Chickens handle cold weather better then hot weather, but that doesn’t seem to make winter chicken keeping any easier. I still fret and worry over my feathered friends staying warm and providing them with their basic needs of food and water. However, I can help my flock winter smoothly by planning ahead and preparing properly. I do several things each fall to get my chicken coop ready for the winter months. These 6 tips for winterizing the chicken coop will help you and your flock be ready for when the snowflakes fly!

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#1. Heated Water

Water is a necessity in order for chickens to survive and it is important that your chickens have a fresh supply of water even when the temperatures dip below freezing. The two ways that I use to keep my flock’s water from freezing are:

• a heated water base
• heated dog dishes

I use the heated water base in my chicken coop during the winter to keep the plastic water founts from freezing. My heated water base sits on some wooden blocks and plugs into an electrical outlet in my coop. I place the water founts on the base which keeps the water from freezing. The heated water base that I use is thermostatically controlled so it turns on when needed. I also use heated pet bowls for my pigeons and for my chickens’ enclosure water. These work great too, however, they do allow the water to get a little dirtier since they are more open to the air.

Both of these methods require electricity in your coop. All electrical outlets must be properly installed. Extension cords should not be used in the chicken coop! This also means that the water will freeze if the electricity goes out for a long period of time.

There are many other ways to keep your flock’s water from freezing during the winter, and some don’t require electricity! Learn all the tips and tricks in our new ebook, Winter Chicken Keeping, which can be found in The Trading Post!

Reminder-

You do not need to heat the coop! Chickens are able to keep themselves warm. If you are worried about eggs freezing then just remember to check frequently on very cold days. An egg is a few degrees cooler than a hen’s body temperature (105-107 degrees F) so it should not freeze too quickly after it has been laid.

If you do find a frozen egg, just let it unthaw at room temperature and then put it in the fridge. If the shell is cracked though, you may not want to eat it, but you can cook it up and give it to your hens!

#2. Ventilation

It is necessary to keep good ventilation in the coop. Good ventilation will keep the air from becoming too moisture laden.  Moisture causes frostbite to develop on combs, wattles, and toes of chickens.  You can tell if the air in your coop is moisture laden by looking for little, white crystals that will form on windows and doors. Ventilation will also help circulate air through the coop and keep it from becoming smelly. Good ventilation is important, but make sure you don’t have any drafts coming into the coop.

I try and keep good ventilation by covering portions of my windows with plexiglass. Another great way to regulate ventilation is to have hinged window covers. You can then prop the window open as much as you like depending on the weather.

Remove sources of moisture, such as water, droppings, and wet bedding. If you can’t keep your flock’s water outside, then try to minimize the amount of water surface that is open. Nipple water systems and bell waterers are good to use during the winter, however, they are harder to keep unfrozen. Cleaning up wet litter and droppings as soon as possible will help reduce the moisture in the air and help keep the coop smelling nice.

#3. Extra Light

There are mixed feelings in the chicken world about adding supplemental light when the daylight decreases. Hens need 14-16 hours of light a day in order to lay eggs. As daylight decreases, hens will stop laying because they are not getting the correct amount of light. A hen needs a natural break from laying eggs each year to keep her in good health and laying longer. I use a supplemental light during the winter, however, the decision is up to you.

I turn on extra light only after all my hens have finished their fall molt. The hens need to put all their energy into growing back new feathers for the winter and usually do not lay during their molt. The extra light should be added gradually. If the extra light is added suddenly, it could stress the hens out. That could cause them to go into another molt and stop laying again!

Recommendation-

I use LED rope lights in my coop, which provide a soft light each morning for my hens to wake up to. I start by waking them up at 7:00am and gradually work up to 5:00 am, making sure that there is 16 hours of light between when they wake up and when they go to roost. To save on electricity I set my LED lights on a timer so that I can have them automatically turn off once the sun comes up.

#4. Sheltered Enclosure

I have noticed throughout my years of chicken keeping, that some chickens don’t mind walking through the snow while other absolutely despise it. Making sure your flock has plenty of space to exercise even during the snowy months is important.

Make sure at least a portion of your enclosure is covered. I also like to set up a wind and snow block on the north side of my chicken’s enclosure. I staple white plastic over the chicken wire of the enclosure, this keeps the snow from blowing in and provides some wind block.

Surrounding the entire enclosure with a wind block is also beneficial for preventing frostbite, conserving heat, and providing shelter. If you do surround your entire enclosure make sure there is still plenty of air flow and ventilation. Also, make sure the enclosure is not too dark. Sunlight is important for your flock’s health and happiness throughout the winter. Don’t surround the enclosure with a dark or black material, the dark material could cause the enclosure to heat up too much when the sun is out.

#5. Use Straw

Every winter I put straw down in my chicken’s enclosure. It provides a great boredom buster, helps keep the enclosure clean during the winter, and actually generates some heat through the composting process.

I like to create a deep litter using straw in my flock’s enclosure. The deep litter method should only be used if you are willing to do it properly. Deep litter that is not managed properly will allow harmful ammonia fumes to build up in the enclosure. However, if you put the effort into doing the deep litter method properly, it can help insulate your chicken coop and enclosure which will help keep your flock warm during the winter. I cover how to do the deep litter method in my book, Winter Chicken Keeping.

Even if you don’t use the deep litter method, you can still provide your flock with entertaining straw flakes to sort through. I always put straw in my flock’s enclosure every winter for entertainment and insulation. When using straw you will want to keep an eye out for these things:

• bugs- get straw from a reliable source so that you know it won’t have bugs or parasites in it
• straw mats- when straw gets wet, gathers droppings, or gets walked over a lot it will form disgusting straw mats, to prevent straw mats, rake and turn the straw regularly, remove any straw mats that form immediately
• chickens eating a lot of straw- straw can cause impacted crop when consumed in large quantities, however, under normal circumstances your chickens will only sort through the straw and consume any seeds or hulls they find, make sure your flock has access to grit to help them digest what they eat

#6. Decorate!

Ok, so maybe this last tip isn’t necessarily essential, but it is fun! Here are a few fun ideas that I do to decorate my coop:

• Small pine trees- I place a small pine tree in my chicken’s enclosure. Not only does it look pretty but it also provides entertainment for my flock. Chickens like to eat pine needles, but only the long ones, not the short prickly kind.
• Garland- Feel free to make a garland for your chickens out of popcorn and cranberries. However, do not use thin or weak string! String can break easily and entangle or strangle your chickens!
• Wreaths- You can decorate with both real wreaths and edible wreaths. Edible wreaths can contain seeds, nuts, and berries for your flock to enjoy!
• Stockings- Our chickens are spoiled because they each have their own little stocking. Each stocking has a name tag with the chicken’s name on it. We hang their stockings out at the coop so they can see them and on Christmas day we make them a special treat such as a mealworm mix or popcorn.

One other fun thing that we like to do with our chickens is take them on sled rides in the woods! We have a few special hens who seem to enjoy being wrapped up in a blanket and going for a ride! My Buff Oprington hen, Flint, was the best ever at sled riding!

Specific sled riding guidelines can be found in the Winter Chicken Keeping ebook as well.

Ready for Winter?

Hopefully these 6 winterizing the chicken coop tips will help you prepare for the cold months properly and keep your flock happy and healthy! By planning ahead and preparing properly your flock should weather the colder months easily. Once you have prepared for the cold weather, be sure to check out my other post on 8 Winter Chicken Keeping Tips for ideas on how to keep your flock happy throughout the winter! You can also check out my post on How to Keep your Flock Warm this Winter for ideas on how to help your flock conserve heat!

Lastly, don’t forget to grab your copy of Winter Chicken Keeping from the Trading Post! It covers everything you need to know about keeping your homestead flock happy and healthy all winter long!

by Alexa

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