Chickens are a beautiful and resilient species, you may find them in many cold climates worldwide. You can raise chickens in Alaska, Canada, and various parts of cold locations with no difficulty if you’re resourceful. Chickens can survive very harsh climates, and they are easily adaptable.
While some chicken breeds survive better in the cold than others, most breeds will survive well throughout the winter months in any location with proper maintenance. Take a look at the suggestions below for ideas on how to keep chickens warm, comfortable, and happy during the coldest months of the year.
1. Maintain a Comfortable Temperature
Chickens are naturally well-suited to cold weather. Their feathers act as insulation by trapping warm air close to their bodies, helping them stay warm without the need for added heat. When chickens gather together inside a coop, they also generate shared body heat, which can noticeably raise the temperature inside the space.
Because of this natural warmth, adding too much extra bedding or insulation inside the coop can actually be harmful. Excess materials can trap moisture, leading to poor air quality and an increased risk of respiratory problems. While an insulated coop is essential, it is equally important to maintain a comfortable balance, neither too warm nor too cold.
If you would like to add a bit of extra insulation to nesting boxes, cardboard, newspaper, and additional straw are good options. Styrofoam and plastic containers should be avoided, as hens tend to peck at them and will quickly destroy them. For some reason, Styrofoam seems to be a particular favorite among them.
To help ensure your coop stays at a comfortable temperature, consider using a thermometer or another temperature monitoring device. This allows you to monitor conditions inside the coop and make adjustments as needed.
2. Relocate The Coop
If your chicken coop is not well protected in its current location, consider relocating it. Moving the coop to an area shielded from cold temperatures and harsh winter winds can make a noticeable difference. It also helps to place the coop where it will receive plenty of sunlight during the day, such as along a fence line or beside your home, as long as local regulations allow.
If you need a coop that’s easy to move, consider investing in a tractor chicken coop.
3. Feed Them Well
Once you’ve made sure that the coop is safe and warm, you’ll need to ensure that your hens are being fed the appropriate type of chicken feed.
During the winter, high-quality feed is crucial to the health and well-being of the chickens. Some hens are still amid their molt as we approach January. These hens require a lot of protein to be successful in their re-feathering task. You should feed your chickens 21% game feed to help them prepare for the upcoming winter. As soon as they get their feathers in place, they must return to a diet containing 16-18% protein.
If you want some more information and tips on what to feed your chickens in the wintertime, check out this article.
4. Add Heat Thoughtfully
During the winter months, there is a great deal of controversy about whether or not to heat the chicken coop. Many raise concerns about fire safety and humidity which can create unhealthy and unsafe conditions in the coop. However, if you pay close attention to the temperature, you can use heating methods like:
- Brooders
- Heat lamps
- Small heaters
- Heated roosts
Still, chickens don’t require a tropical environment in their coop. As noted earlier, their feathers provide natural protection against cold weather. If you want to keep your coop warm without one of the heat methods listed above, consider using natural sunlight to your benefit. Well-insulated windows can act as a suntrap (this is especially important if you have a dark floor or are employing the deep litter method!), growing the amount of “thermal mass” that your coop captures and allowing it to keep the heat for a longer period.
5. Minimize Drafts
In the same way that your coop should be partially insulated, you should make every effort to keep drafts to a minimum. The effects of cold wind can significantly increase the pace at which heat is lost from your chicken coop. Ensure that air leaks are properly sealed and that any rotting wood is replaced as soon as possible.
If you discover holes, the most straightforward and least expensive method of repairing them is to screw a piece of plywood over them. This will keep your coop from losing too much heat too fast.
6.Maintain Ventilation
It is essential to remember that, while you should not have any considerable openings in the coop to allow cold air in, you should also avoid restricting airflow too much, as this can lead to severe problems such as ammonia accumulation. To prevent this, ensure that you have an effective ventilation system installed.
To keep cold air from directly reaching your chickens, vents should be situated towards the ceiling of the coop. Maintaining a low humidity level and preventing mold growth in your chickens’ bedding can be accomplished by exhausting warm, moisture-laden air and replacing it with cooler, drier air.
Your mesh vent must have a hatch that you may open and close as needed in an ideal situation. The coop will be well-ventilated throughout the day and can be closed securely in the evening when it gets cooler or during periods of heavy rain.
7. Use the Deep Litter Method
While the Deep Litter Method is not only a sustainable method for controlling litter in your chicken coop, it can also be used to assist in insulating your flock during colder months. To begin, create a layer of pine shavings or other organic debris over the floor to achieve a layered effect. Instead of cleaning or replacing the waste, all you need to do is mix up your flock’s bedding with a light rake and let their natural movement take care of the rest.
If the litter is correctly prepared and periodically replenished with pine shavings, it will begin to develop a compost layer that will attract beneficial bacteria while simultaneously allowing them to consume the harmful bacteria found in the hens’ feces.
If you are wondering if you should try deep littering your chicken coop, check out this article for some more information and some benefits.
8. Ensure Access to Feed
During the colder months of the year, chickens require a bit more nutrition. If you anticipate a particularly chilly cold snap, you might want to consider packing on some additional calories.
Either set up an automatic feeder so that your hens may help themselves to food throughout the day, or consider feeding them multiple times a day to enhance their body heat and prevent them from being cold.
You must provide more feed in the evening to aid digestion and maintain body temperature throughout the night. For this, cracked corn or scratch grain is ideal – but only feed these meals at night, as they are pretty high in energy.
It is possible to guarantee that your chickens receive all the nourishment they require from their diet during the day, with the corn or scratch serving as bonus treats after a long, chilly day.
A great dose of cracked corn before bed provides your hens with something to digest during the night, which keeps them warm during the winter. As it happens, it’s their favorite food, and they’ll be pleased once their stomachs are filled.
Some individuals even give their chickens oatmeal or warm mash at night, which they prepare themselves. If it appears that they are not eating as much as they should, this can be a great way to increase their appetites!
9. Provide Additional Water
Chickens require appropriate feed and water throughout the winter months, just as they do throughout the year. If you don’t have a heated waterer, bring your chickens nice, warm water twice a day for them to drink.
Maintaining awareness that heated waterers are powered by electricity is essential; nevertheless, this does not imply that you must have electricity hooked into your chicken coop. To boost your coop’s electrical needs, you can always run a heavy-duty extension cord (one that is designed for outdoor use) out to the chicken coop.
10. Insulate the Coop
Always keep chickens warm to cope with a severely cold environment.
A well-insulated chicken coop is essential for keeping your chickens comfortable during the winter. Tarps and foam boards can be used to add a little more insulation to your coop. However, avoid boarding up the coop too tightly – air will help prevent frostbite from developing on the chickens’ combs and wattles, which requires moisture to occur.
It is best to place vents near the top of the coop, where cold air will not flow straight onto your hens and cause a draft to build up. Upper vents will permit warm, humid air to exit the coop, while cool, dry air will be drawn through the bottom vents. It will also help to keep the humidity down and keep mold from growing. With a mesh screen hatch, you’ll be in the best possible circumstances. When you use this hatch, you will be able to open and close the vent throughout the day and close it up when it gets cooler at night – or when it starts snowing.
11. Keep Chicks and Eggs Warm Too!
It is possible to keep eggs warm in the coop by filling the nest boxes with sufficient chicken bedding and hanging curtains over the openings. However, you may want to make sure that you are collecting eggs at least twice a day – the more, the better – so that you have a steady supply. As a result, they will be less likely to freeze, break, or split apart before you have a chance to consume them.
Also, provide warm bedding and a clean environment for your young chickens; if necessary, make a partition and separate the young chicks.
How to Keep a Chicken Coop Warm in the Winter
While we have covered general tips for helping chickens stay warm during the winter, there are also specific ways to keep the coop itself comfortable. Creating an environment that is sheltered from wind, moisture, and extreme cold is essential for raising backyard chickens during the winter months.
How to Heat a Chicken Coop in Winter Without Electricity
If local regulations don’t allow you to run electricity to your coop or you’re concerned about potential fire hazards, don’t worry. There are still some things you can do to keep your flock warm through the winter months.
Ways to Keep a Chicken Coop Warm Without Electricity
- Insulate Your Coop
- Minimize Drafts
- Use the Deep Litter Method
- Place Straw Bales Around Your Coop’s Interior
- Nesting Boxes With Curtains and Extra Bedding
What Can I Put in a Chicken Coop for Warmth?
If you’re considering how to build a chicken coop that incorporates features that will ensure it stays warm during the winter, here’s what you can add:
- Insulation
- Vents
- Heated Roost
- Bedding
- Sealed Windows and Doors
- Brooder
- Feeders and waterers
Build a Chicken Coop That Keeps Your Chickens Warm During the Winter
If you want to ensure your chickens stay warm all winter long, consider building or upgrading your coop with The Hen House Collection.
They offer a large variety of small chicken coops, large coops, chicken coops with runs, and even allow you to build a custom chicken coop equipped with features to keep your flock warm, like the following:
- Insulated ceiling
- Electrical Package
- Heated Roosts
And lots of other features you can choose to make your coop just perfect for you and your hens.
The Takeaway
When temperatures drop to uncomfortable or even dangerous levels, people reach for heavy coats and extra layers to stay warm. Chickens do not have that problem. Their feathers act like built-in jackets, providing natural insulation that helps them handle cold weather far better than we can. Often called one of nature’s small miracles, feathers are designed to trap heat and protect birds from harsh winter conditions.
When a chicken fluffs up its feathers, warm air becomes trapped close to the body, creating a cozy pocket of insulation. As long as chickens are protected from strong winds and freezing drafts, this natural system can keep them comfortable even in extreme cold temperatures. It is how birds regulate their body heat throughout the winter months.
Still, balance is key. Chickens are well-equipped for the cold, but they can become chilled if exposed to moisture, wind, or extreme conditions for too long. A warm, dry coop, proper insulation, and the right winter feed all play crucial roles in keeping your flock comfortable.
