire. Fireproof the walls. Would take some planning. And dryness of the air is key - moisture makes the cold, colder, so it would be radiant heat with the windows open rather than heating all the air in the coop. Why I was looking into a hood arrangement.

Temperature here can go from 40 below zero F. to 60 above zero in a few hours from a Chinook wind. I keep a healthy respect for the weather.

 

[kimbymarie]

Thank you everyone for all your advise. Great article ddawn. Saved it so I can refer back to it. My mind is eased somewhat. I'm still a worrier so I'll be trucking outside constantly checking on them. That's ok though. One more question, how often should I provide grit to my chicks. They had their first tast of it yesterday. Is it something you are to give them on a daily basis. My chicks are still of course being 3 weeks old in the brooder under a lamp. Thanks again all.