Good Winter Chicken Care

Chickens are friendly pets as well as hardy and easy to keep. It’s fun and interesting to keep these entertaining birds in your backyard. However, your chickens need a little extra care in winter. Here are some quick tips for good winter chicken care:


Protect the coop against drafts:

Check for drafts around windows, walls and the floor. Use good construction techniques when building your coop, and patch and insulate for drafty areas. Install a second heat lamp over the chicken roost to make sure chickens don’t freeze at night.

Chicken’s instincts will tell them to roost at night even if it’s the coldest place in the coop. Thus they wouldn’t benefit from the heat lamp you have only over the water. Hang enough heat lamps to cover the length of the roost for all the chickens to get coverage.

Provide a heat lamp for their water:

Install a small heat lamp over the chicken’s water source. Chickens need a fresh water source and adding a heat lamp protects their water from freezing. Even in above-freezing temperatures, a heat lamp creates a more inviting water source.


Add fat to the chicken feed: Chickens can sustain their body temperature in winter better with an extra layer of fat. Add a wild bird seed block the chickens can access. Or, add a fatty seed like sunflower seeds to their daily feed.


Protection from predators:

Winter months mean wild animals have less food sources and will be bolder approaching the coop. Check your chicken run for loose areas of fencing. Add 2x4 wood ground rails around the outside to help prevent animals digging under the pen. Make sure the coop door has a locking latch for overnight.


Young chicks:

Chicks are much more vulnerable to cold. In fact, chicks need an environment of 90-100 degrees for their first week, which gradually decreases to about 75 degrees over time. Start the chicks inside and wait until they are older to introduce them.


Also, think about adding young chicks or maturing chickens to your flock until after the coldest winter months are over. This way they will be able to adapt to the flock and be prepared to live in the coop.

Chickens are hardy animals, and will do well even in below-freezing temperatures. By adding some simple heat lamps, checking the coop for drafts, adding a fatty seed to the feed and protecting chickens from predators you will have created a safer, more pleasant winter for your chickens!


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