14 Tips To Help Your Flock In Wild Winter Weather
Sometimes a winter season with backyard chickens can be filled with challenges due to fluctuating weather and temperatures. Unseasonably warm spells bring with them melt, moisture, and mass about amounts of mud. Things like sudden harsh freezes, prolonged time in confinement, lack of nutritional diversity, cramped and unsanitary conditions, and the lingering impact of molting season can all put stress on your chickens’ body, weakening their natural immunity and leaving them more vulnerable to pests, ailments, disease, and even behavioral issues. Humans aren’t the only animals that can feel claustrophobic when they’re stuck inside in the winter! Luckily there are many simple, practical, affordable things you can do to boost your flocks’ comfort, health, and natural resilience.
Become a weather nerd. In most cases even the most unpredictable winter storms are known about at few days ahead of time. Follow weather programming or use weather apps that help you stay informed about what’s happening in your region. Farmer magazines printed annually also can offer data and trends to help you plan for the weather extremes that are expected in your region. Connect with other chicken tenders in your local community and share time tested seasonal tips.
Plan for power and utility outages. Winter storms can mean interruptions utility services and sometimes impassable roads that will be unsafe to travel for a few days at a time. When severe weather is predicted top off your chicken waters and food dispensers. This helps ensure your flock will have what they need to thrive in case severe weather or other circumstances create a pause in care. It’s important to see to the needs of the livestock in your care regardless of the weather conditions however emergency situations may delay resuming normal care chores. The more you can do ahead of time to create less maintenance for yourself during bouts of severe weather, the better.
Help your flock escape the elements. If chicken feathers become wet, they are ineffective at helping your flock to stay warm. Keep your chickens dry with a leak-free roof and winter walls with a small gap at the top to allow moist soiled air to escape and to allow fresh air to flow through your chicken area. Chickens need ventilation, air moving above their level and the highest level that they roost, not draft, which is cold wind or precipitation blowing directly onto them. The saying goes, “Keep your chickens dry and your ventilation high.” You can construct a roof from things like a tarp, metal roofing, or plywood. You can construct winter walls from things like a tarp, wood scraps, plywood, or stacked straw bales. Keep in mind that straw bales will biodegrade and will eventually become home to pests like rodents and snakes so be sure to replace them in a timely manner.
Use unseasonally warm bursts to do a spot clean. Don’t wait till spring to clean your chicken facilities! Daily maintenance can be done even in the wintertime. A random 50 degree F in the middle of a cold month allows you to do even more! Anytime the low temperatures will not exceed 35 degrees F is a chance to do a thorough cleaning of your chicken facilities. Scrap perches and roosts with your dedicated scraper. Refresh nesting boxes. Refresh your cover litter. Wipe down dusty lateral surfaces. If you’re able to, you can also clean things like your food and water dispensers and any toys or other accessories. Every moment spent removing droppings and grime improves your flocks’ health, productivity, and natural immunity. If your flock is able to graze outside for even part of the day, the chance to stretch their legs and roam will be a welcome relief. Air out your coop and run if possible on warm days.
Invest in extra ground cover litter. Whatever your chosen ground cover is (example pine shavings, course sand) have extra ground cover on hand. Excess moisture, excess droppings and unchecked muddy conditions exacerbate and cause conditions like ammonia toxicity, respiratory illness, frostbite, and can even heighten behavioral issues like aggression and feather pecking. When the weather is all over the place you will use my ground cover litter than you do in warmer, more predictable months. You can use natural products like Grubterra’s Coop Refresher or Eaton Pet & Pasture’s Revitalime to get some extra life from old cover litter until it can be replaced. No product, however amazing is a replacement for proper timely maintenance.
Prioritize good nutrition. Many members of your flock may still be coping with the lingering impact of their fall season molt. Harsh temperatures mean your flock will be eating more and burning more calories just to survive even when kept in clean, well-maintained housing. Providing a high protein blend like all-flock and using high protein treats like meal worms or fly larvae helps your flock replace damaged feathers. Cooked meats and table scraps when given in moderation (3 times per week) can also be enrichment and provide additional nutrition to your flock. Not all scraps are safe for chickens. Don’t feed your flock alcohol, caffeine, energy supplements, diet or sugar free substances, highly processed foods, chocolate, uncooked oats, uncooked beans, uncooked rice, or avocado as these things are toxic to chickens and could harm your flock or worse. You can feed your flock their own scrambled eggs but be sure that you don’t feed your flock eggs that are still recognizably in egg shape. I process any eggs I feed to my flock with a food processor and mix them with regular feed. You can also shred scrambled eggs with a set of forks. Never crack an egg on the ground to feed your chickens, that is quite literally *teaching them egg eating behavior! Eggs are safe to feed cooked to your chickens as long as they don’t LOOK like eggs when you feed them. You can also add a poultry safe vitamin supplement to one of your water dispensers or offer it in a free choice livestock dish. Note when using any supplement for your flock always offer it alongside fresh, plain water not as a substitute. Some flock members will inevitably choose not to drink the supplement and dehydration can cause a myriad of serious health problems. Natural herbs like lemon balm, mint, oregano, thyme, rosemary, and cayenne can all be added to your chicken feed in moderation for their immune supporting qualities. Not all herbs are safe for chickens. Use any herbs or feed augmentation in moderation and discontinue if your flock shows any adverse reaction.
Use warm grains. “Warm grains” refers to a practice, it doesn’t necessarily mean you have to feed your flock a specific kind of treat to help keep them warm at night. Any filling treat fed shortly before they roost for the evening, even just an extra portion of their regular feed, helps their bodies stay naturally warmer over night as their metabolism works to process the food. Traditional warm grains include things like a scratch grain blend or cracked corn. Grains are deficient in protein and calcium so think of them like the marshmallows in breakfast cereal. Your flock will absolutely love them, but they lack a lot of the healthy stuff that their bodies need to function properly. Signs you’re feeding too many grains include things like soft or deformed egg shells, egg binding, and poor feather regrowth. In order to avoid feeding too many grain portions limit warm grains like other treats (no more than 3 times per week) and use it on the nights when you’re expecting the coldest temperatures of the most drastic temperature drops (an excess of 20 degrees or more change in a 24 hour period).
Make sure your flock has access to grit and a calcium supplement like oyster shell. If you flock is allowed to graze fresh, new pasture areas daily these supplements may not be necessary. However if your backyard flock is like most and is living in partial or fulltime confinement these supplements are essential to ensure proper digestion, prevent conditions like sour crop and impacted crop, and support strong eggshells. These supplements are inexpensive and can be offered in a dispenser or a free choice livestock safe dish.
Don’t skimp on enrichment. Chicken enrichment doesn’t have to be expensive to be effective. Boredom can cause poor productivity and aggression in chickens and other behavioral problems like self-plucking and feather pecking. A chicken bath, extra perches and roosts, a homemade flock block, treats, a puzzle treat box made from a cardboard box, sturdy parrot toys, a chicken swing, a ramp, or any chicken safe objects can all help keep your flock engaged and diminish aggressive behavior. Chicken enrichment is especially vital for flocks living in partial or fulltime confinement.
Give your flock chances to get up off the ground. The cold wet ground is where frostbite starts. Perches and roosts give your flock a chance to cover their sensitive feet with their nice warm feathers. Perches don’t have to be expensive, just safe. 2x4s placed with the 4 inch flat side down, natural branches at least 3 inches in diameter, old stumps, wood scraps, even thrifted items like an old shelf or chair can all be adapted to be perches for your flock. Sand down and remove any protrusions on items you intend to use as perches to prevent conditions like bumblefoot (an infected laceration on your chickens’ foot that causes lameness). Vary the heights and locations to give your flock options. Note, perches should be wood. Materials like plastic and metal get too cold in severe winter conditions and are too slick for your chickens to grip properly. Dowl rods and broom handles are too thin and small to make proper chicken perches for standard size chickens. These can cause foot and muscle strains, bumblefoot, and lameness.
If you feel supplemental heat is needed, use a livestock safe heater designed to be used in a coop, not a brooder bulb. Brooder bulbs are intended for brooders, not coops. Brooder bulbs quickly become encrusted with dust and cause coop fires. The vast majority of chicken breeds if their housing is clean and dry don’t require supplemental heat. The exceptions to this would be elderly chickens, baby chicks, or ornamental breeds. Build your flock with breeds designed to thrive in the weather extremes of your region. If you do feel a heater is needed opt for a safe option like a wall mounted panel heater designed to be used outdoors.
Invest in predator proofing. Predators will be driven by desperation and starvation to explore your chicken area. Hardware cloth offers your flock the best protection from predators. If you can’t afford hardware cloth for your whole chicken facility fortify your coop as your chickens are most vulnerable when they’re roosted at night. Natural animal safe pest deterrent spray and scent balls, motion lights, yard fascinators, predator decoys, clean facilities, your human presence, a livestock guardian dog, good fencing, intentional landscaping, and storing your feed in animal proof containers at night can all make your chicken area less appealing to predators. Remember not all predators are wildlife. Unmonitored domestic animals like stray dogs and cats can also be a very real threat to your flock.
Only move a chicken to alternate housing or indoors if it’s medically necessary. Chickens can perish from temperature shock if they are moved in or out of environments varying more than 20 degrees in difference. Seperating a chicken from the flock for isolation comes with a variety of responsibilities including meeting their needs in isolation and planning to reacclimate them back to the flock. If you find it unavoidable to move a member of your flock indoors, transition them slowly. You can utilize a garage or a covered porch for this. Remember when they are ready to go back outside to choose the best weather conditions you can once again, transition them slowly to allow their bodies to adjust. Remember chickens are livestock animals and are intended to live life outdoors. As long as they have properly sized, safe, clean housing and their basic needs are being met they can thrive in even very harsh winter conditions. Your region’s weather extremes, your facilities, your cleaning routines, your flock nutrition, your flocks’ breed(s), and their overall health will impact their ability to thrive in the winter season.
Take care of yourself so you can take better care of your flock. Winter comes with challenges like bitter cold and harsh wind. Seasonal cold and flu, dry hands, and aches are all predictable winter challenges. Do what you can to nurture your own health, so you’re better mentally and physically equipped to see to the needs of your flock no matter what winter has in store. And remember, spring will come again.
I hope you enjoyed these tips to help your flock thrive in unpredictable winter conditions. For more backyard chicken and homesteading content check out Chuck’s other social media linked below.
Chuck and the Chicks 