How To Keep Your Chickens Warm

Sevelx | November 8, 2015 | Chickens

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The last two weeks on the farm have been filled with a lot of snow, wind and freezing cold temperatures. It’s about this time of year that most of our friends and family start asking us how the “girls” are faring in the frigid conditions. Our “girls” of course are our chickens, and surprisingly enough, with a few simple adjustments, they handle winter better than us! Now don’t get me wrong, they are not particularly fond of the snow any more than us humans………..

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I think a lot of our friends and family are surprised that we don’t have heaters or warming lights in our coop during the winter months – but there really is no need if you have good shelter and it’s properly prepared for winter………..

Keeping Out Drafts

We cover each of the windows in late fall with a 1/4″ thick piece of clear plexiglass. This allows the light to still get into the coop, but keeps out the cold winter winds and drafts that can be so detrimental to the chicken’s health.

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Water and Food:

With the simple practices above – it is amazing how warm the coop actually stays. In fact, it is usually at least 20 degrees higher than the outside temperature. Even so, one thing we do keep an eye on is their water supply.………..

I always remember the four words of advice an old farmer told me when we first started keeping chickens : “Happy Chickens Lay Eggs”. He couldn’t have been more right, and if you keep them dry and draft free through the winter, they are a lot happier!

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