If you are entering the first winter with your chickens, you might be concerned about their safety. Chickens are hardy birds, but if you don’t take the proper measures, some will stop laying eggs, while others can become sick and die if the illness is caught too late. That has led many people to wonder how to protect chickens from the cold weather.
Protecting your chickens from cold weather is vital to keeping them healthy. Some ways include adding insulation to the coop, minimizing cold drafts, ensuring proper ventilation, and ensuring they have roosts that are not directly on the ground so they can stay warm during the cold nights.
There are many methods and ways to keep your chickens safe and warm during winter. A few people still use heat lamps, but most experts agree that it is unsafe to do so and suggest alternative ways of protecting your chickens in the winter. We will discuss these measures in further detail in the sections below.
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How To Protect Chickens From Cold Weather
When the winter is upon you, you know that the time has come to get the chicken coop ready for the cold winter weather. Chickens are robust birds; they can become sick if you don’t take preventive measures in the winter.
Chickens exposed to the cold elements are likely to stop laying eggs for long periods; others who are weak or have a weakened immune system will become sicker during the cold months. These chickens can spread the sickness, and your entire flock might soon be compromised. That can also mean if it is not caught early, the infected chickens can die.
The best way to stop this from happening is to take preventative measures. These measures are easy to incorporate and won’t cost you too much. Be careful of any electrical heaters and heating lamps as they are unsafe to use in chicken coops.
You need to take preventive steps to ensure your chickens are safe, and we will look at each step in greater detail:
Prevent Cold Drafts From Getting Into The Chicken Coop
The one thing that can take away even the coziest warm air in a chicken coop is a cold draft. Look for gaps, holes, or broken pieces of wood and put a piece of plywood over it so there aren’t too many drafts coming into the coop. Keep the coop vent open; we will look at this in the section below.
Ensure Proper Ventilation
While you need to prevent unwanted cold drafts from getting into the coop, you should ensure the coop has proper ventilation. Ventilation (proper airflow) helps keep moisture from building up in the coop. So ensure there is a proper vent in your chicken coop and that it is open and working properly.
Vents should be placed high and towards the roof of the coop where they won’t be able to blow cold wind directly onto your chickens. The warm, humid air will be replaced by dry, slightly colder air, which helps prevent mold and mildew from growing on your chicken’s bedding and floor.
Add Extra Insulation To The Coop
While chickens have a natural body temperature between 105-109°F, you can add some insulation if the temperatures get too cold. You can add a thick layer of pine shavings, hay on the coop floor, or bales of hay around the coop (on the outside) to keep the heat from escaping.
Proper Roosts For Your Chickens
Roosts are a given for chickens, but many people don’t consider that the roost should not be directly on the ground. The cold and moisture from the ground can seep into the floor and your chickens’ roost. Most chicken farmers and experts agree that the ideal height for a roost should be at least 1 ½ – 2 feet off the ground.
With chickens, there is warmth in numbers, so ensure you have roosts that allow for more than one chicken in the winter months. You can do this by nailing two or three pieces of 2×4 together and using it (in the horizontal position) and up off the ground for the chickens to huddle together.
Use The Deep Litter Method To Keep Them Warm
The deep litter method is a popular way to keep chickens warm and keep the humidity and moisture to a minimum in chicken coops. This method is when you don’t clean the dirty dropping, old pine shavings, and hay from the floor.
You add a fresh layer of shavings and hay on the floor over the old shavings and hay. Over time the layer will form a compost layer underneath the top layer of flooring. Good microbes will begin to feed off and eliminate the bad bacteria. It helps insulate the floor, keeps mites and lice at bay, and is a more natural (and easier) way of handling chicken waste.
Remember that this method only works if it is properly managed. If not, it can cause unhealthy levels of moisture and humidity that will make your chickens sick.
Provide A Protected Outdoor Space
Keeping your chickens active and healthy means giving them enough indoor and outdoor space. You can provide a protected and warm outdoor space to play and be active. That way, they get more fresh air and give the air in the coop time to dry out.
- You can add see-through plastic sheets or tarps to their regular run as a roof to keep the sun shining through,
- You can create a makeshift greenhouse by adding plastic to the sides of the outdoor area,
- Add hay and shavings to the flooring so they don’t have to walk directly on the cold ground, and add hay bales to the sides of the run so they can jump up if they feel cold.
Conclusion
Ensuring your chickens are well looked after in the cold winter months is essential to keeping them healthy. They need a warm indoor and outdoor space to stay healthy and active in the cold months. Be careful not to use heaters or heat lamps as they can cause fires and are not recommended to protect chickens from the cold.
