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When temperatures are extreme, it is important that your poultry stay healthy. A little extra time before the wind turns icy can save a lot of damage and possible deaths to your backyard flock.
Chickens are much tougher than they may appear and only need a little extra care for winter months. The heat can actually be more damaging to their health than the cold. The same is true for ducks and geese. After all, these birds survived centuries without interference from humans. Of course, our backyard birds are more of a concern to us than those that came before them.
What can go wrong with chickens in the winter? Frostbite is the number one concern. The combs, wattles and feet are susceptible to frostbite in extreme weather. A rooster whose comb freezes is not only in a lot of pain but may also be less fertile. Poultry owners may choose dubbing as a preventive measure for their chickens. I have personally never done this with any of my chickens and before it is attempted, the owner should be certain they know what they are doing so as not to harm the birds.. The Cajun Yankee has a good tutorial for those that may want to try it. For the rest of us here are a few simple steps to prevent frostbite in chickens.
The Coop and Chicken Yard The chicken coop, or house, should be tight enough to keep the icy wind from blowing through the walls. It should have wire-covered windows (holes cut in the walls covered by strong wire) which can be opened on milder days for air circulation. One way to determine whether or not your coop is tight enough is to go inside, shut the door and squat down. While in this position you can feel any drafts, which may be affecting your chickens. If you feel it, they are definitely feeling it.
In the coldest climates, you may need to install insulation in the chicken coop. To keep birds warm through the coldest months of winter, an electric heater with a thermostat set to come on when temperatures fall below 35° F may be mounted high on the wall. Make certain there are no wires within reach of chickens. As any chicken owner knows, they will peck at anything new and electric wires; including extension cords, should be kept out of their reach.
Wood should be used for roosts and should never be made of metal poles or plastic. Wood roosts will help to keep their feet warm whereas metal or plastic will stay cold all the time and cause their feet to become too cold. Imagine stepping on a sheet of tin with your bare feet in the winter and then having to remain there for hours.
Some sort of litter should be used in the coop such as straw. This will also help by keeping their feet off the frozen ground while they scratch around during the day. Keeping the straw clean is extremely important. Check it daily, rake out and replace when it becomes soiled or wet. This is very important because the lack of ventilation within the coop and the smell of ammonia given off by their droppings collecting in the straw will make them sick. Also, wet straw will freeze and they will be walking on ice.
If snow collects in the chicken yard, shovel it out so birds will be able to walk around without sinking in the snow. They will go into the yard during the day if a door is opened in the coop from which they can come and go. They prefer to be outside during the day, even in very cold weather. Check to make sure the door is closed at night to prevent cold winds from blowing through the coop while they are roosting. This should also be done the rest of the year to keep critters out at night.
Water, Food and Eggs Chickens need fresh clean water in the winter just as they do in the summer. To prevent water from freezing in the coldest climates you may want to invest in a heated bowl that can be purchased from feed and hardware stores. A rubber dish can be used which will expand when ice forms and will not break like plastic. Water will freeze more quickly in metal containers. It is very important to check water containers several times a day when temperatures are at their lowest because ice will form on top and chickens may not be able to break it.
Feed a well-balanced pellet feed and scratch grain in the winter for healthy birds. A little grit is given to help break up the pellets in their gizzards. Adding vegetable peelings, greens and cooked vegetables will also help. Chickens need more feed in the winter to keep their body heat up. By varying their diet, they will receive the protein and calcium needed to raise their body heat and also keep the hens laying.
Rooster in snow by Kevin Connors of Morgue File
Homemade chicken feed by Xandert of Morgue File
Eggs in nest by xpSquid of Morgue File
If the production of eggs is a concern during winter, make sure hens get plenty of sunshine or a vitamin D supplement. *This supplement can be found in commercial feeds. Hanging a light bulb in the nesting area to extend the ‘daylight' hours to fourteen will entice the hens to lay more eggs. A sixty-watt light bulb is sufficient for this purpose. Remember to keep hay/straw clean and dry in laying nests.
Other Backyard Poultry Other birds such as turkeys, pheasants and quail need the same care in winter as chickens. Keep their shelters dry and warm. Add plenty of hay or straw to their bedding areas. Quail and pheasant housing may be much smaller than chicken and turkey housing. Adding extra hay gives the little birds plenty of insulation from the cold.
Care of Waterfowl Ducks and geese prefer to be outside all the time. In fact, they do not like being closed up at all and will more than likely not go into a shelter without being coaxed into it, no matter what the weather is like. Ducks can be seen swimming in ponds around the ice which floats on top in the winter.
Housing A windbreak with a roof can be built against the back of a barn or even the chicken coop. Straw should be placed on the floor of shelter and--like chicken coops--it should be changed regularly to keep it clean. The shelter does not need to be very large because ducks like to huddle together to stay warm. They will all be in one very small space no matter how large the shelter is. Smaller is better as they will not stay inside except on the most severe days of winter. If using a large space to shelter waterfowl, try building a smaller box for them to go into within the space.
The exception may be for ducklings as they cannot regulate their body temperature and may need to be brought into a garage, cellar or heated barn during freezing weather.
Feed and Water Your ducks and geese will eat more in the winter to help keep their body temperatures up, so be prepared to supply them with a good quality grain through the winter.
Geese in snow by Raywal of Morgue File
Ducks in winter pond by A-woj of Morgue File
Ducks in winter pond by A-woj
Like chickens, waterfowl should have an ample supply of fresh clean water at all times. They should also have access to a pond for swimming. They will swim in the coldest of climates throughout the season. In northern climates where ponds freeze several inches or more deep and it cannot be broken for waterfowl to swim, try setting up a kid's pool with a recirculating pump to keep water from freezing. Your waterfowl will love you for it.
Take the time to keep your backyard poultry happy and healthy and they will reward you with eggs, meat and companionship for years to come.
I'm a native Floridian...feet planted in the shifting sands of northwest FL. but my heart strings are tightly knotted to the hills of Tennessee.
I live with my poodle, Minnie Pearl, Zsa Zsa the cat who runs the whole show and a new addition, Kitty Belle.
I'm a writer, gardener, quilter, cross stitcher, soapmaker and nature lover. Mother to 3 wonderful daughters & Nana to 6 perfect grandchildren.
I also write for Suite101.com and was promoted to Feature Writer in the vegetable gardens section in 2008.
Posted by jjconcepts (from Milford, CT) on March 02, 2009 at 10:29 AM:
I am new to chickens, in fact I pick up my first 6 pullets march 26. I have done a lot of research and found that keeping poultry is like keeping an aquarium - several "correct' ways of raising them. As I draw up plans for my first coop, can everyone share some mistakes that I can hopefully avoid making as I jump in. My 10 year old already named our new family members, so the pressure is on! and is there an inexpensive thermostat out that will turn on a light or heater when it gets too cold?
thank you everyone in advance for your help.
-joe-
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Posted by libellule (from Fountain, FL) on March 02, 2009 at 03:36 PM:
I will be building a new chicken pen this month. My climate is very different than yours but I will show the basics in photos and ramblings on my blog (http://gardenwriterlady.blogspot.com/) as I go along.
I've never been big on heaters in a chicken coop but there are many who use them with no problems. I have always used a heat lamp of even a household type light bulb when I felt it was needed for the 'little ones' If there are enough chickens to huddle together in a draft free space, they are usually fine. Their water needs to remain ice free, of course. Busting a hole through the ice on top is usually enough. Of course, you'll need to follow your gut & do what is right for your own coop.
My girls use to name our chickens too. One of them even made them pets, carried them around and tried to bring them in the house when I wasn't looking! What kind of chickens are you going to raise?
Good luck on your new endeavor :)
Jackie
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Subject: my chickens need a little help
Posted by beano1980 (from wexford, Ireland) on January 01, 2009 at 12:57 PM:
i noticed two or three of my hens cant seem to open one of their eyes and move quite slowly could someone tell me how to make them better and how serious this is thanks
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Posted by libellule (from Fountain, FL) on January 04, 2009 at 06:28 PM:
Hi beano1980,
It is hard to diagnose illness in chickens without actually seeing the problem first-hand.
They could simply have a bad cold! It could also be something more serious...I'm sorry that I can not say exactly but if it seems to be something spreading through your flock, you should probably seperate the sick birds from the rest of the flock. Don't forget to clean and sterilize the coop and yard.
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Posted by beano1980 (from wexford, Ireland) on January 11, 2009 at 09:49 AM:
thanks for your message it turned out to just a bad cold
all my hens are back to normal health wise
would you know if i should get a secound rooster if i wanted to start incubating some eggs
i have 40 hens i just want to improve the chance of the eggs being fertilised
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Posted by libellule (from Fountain, FL) on January 11, 2009 at 11:52 AM:
Hi beano,
I'm glad to hear that your birds are back to normal.
As to your rooster question, I can tell you that in my chicken yard I would have one rooster for every 10 to 12 hens if they are large breed chickens. For bantams, one rooster to every 12 to 15 hens.
Good luck!
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Posted by beano1980 (from wexford, Ireland) on January 13, 2009 at 01:40 PM:
thanks libelulle
i will let you know how i get on when i get my new rooster
thanks again for helping me out with what may seem simple question to some but
im only starting out and your help is much appreciated
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Posted by libellule (from Fountain, FL) on January 13, 2009 at 08:04 PM:
You are more than welcome!
Dmail me anytime if you'd like to talk 'chicken' ;)
I look forward to hearing about your new babies.
J
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Posted by AsmallGARDENER (from Burnsville, NC) on May 24, 2009 at 01:41 PM:
These questions a very interesting to me. I became the substitute parent to three chicks without ever intending to raise chickens. My neighbor farmer's wild chickens destroyed my garden last winter (they were hungry- I'll ask more about that another time). Then a hen made a nest in a raised shelter that I kept available for my elderly cats to retreat to in times of trouble. When the chicks were a few days old, the farmers dog killed her. That left me with two chicks to care for. Three weeks later, a bobcat got a hen and all but one chick, so the farmer brought it to me.
Suddenly, I have a flock- now what do I do? The original pair are hen and rooster, now about 7weeks old. I cannot leave the chick with them. Although it is still too early to know for sure, I suspect that the chick is also a rooster.
Will they ever form a peaceful flock or will the roosters always fight?
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Subject: Dubbing...?
Posted by Acemoose (from Arlington, VA) on December 12, 2008 at 04:12 PM:
If you cut it off for the winter, does it all grow back in the spring???
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Posted by libellule (from Fountain, FL) on December 12, 2008 at 09:14 PM:
Acemoose,
Sad to say, at least in my personal opinion it is sad, their body parts do not grow back. :-(
Unless there is damage later in life which is causing or apt to cause life threatening infections, dubbing is most often done when chicks are very young.
Jackie
This message was edited Dec 12, 2008 7:15 PM
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Subject: KEEPING POULTRY HEALTHY IN WINTER
Posted by Frostette (from Wichita, KS) on December 08, 2008 at 01:25 PM:
Good article with lots of common sense information that I've discovered over the years that lots of "backyard chicken owners" don't take the time to do! I've always spoiled my birds rotten and have been rewarded by lots of eggs year round! I've even had other chicken owners buy eggs from me in the winter because their birds stopped laying, ha! I think I follow all Jacqueline's advice - lots of fresh hay on the floor and in the boxes, wood roosts, heated water bowl and a heat lamp (or 2). I even hang nice scenic pictures and throw in a a "new" nest box once in awhile to liven things up - chickens are very curious and always love to investigate and try out new things. So I'll put a milk crate or box of some sort filled with hay in a corner and the girls can't wait to line up and try it out, ha!
Happy chickens!!
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Posted by libellule (from Fountain, FL) on January 04, 2009 at 06:33 PM:
Frostette,
It sounds like your chickens are a spoiled bunch of birds! Lucky, they are.
I find that a lot of things, like keeping poultry, is 'over-thought'. I mean, how in the world did chickens, goats, cows and the like ever survive before we thought up better ways to care for them? ;-)
J
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Subject: Cluk Cluk
Posted by phicks (from Lakeland, FL) on December 03, 2008 at 07:38 PM:
Good Article And Pictures Paul
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Posted by libellule (from Fountain, FL) on December 06, 2008 at 08:37 PM:
Thanks Paul :-)
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Subject: Outstanding!
Posted by nedweenie (from Windsor, CT) on December 03, 2008 at 08:00 AM:
I'm printing & saving for my future poultry days. Thanks!
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Posted by broncbuster (from Waxahachie, TX) on December 03, 2008 at 11:00 AM:
Glad to see a sensible article about poultry care! I like how you reminded readers that there was a time when these birds got along just fine without us. We also must remember that the feathers that cover these birds are designed to insulate and that an undisturbed bird will roost crouched down, covering their feet and tuck their head under a wing. It's always the left wing in my experience....I wonder if it is warmer under the left wing maybe because that is the side that the heart is on? Nice article!
A pic of my Spanish Tom with an Australorp hen behind him.
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Posted by cathy4 (from St. Louis County, MO) on December 03, 2008 at 01:06 PM:
This makes me want to move to where I can have chickens. Maybe someday. Thanks for the information, well presented.
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Posted by libellule (from Fountain, FL) on December 06, 2008 at 08:37 PM:
I'm glad to know y'all found the article useful. Thanks for the great comments.
Nice birds Broncbuster and thanks for that added info. You might have something there concerning the choice of left wing over right! :-)
