Taking care of your chickens in the cold winter months

Nov. 10, 2010 - PRLog -- Chickens will need extra care in the winter months and you will notice that egg production decreases dramatically as the day’s become shorter and the temperatures drop. However chickens can withstand very low temperatures and the weather needs to be extremely cold before the health of your chickens suffers. Young chickens are different and may suffer in extreme temperatures and especially if they get wet. Young chickens will have had less time to acclimatise to outside temperatures and if they are persistently wet and very cold, they may become ill or even die. It is really important that young chickens have access to a warm dry chicken coop during the day and the night.
Chickens will stay warm during the day if they can exercise which is why it is important that you allow them to leave the chicken coop during the day and it can be helpful to feed your chickens a small amount of corn before they leave the chicken coop which will help them to generate energy and therefore heat. The same can be done in the evening when the chickens enter the coop and it may be a good idea to shut the chickens hatch at night in order to keep out cold and damp, if you do shut the chickens hatch you must ensure that there is still adequate ventilation in the chicken coop in order to avoid the build up of ammonia. The chickens also give off moisture from their breath which can actually be harmful in a poorly ventilated chicken coop.
Water is the one vital thing you need to ensure is plentiful in the winter months. Water will often become frozen in low temperatures and you will need to check water regularly to ensure they have a fresh supply. Rubber or steel buckets are better than plastic ones as they are less likely to split and providing luke warm water will help keep the water in liquid form for longer. Food is also really important in the winter months and feeding your chickens a little more in the winter months can sometimes help them lay a little longer. Chickens use up large reserves in the winter months and they need all of their energy to stay warm and this is one of the reasons they stop laying. Providing warmer and lighter conditions can help your chickens continue laying although it is rarely worth it. Allowing your chickens to go through their natural process always ensures they begin laying in the early spring.

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