As we’ve barreled into the colder months, I’ve been seeing this question pop up a lot in different forums, videos, social groups, and comments. A lot of first time chicken owners become quite concerned for their birds during their first winter, and that is perfectly normal!
During winter, while we’re freezing our tushes simply going to and from the store, our precious chickens are outdoors braving the cold. It seems fairly extreme for them to be outside; and in some climates, it is.
Free Range Chickens In Winter: Do Chickens Need Heat In the Winter?
While you’re barely getting through the morning feedings in a thick winter coat, you’re probably perplexed at the sight of a hen scratching around as if everything is just peachy!
Today, we’re going take a closer look at our birds and cold weather. Do free range chickens NEED heat in the winter, or will they freeze? Will they do fine on their own? Let’s check it out, and see what needs to be done for our beloved fowl as the temperatures begin to plummet for the year.
Can Chickens Stay Outside in the Winter?
You’ve probably never seen another homesteader bring their chickens indoors; frankly, it’s not the safest thing to do, especially with children or the elderly in the home (yes, germs, disease, ETC.) Chickens can stay outside in the winter, and do on almost every homestead.
If you are raising chicks who are not fully feathered and are not close to an adult size, they will not be safe braving the cold winter weather alone. I do want to ensure that you are aware of this; they do not have the ability to keep warm like older birds can. For chicks that have a broody mother hen, they are the exception; I currently have a lone 5 week old chick braving the low 20’s at night with his mother, and he is thriving! He stays so warm under her and his older brother and sister (from a spring hatch), that he will come out to say “hi!” on the colder nights where I checked in on him. Afterwards, it’s straight back under Mother Hen for the night!
During the winter, the BEST course of action is to provide a wind-proof coop with a sealed roof, with some ventilation vents towards the top of the wall. This releases excess humidity, which will cause the birds to be a bit colder. I like a smaller coop during the winter, as it preserves body heat more efficiently and encourages the flock to roost in close quarters. Yes, it’s more of a mess; yes, eggs risk being messy; yes, you’ll have to clean it more often. But your birds will be warmer, and they will be at less risk of frostbite!
What to Do for Chickens In Extreme Arctic Winter Weather Conditions?
If you are in a very, very cold area, you need to ensure that the birds that you own are capable of weathering through the winter weather. I’m talking about hefty, dual purpose, thickly feathered, cold hardy birds. These are the ones that are commonly used for pastured or free meat birds, giving you a bird that lays well, produces meat, and is hardy for winter; some are also known for broodiness, which is a good trait in a self sufficient flock. No matter what kind of protection you provide, the birds need to be able to venture from the coop to forage and scratch; if the bird is not cold hardy, it may be stuck in the coop fighting to stay warm during most of the winter.
The coop should be wind proof and tightly sealed against moisture, while ventilated to release water vapor that is released by the birds. Offer a very, very thick bed of straw, which is a wonderful insulator during cold weather. Offer chickens a bit of corn to keep them warmer, and ensure that water is always available. There are many heated bowls and trough warmers available for this purpose. Keep the coop closed up at night, and don’t allow the birds to free-range during inclement weather or record lows. The deep bedding method has proven to be very useful in cold weather, too! The deep bedding method reduces cleaning requirements, as it composts in place. The rich microbial and insect activity within this bedding heats up as compost does during warm weather, increasing the ambient temperature within the coop.
Some people provide heat lamps, brooder heaters, or unique heating systems that utilize water within pipes, which is powered by a fire; much like a water radiator heater. The later could be useful for heating coops in the worst of climates on the coldest nights, but it must be closely monitored. Heat lamps must be monitored as well, and secured properly; fire safety is important. Many heating methods are fire hazards, which could lead to a disaster. If you must heat your coop, please thoroughly research the heating method and adhere to important fire safety rules and guidelines. My advice is this: if you do NOT require heat to keep your chickens alive and well, do not use fire or electric heat sources in your coop.
What Do Free Range Chickens Do in the Winter?
During winter, chickens will still be their chicken selves! They will continue to search for food, perhaps wandering a bit further on the warmer days, and sticking close by on the colder days.
If you have snow on the ground, you might find that the chickens will avoid it; they’re not the biggest fans of cold, wet snow, and prefer to avoid it. Some may refuse to leave the safety and warmth of the coop when snow is on the ground.
On colder and windy days, chickens may hunch over, crouch towards the ground, or hide within cover (whether that be under low hanging branches, bushes, or beside hay piles) to stay a little warmer. Others will return to the coop when cold, and may wander back out once they’ve warmed up some. If you have a compost pile, it’ll become their favorite place to hang out; it’ll provide a warm place for scratching, and a little bit of food, as well. This is a great way to cut on feed costs and eliminate some commercial feed, so it is a good idea to head into the winter months with a strong compost pile. With all of the waste from food preservation, bed cleaning, fall leaves, and mucking out stalls, coops, and pens for the winter ahead, you can get an impressive compost pile going.
Will the Chickens Continue to Lay Eggs without Heat?
Chickens will still lay through winter months, but they will not lay as often. Heavier breeds tend to lay much more reliably, while lighter production hens exceed their production during the summer months. This usually has nothing to do with a hen’s pastured or supplemented diet, unless the birds are not receiving food at all.
Hens will lay differently due to the available light; during winter, days are shorter with much less sunlight. Once the Winter Solstice passes, you may notice that your birds are laying a bit better; that is the shortest day of the year, and sunlight begins to increase by a few minutes every day at that point. Thus, more light over the following weeks will increase egg production.
Some offer artificial lighting to their hens, but I do not do this. It’s not natural to raise chicks during winter; they will not be as likely to thrive. Therefore, this is nature’s way of adapting the hen for winter weather. She switches gear, going from the spring momma to the winter survivor; she needs that energy to get through the cold months. While we ALL want more eggs from our hens during the cold weather (needing them for holidays, as well), I do believe that our hens DESERVE this well-earned break to recoup from their wonderful spring and fall production. You will still find eggs here and there on occasion, but you won’t find a lot. Some homesteads use this as a time to harvest older hens and excess roosters, significantly reducing the number of birds that they overwinter.