Cold weather preparations
With all of the cold weather moving in the last few weeks, the volume of "how do I prepare my chickens for cold weather" posts on the forums are increasing.
There is no one correct answer. There's many correct answers. There's also tons of terrible advice.
What people need to remember is that every region has different levels of needs as far as the comfort of their flock. For example: Someone in Northern Minnesota with temperatures in the negatives most of their winter will need a better insulated coop than someone in Texas who rarely sees freezing range temperatures. I don't even wrap my coops in the winter time. They are open air coops with three sides exposed to the elements. My main worry here is heat, not cold.
The added risks of adding lights to warm your chickens up out weigh the risks of letting them ride out the winter huddling together to stay warm. Chicken coops catch on fire, you use the wrong bulb and suffocate your birds, your power goes out and your birds are used to the heat, the list goes on and on. Beware of Teflon bulbs. Ensure that if you do decide to supplement heat, you use animal friendly bulbs that do not have Teflon. Teflon burns off toxic fumes and can kill your entire flock out overnight. I personally do not recommend supplemental heat. You could burn down your chicken coop. You could suffocate your entire flock by adding the wrong bulb. Your power could go out and now your chickens, used to it being warm and toasty in their coop, will die overnight because they have not built up a proper winter coat or tolerance to the cold.
Chickens do not need supplemental heat. They have plenty of insulation to keep them warm and will huddle together when they get chilly. Adding extra layers of bedding to insulate and keeping the runs dry and free of water / snow are great ways to keep your flock healthy during these winter months. Your flock molts twice a year: Once in the spring and once at the end of fall. These molts are essential to a healthy winter coat. Doubling their protein during these times will help their feathers grow in faster, but it will not cause them to magically start laying eggs again. The body is going to naturally push all of that extra protein to the feather follicles and forego the egg laying process during this time. This pre-winter molt is typically when birds put on their added feathers to keep them layered and warm through the winter.
Chickens expel a lot of water in their breath. In the winter, in an under ventilated coop, this creates frost inside. Frost = frost bite. Frost bite on combs and wattles is not caused by water getting on the comb. If that were the case millions of birds every year hopping around in the snow would lose their feet. Your neighborhood cardinal would lose his legs every winter. Frost bite is caused when there's improper ventilation. "Well how do I know when there's enough ventilation?" Typical rule of thumb is about 1sqft of ventilation to every 10sqft. This doesn't need to all be in one place. There needs to be an airflow in your coop. Have some vents down low and some up high, it creates good circulation. A breeze isn't always circulation. In the winter poultry will spend a majority of their day in the comfort of their 'warm' coop out o the elements when you live in snowy areas. They want to stay warm. They want to huddle together where the elements cant reach them. If you find water condensation on the walls of your coop, you need more ventilation. I repeat: Chickens emit water when they breath. If they spend a majority of their day in the coop that water needs somewhere to go. No ventilation = water vapor = frost = frost bite.
Another concern during the winter is water. Ensure your birds are drinking plenty of water! If their water is frozen, they aren't going to be able to drink it. Provide fresh food and water at all times for your flock to maintain a healthy weight. Cold weather burns calories folks.
So: While some of us need triple insulated chicken coops with triple layered bedding, some of us may not even have to change our patterns. Watch your flock, use common sense, and your birds will be fine.
Happy hatching,
Kate
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