Although chickens are generally quite hardy, here are my top 5 tips for keeping your chickens warm this winter.
Keeping your chickens warm in the winter may seem difficult, especially if you live in the far north, but in reality it is neither difficult nor expensive to do.
Chickens, like most animals, do much better in the cold than in the heat, but will appreciate and benefit from a little extra care when the cold winter months arrive.
Interesting enough,heating your homeis not one of the things I recommend.
Every winter, heat lamps in chicken farms are the cause of many completely avoidable – and heartbreaking – farm fires.
In addition to the fire risk, if you heat your coop and then lose power, your chickens will not have been able to gradually acclimatize to the cold, and if their heat source is suddenly removed, they could freeze to death.
So why not rely on some old-fashioned ways to help your chickens get through the cold months?
Here are five simple, inexpensive ways to make your chickens more comfortable this winter.
Hay bales
Straw is my favorite choice for coop bedding, especially in the winter. The hollow shafts in the straw catcher retain warm air, effectively insulating your farm floor.
A layer of straw up to thirty centimeters deep will keep your chickens warmer at night. Likewise, straw bales stacked along the interior walls of the yard provide natural insulation and absorb some of the dead air space.
In the spring you can use the straw in your garden as mulch, or as ground cover during the spring and summer.
Straw spread along shoveled paths in your garden or chicken coop can also help entice your flock to get outside on nice, sunny winter days for some exercise and fresh air.
Cooperative ventilation
Many chicken keepers have a natural tendency to want to close all the windows and vents in their coop when the winter winds start to blow. But it's counterproductive.
Ammonia fumes from chicken manure build up in the garden and can cause breathing and eye problems if they cannot escape.
Also,frostbite(which focuses on the chickens' combs, combs and feet) is caused more by moisture in the air than the cold itself, so it is very important to have good airflow in your house all year round.
In winter, the open vents should be placed high in the coop, well above your chickens' heads when roosting, for maximum efficiency, and of course covered with ½” welding wire to prevent even the smallest predators from gaining access to the coop.
A lower air flow causes a draughtwhich are not beneficial, so any windows or small openings located lower in the walls can be closed for the winter.
Windblok
Placing a windbreak in a sunny corner of your run will also encourage your chickens to spend more time outside. Fresh air and sun are good for them, so anything you can do to create a place where they can get out of the wind and stay a little warmer is a good idea.
Wrap a corner of your run with a tarpor a piece of heavy plastic, or use plywood sheets to create an area protected from the worst of the wind.
Protect those feet
Chickens are covered in beautiful, warm, soft down feathers, but their bare feet can get cold in winter. Try spreading some straw on the ground over the snow and ice to attract your chickens outside in the winter.
Set up some logs or stumps, outdoor rest areas made of branches or even a ladder or bench for them to sit on to get off the cold ground.
Delicacies with a high fat and energy content
In winter, offering treats packed with good fats will help keep them warm. Throw some out just before sunsetscratch grains, cracked corn, peanuts or other unsalted nuts for your chickens. Their bodies will generate heat all night as they digest the energy-rich treats.
Homemade kidney piesMade with shortening, nuts and raisins are also good winter treats.
With these few simple tricks, your chickens will get through the winter without any problems... and without the heat!
