Can Chickens Live Outside in the Winter? Preparing for Cold Weather
As winter approaches, it’s time to get our backyard chickens ready for cold weather. Or, if you live in a place that’s colder year-round, you may need to prep for keeping your chickens warm all year long. If you’re wondering can chickens can live outside in the winter, the good news is that they definitely can!
In fact, chickens do just fine living outside in cold weather if you make a few tweaks to their coop, feeding, and watering. Our backyard chickens are happy and healthy even when temperatures drop, so I want to share with you our tips and tricks!
Chickens in Cold Weather: How cold is too cold?
While chickens can survive in cold weather just fine, how your flock will do really depends on the living conditions you provide them with. If you prepare your chickens’ coop for winter and provide them with everything they need to stay warm, they can survive in below-freezing temperatures.
The quality of life for a chicken in cold weather is also breed-dependent. Hardy chickens do better with cold temperatures and can keep themselves warmer than other breeds. Some cold weather chicken breeds include Cochins, Ameraucanas, Rhode Island Red, Speckled Sussex, Ancona, Dominique, Black Australorps, Langshan, New Hampshire, Wyandottes, Plymouth, Bluff Orpingtons, and Brahma. But, other breeds can survive the winter, too!
How to Keep a Chicken Coop Warm
No matter the breed of chickens you have, take the following steps to help them stay warm and cozy during winter.
Seal Drafts
A fairly simple way to maintain a comfortable temperature in your chickens’ coop is making sure doors, windows, and any drafts are tightly sealed. You can check for any spaces that need blocking at night by turning off all the lights and looking for visible drafts.
Seal drafts using a sealing spray (just be sure the chickens are away until it dries!). If your coop has large open spaces or fenced sides, you can cover that with heavy plastic to act as a wall during the colder months.
Keep Air Flow
While sealing drafts is key, make sure you maintain ventilation in the coop. This is important to maintain high air quality and prevent ammonia build-up which can cause respiratory issues for your chickens. Not having airflow can also result in humidity that can cause mold.
Keep the air flowing by placing vents where the cold air can’t blow directly onto your chickens. You can also leave very small spaces open, again where chickens aren’t getting a direct draft. The best place for this is higher up away from the flock.
Insulation
After you’ve gotten drafts taken care of, you can take the extra step of insulating the coop. This step is up to you depending on how cold it is where you live. This can be something as simple and affordable as some pieces of cardboard or you can use something like reflective insulation.
Update Bedding
Just like some people do for themselves, winter bedding is key for keeping chickens warm. While you’re at it, you can do a complete refresh as the temperatures start to drop. Remove used bedding and clean up to coop – kind of like spring (winter) cleaning! Then, create an updated space with materials such as wood shavings, soft hay, straw, ground corn cobs, or shredded paper. This gives an insulation effect to keep the chickens warm and comfortable.
Tip: Check the bedding often to ensure it’s dry. When it’s cold out, it’s especially important that your flock always has dry bedding!
Do I need a chicken coop heater?
The famous question for chickens in snow or cold weather is should they have a heater? You may be surprised to know that a heater in the chicken coop really isn’t necessary. Again, following steps to keep your chicken’s coop warm, fed, and hydrated can be enough without using a heater. If you want to ensure their space is warm, fully insulating the coop can have just about the same effect as a heater.
With that said, some chicken keepers do prefer heaters. If you go this route, here are some tips and tricks.
- Avoid heaters that are prone to causing fires such as heat lamps.
- Oil-filled radiators or a flat panel radiant heater are safer options for heating a coop.
- Ensure that heaters are safely secured.
- If there are electrical pieces, make sure chickens can’t access them.
- Have a professional electrician do electrical work.
- Regularly check wires for damage.
Feeding Chickens in Winter
As summer ends and it begins to get colder, chickens’ bodies move from a production phase to a repair phase. When this happens, their dietary requirements change. They may eat less but need more carbohydrates which help them stay warm. You can provide your flock with scratch grains in the evening which helps them stay warmer at night. Keep in mind that they’ll still have their regular feed, too.
Hydrating Chickens in Winter
It’s especially important to monitor your chickens’ water when it gets cold out to ensure they have drinkable water at all times. There’s a high chance their water will freeze at some point during the winter if you live somewhere cold. Check their water daily and change it out more often than you normally do to prevent it from freezing. Some people also provide lukewarm water (not too warm) to ensure that it doesn’t turn into ice before you change it out again.
Important Note: Prevent Frostbite!
One of the most common issues in the winter is chicken frostbite. It usually occurs on their wattles, combs, and feet. Fortunately, you can prevent this. Make sure you remove all snow from the run or straw areas to protect their feet. You can also keep them in the coop if it snows where you live. Just be sure the coop is draft-free and dry or frostbite can occur there, too.
If you’ve already noticed frostbite, bring your chicken into a warm area. You can try soaking the affected area in lukewarm water, but be sure it’s not too hot.
Key Takeaways: Can chickens live outside in the winter?
If you prepare your chickens for winter and check on them regularly, they should be just fine in cold weather. Chickens are much more comfortable in colder temperatures than we may think as long as they have a dry and cozy space!
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