Hello, my Featherless Friends! Winter weather is coming, dear, and now is the time to prepare for the cold (not after the first frost!) If you’re unsure of how to keep chickens warm in winter, this is the guide for you!
Read on as I give you tips and tricks for keeping chickens warm in winter, a list of essential supplies, and detail what NOT to do (including well-meaning but impractical advice that circulates every year within the poultry community!) From how to keep your chickens warm in the winter without electricity, to what to feed your ladies to keep them warm!
So grab yourself a hot cocoa and let’s start brainstorming how to transform your coop from draft central to a cozy chicken retreat!
How to Keep Chickens Warm in Winter
Keeping chickens warm in the winter isn’t as simple as hanging a few tarps and topping off their water daily. You’ll need to thoroughly prep their coop and make sure they have what they need to not just survive, but thrive through the cold months. This means eliminating drafts, keeping their water free of ice, removing coop hazards, and feeding them a diet that promotes thermoregulation.
The Deep Litter Method: A Cozy, Composting Carpet
The deep litter method isn’t just about extra chicken bedding; it’s about creating a living, composting carpet for us! The deep litter method starts with placing a deep layer (4-6 inches) of pine shavings and stirring it every few days while adding a fresh thin layer on top. Our droppings will react with the carbon in the shavings, and with regular stirring, it will compost and generate natural heat from below. It’s a wonderful, passive way to add warmth to our home.
Heat Lamps vs Radiant Heaters
I must cluck loudly about this! Heat lamps are a fire hazard. A coop is a dusty, flammable environment, and a knocked-over heat lamp can be disastrous. Instead, use a radiant panel heater, which is much safer for your flock and can prevent overheating.
How to Keep Chickens’ Water Warm in Winter
We can survive the cold, but we cannot survive without liquid water — and that means keeping their waterers ice-free!. A dehydrated chicken is a chicken in crisis.
The Best Solution: A plug-in heated base or a fully heated waterer is the most reliable method. It provides constant, ice-free water with minimal effort from you.
Good Alternatives:
- Offer us warm water at least twice a day, switching it out as soon as it starts to freeze.
- Place a warm brick (warmed in the sun or briefly in your oven, then cooled enough to touch) directly in the waterer to slow freezing.
