9 Tips Getting Through Extended Cold Snaps With Backyard Chickens
Extended periods of extreme cold can present additional challenges to you and your backyard flock. Here are simple practical tips to make it through long periods of severe winter cold.
Wear proper winter gear when caring for your flock. Part of ensuring your flocks’ safety means seeing to your own safety as well. Wear appropriate safe winter gear when caring for your chickens like a sturdy winter coat, hat, gloves, tall livestock muck boots, and plenty of layers. Take warm breaks inside or perform chores in stages so you aren’t old in the cold for extended periods of time.
Perform daily visual health checks of your flock. When performing cleaning chores or collecting eggs, take a few moments to visually inspect your flock for any concerning behaviors that might require isolation. Remember chickens can die from temperature shock if moved into or out of environments varying more than 20 degrees in temperature so if you decide isolation is medically necessary remember to transition your chicken slowly. Once removed from the flock your chicken will lose their standing in the pecking order so only enact an isolation plan if you deem it is truly necessary and make plans to reintroduce thoughtfully. Concerning signs within your flock may include but are not limited to: penguin posture, isolating and standing alone, refusing to eat or drink or a complete lack of interest in food, extreme lethargy, respiratory distress including gasping, gaping beak, persistent distress noises, signs of blood, extreme feather loss, visible wounds, signs of severe frostbite, or other concerning behaviors.
Eliminate moisture in your chicken area and housing as much as possible. Moisture is the first component to conditions like frostbite which can be harmful or worse to your backyard flock. Reduce and eliminate muddy conditions in your chicken area using a livestock safe ground cover litter like pine flake shavings or course construction sand. Don’t use garden mulch in your chicken area. Mulch contains jagged sharp edges which can cause bumblefoot and harsh chemical dyes which can harm your flock or worse. Always use a livestock safe ground cover litter. Straw while it is an emergency ground cover isn’t recommended for any areas that contain moisture as the straw itself retains a great deal of moisture, mats easily, and can be very difficult to clean. Prioritize sanitation and remove as many droppings from your chicken area as possible using dry cleaning methods. A dedicated scraper, microfiber cloth, and refreshing your cover litter using either deep bedding method or spot clean and scoop method can all be performed even in extreme cold. Chicken droppings are 70% or more made of moisture. Droppings freeze very quickly and become difficult to clean. Prioritize removing droppings from the highest traffic areas your chickens use: their entrances to their chicken area, their nighttime roosts and perches, ramps, and areas near their nesting boxes. Find a winter cleaning regimen that works based for your based on the size of your flock and your specific facilities. Perform cleaning and other chores on a predictable schedule to reduce stress for your flock and perform these tasks when they will cause the least amount of disruption if possible.
Perform a nightly head count. If your chickens can free range during winter conditions, ensure nightly that your flock has returned in entirety. You can use a practice cold warm grains as a treat to ensure your flock returns to their chicken area in a timely manner. Close to dusk feed an extra portion of your regular feed or a treat like cracked corn or scratch grain mixed with your chickens’ regular complete layer feed in a livestock dish in your chicken area. Remove the dish overnight to avoid attracting vermin to your chicken area. Close your coop and run doors at night once every chicken is accounted for and safely inside to help retain the heat of the day and to protect your backyard flock from predators.
Use food grade diatomaceous earth or livestock safe lime to dust nesting boxes, roosts, and hard to clean areas to prevent a winter infestation. Dealing with mites or lice during winter extremes is a nightmare scenario. Products like food grade DE or livestock safe lime like Eaton Pet & Pasture’s Revitalime can be used safely around your flock in moderation. These products are dusty so you can choose to use PPE and gloves and apply them sparingly in the hardest to clean places in your chicken area. Important note, a very small amount of products goes a long way. Make sure to buy the livestock safe versions of these products and not the pesticide or outdoor equivalents which can harm your flock or worse. Food grade DE and livestock safe lime will have images of livestock animals on the packaging and be labeled clearly.
Provide your flock with ways to escape the cold ground. You can create extra roosts and perches from things like: a 2×4 with the flat 4 inch side down, natural branches that are at least 3 inches in diameter, straw bales, and even unconventional items like a thrifted chair or old shelf. Remove any sharp edges or protrusions from any roosts or perches to avoid harming your chickens’ feet or causing conditions like bumblefoot. Items like dowl rods and broom handles are too small and cause too much strain on your chickens’ foot which can result in lameness and other injuries. Don’t use metal or plastic as perches and roosts because these materials become too cold in winter conditions and are too slick for your flock to grip properly. Perches and roosts should be made of wood.
Make the most of trips to town to replenish your livestock supplies. Travel during the winter months can be limited or interrupted from time to time due to severe weather. Make the most of your errands run and try to pick up at least one extra of your most essential chicken supplies. Online pet food supply stores also offer an additional way to stay stocked with your most essential chicken supplies.
Ensure your flock has access to food and water. Check your food and water dispensers daily to be sure they haven’t frozen in winter conditions. Livestock water heated water dispensers are a convenient way to keep chicken water from freezing. Non-electric options include things like a black rubber livestock dish placed inside an un-rimmed tire lined with an insulating material like foam insolation or straw. Provide grit and oyster shell supplement to your flock in a dispenser or free choice livestock safe dish. Natural grit present in the soil is inaccessible when the ground is frozen and covered in snow and ice. Grit helps prevent conditions like impacted crop and sour crop as well as ensures your chickens can digest their food properly. Oystershell helps your flock haves strong healthy eggshells and helps with feather regrowth.
Keep your flock dry. Protect your flock from the elements with a roofed structure. If you haven’t built a coop, you can provide your flock with an emergency roof with things like a tarp, plywood, or even a pop-canopy structure. Utility sheds, green houses, covered porches, and garages can also be adapted to serve as emergency chicken shelters. Place down ground cover litter to assist with clean up. Remove any chemicals or sharp objects from any areas you will be adapting to be emergency chicken shelters until you can acquire proper livestock housing. Ensure your chicken housing has ventilation, not draft, to allow moist soiled air to escape while still protecting your chickens from the harsh elements. A roof and side walls with a gap at the top for ventilation helps keep your chickens warm by protecting them from draft and the elements. Keep your ventilation high and your chickens dry.
Use multiple predator prevention methods. Predators driven by starvation and winter extremes will become increasingly desperate as winter conditions worsen and may attempt to harm your flock. Things like portable livestock fencing, redundant locks, motion lights, animal and child safe predator prevention sprays and scent balls, yard fascinators, predator decoys, hardware cloth, mindful landscaping, and a livestock guardian animal (if that is an option for you) are all ways to help protect your flock. Clean up any used livestock dishes daily and store your livestock feed inside or in a barn, shed, or predator proof container like a sturdy outdoor tote or metal trash can with a lid to avoid attracting vermin to your chicken area. Stack as many predator prevention methods as you can to ensure your flocks’ safety this winter and all year round.
I hope this has been helpful information to you about keeping your flock safe and healthy during long periods of cold winter temperatures. For more information about keeping your flock safe during the winter season and other great backyard chicken and homesteading content, check out Chuck’s other social media linked below.
Chuck and the Chicks 