Too Cold for the Chickens?

As the temperatures dropped into the single digits and then below zero, I wondered if my chickens would do okay in an uninsulated barn here in Northwest Montana. I looked to the folks in Alaska on the BackyardChickens.com forum for ideas and thoughts on keeping my chickens healthy and warm when it got cold.

Tougher Than You Think

Chickens, I learned, are tougher than one might think. Healthy, adult birds can thrive in even the most vicious weather without heat provided that they have adequate shelter, food, and water. In bygone years before electricity, the chickens on farms only had the heat of themselves and other livestock to keep them warm in their coops. That meant if the temperature dropped to -30 degrees Fahrenheit, they had to deal with it.

Chickens have a wonderful adaptation called feathers that provides remarkable insulation - think the down on a goose, and you'll see what I mean. Chickens actually do worse in hot weather than cold, and may enjoy a snowy winter's day to the sultry days of summer. Wild winter birds handle the weather with ease - and we don't see people knitting little cardigans for them.

The Downside to Coddling

While it may make you feel good to put in a heat lamp to keep your chickens warm, the dangers to your birds increase exponentially. Brooder and heat lamps are a known fire hazard, and coop fires are common. Even if you don't have a coop fire, there's a real chance of losing power during a winter storm, forcing your birds to experience vicious temperatures without any acclimatization. You could lose many of your birds simply by changing the temperatures too rapidly.

What Chickens Need

Chickens need dry, wind-proof housing that will give them adequate ventilation. That means a coop that enables them to get out of the wind, rain and snow but will not allow ammonia build-up from the urine. Deep layers of sawdust or woodchips will provide good opportunities for dust-bathing and keeping warm. Adequate feed with scratch mixed in helps keep the chickens' furnaces going.

Birds need water, which means either hauling hot water to the coop and changing it frequently, or investing in heated waterers or bases to keep the water from freezing. Spreading out scratch will help keep the birds moving, thus producing more energy and heat to keep them warm. Many people recommend using flat perches so they will keep the birds' feathers covering their feet when they nest.

Keep an eye on your birds. If they look huddled and miserable, you'll need to change something pronto. If they're stepping out in the snow and scratching, well, you know they're good. Chicks, of course, need a brooder lamp, but most adults do not. Let your birds be your guide and let them enjoy the winter.

References

Backyardchickens.com

Raising Chickens for Dummies, Kimberly Willis and Rob Ludlow, 2009.