Winter is here in full force right now. We are buried under snow and the bitter cold has been a real issue this season. Luckily, chickens and ducks are very cold hardy and can survive this weather just fine! I’m sure they are anxiously awaiting warmer weather, but our birds have become accustomed to cold winters. Here in northern Wisconsin we experience several weeks of below zero temperatures, very cold wind chills (-30 to -40 degrees Fahrenheit), and mountains of snow. There are some accommodations we have made for our birds, a few things we avoid, and a couple of things we do just to make life a little easier for us all. So if you are looking at ordering some spring chicks, but have some concerns about your local weather, this post is for you.
The most important step is building a coop that can protect your birds. Even in the extreme cold, a coop needs to have ventilation and air flow. Keeping the coop air tight will actually cause more harm than good because humidity can cause problems in the stagnant air. The chickens also need a safe place to roost. Our birds like to huddle together on the roost, which is made with a 2×4 so they can sit their bellies on their feet. With a wide and flat roost, the chickens can easily keep their feet warm. If you use a round roosting pole, their toes wrap to the underside of the roost which will cause them to be unprotected.
In the winter you can expect your egg production to drop drastically, especially if you have older birds. We like to get a few new birds every spring because they will begin laying in the fall and typically lay through their first winter. When selecting chicken breeds, it is important to pick heavier cold hardy breeds, preferably with small combs to reduce frostbite risk. (If you are concerned about frostbite on combs, Vaseline can be applied to reduce that risk.) These heavy breeds will consume more feed but they will help keep themselves and each other warm. Your feed bill is going to be high in the winter anyways with reduced foraging opportunities. While you are ordering spring chicks, add a few ducks! The ducks keep the snow packed down and encourage the chickens to go outside, even in a snowy run. They are also good winter layers.
A heated waterer is a must if temperatures will drop below freezing. We plug ours in once it starts freezing at night and keep it going until spring. The chickens and ducks must have access to water at all times. There are a few ways to DIY a heated waterer, but if it is going to get bitterly cold I recommend buying one that plugs in. You might have to clear ice out of it occasionally if temperatures dip below zero, because these are only rated down to 0 degrees Fahrenheit. We also like to give our chickens and ducks some warm oatmeal after a particularly cold night.
We have been able to avoid heating our coop with the exception of just a few days this year. Heating a coop has a big fire risk and it happens more often than you would think. A dusty coop + heat is just not a great idea if it can be avoided. I will admit though, when we had -50 degree wind chills a few weeks back I got nervous enough to add a heat lamp. Our birds have done perfectly fine in -30 degree temperatures. Heating your coop is a highly debated topic, but in our experience it just isn’t necessary.
We try to keep our chicken work on the easy side during winter. Keeping chickens in the winter is really as easy as feeding and watering. We have had to shovel off the roof this year with as much snow as we have gotten, but coop all other maintenance will wait until spring. We even use the deep litter method rather than scooping out the coop during the cold months. We keep adding bedding on top of the soiled bedding and stir it up when it is possible. In the spring we do a deep cleaning on the coop.
Don’t let winter keep you from getting chickens. It is absolutely possible to keep them in the cold. Our chickens are happy, healthy, and awaiting spring. Meanwhile, I’m anxiously awaiting the first spring egg while our chickens are on a boycott from this bitter cold. Come on, spring!
