How to Care for Chickens in the Winter

Learn how to care for your chickens in extreme cold with Blain’s Farm & Fleet and Nutrena.

If you live in the Midwest, you know that temperatures can plummet at the drop of a hat. When the extreme cold hits, there are a few things you must do to keep your chickens safe and comfortable. With this guide, you can learn how to properly care for your birds throughout the winter season.

When your chickens are well cared for, they can easily handle temperatures down to zero or a few degrees below zero. As temps drop to 20 or 30 degrees below zero, chickens will need special care to handle the extreme cold.

To help your birds survive the cold weather, you can do the following to prepare your flock.

Eliminate Coop Drafts

Plug cracks in the coop walls or around the windows with caulk. You can also use bits of fiberglass insulation, which you can push into gaps with a screwdriver.

Supply More Feed

Keep the birds’ feeders filled, and give your hens extra grain. Corn and scratch grains may be low in protein, but they’re full of cold-fighting energy. Your birds will eat more when the cold weather hits.

Keep Water From Freezing

Like always, your chickens will need a water supply readily available in the wintertime. When temperatures get cold, you need to make sure your chickens’ water doesn’t freeze. To do this, you can use a heated water fountain or a water heater base.

Use Petroleum Jelly on Wattles & Combs

Put a coating of petroleum jelly on your birds’ combs and wattles. These body parts are most likely to get frostbitten, and using petroleum jelly will help insulate and protect them.

Slightly Warm the Coop

You don’t have to make the coop warm, but at least take the edge off the extreme cold. Warming the coop so it’s at least zero degrees makes a huge difference when compared to 25 degrees below zero.

You can also try sheeting off parts of the coop to make it smaller. The chickens will have an easier time warming the smaller space with their own body heat.

And you can fill a five-gallon bucket with hot water, cover it, and put it in the coop. This can add a few degrees to the coop’s temperature without creating a fire hazard.

In extreme cases, you can use a brooder lamp to warm the coop. It’s crucial that you position the lamp carefully to keep the chickens from getting burned and to prevent it from becoming a fire hazard.

Using heat lamps is not typically encouraged, but you can use them in drastic measures.

At Blain’s Farm & Fleet, you’ll find everything you need to care for your birds. From chicken coops, to chicken feed, and everything in between, your birds will be set all year round. Knowing how to keep your flock warm during the cold, winter months is just one part of taking care of your backyard chickens.

For more tips on caring for your flock, visit our Chickens & Poultry Blog.