Most chickens do well in the wintertime. But how can you tell if it’s too cold for them?
By Dalia Monterroso, The President of Chickenlandia
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Once upon a time, I had a chicken named Higby. Throughout her long life, Higby was a mean, cranky frizzle chicken who didn’t have many chicken friends, which I believe is how she wanted it. But when Higby entered her senior years, something I never expected happened. She transformed into a sweet old grandma chicken. She stopped being cranky and appointed herself the jovial matriarch of the flock. I choose to remember her this way despite her grumpy beginnings. I’m sorry to say that Higby taught me a difficult lesson.
Higby had two things against her concerning the wintertime. She was a frizzle, which means her feathers weren’t as insulating as smooth-feathered breeds, and she was also very old. Until that point in my chicken-keeping journey, I had been repeatedly told never to heat my coop. On very cold nights, I would bring my older ones into the garage despite this advice, Higby included. For some reason, however, on an extra-cold night, I didn’t bring Higby inside. I told myself I had been overreacting and that she would be fine. I believe this decision cost Higby her life. I’ll never be 100% sure it was the cold, but to this day, I still feel guilty.
It Takes Different Strokes to Rule the Roost
If there’s one thing I cannot say enough in Chickenlandia, it’s this: everyone’s situation is different. There are no absolute chicken rules. We all have different flocks in different circumstances. We live in different climates. Some of us have older birds or very young birds. Our coops are constructed differently. Do chickens usually need supplemental heat in the winter? No, they usually don’t. But there is such a thing as too cold for chickens, and in these rare circumstances, heating your coop or bringing chickens inside at night is not unreasonable.
Note: When I refer to supplemental heat, I’m not talking about heat lamps, which pose an elevated fire risk. Learn more here.
What kind of breeds do you have?
Cold-hardy breeds, which are generally heavier and have smaller combs, are the hardiest in the winter. But there are other breeds, namely lighter breeds or ornamentals, that don’t manage as well when the temperatures drop. Depending on where you live and what your climate is like, you might consider supplemental heat if you have birds that aren’t cold-hardy.
Are your birds very old or very young?
As we learned with Higby, senior chickens can be more vulnerable to getting chilled. The same can also be said for young chickens that are newly feathered, even if they have all their feathers at six to eight weeks. In such cases, they need to be acclimated slowly to anything below 50 degrees.
Where do you live, and how drastic are the temperature changes?
If you live in an area with extended periods of below zero temps (especially below -15) or if there is going to be a sudden, extreme drop in temperature, you might consider some supplemental heat. This does depend on your local climate and the construction of your coop. But even cold-hardy breeds can struggle in prolonged, extreme cold. In such cases, it’s not unreasonable to consider your options.
Do you have special needs chickens?
Chickens with special needs or illnesses will need special care in the winter regardless of their breed. It’s not unreasonable to make a plan to bring them inside at night or offer them a heated area in the coop.
Do you keep having cold-related chicken problems?
No matter what breeds you have, no matter the age of your birds, and no matter what kind of climate you are in, if you are having continuous problems with frostbite and/or respiratory illness in your flock, first make sure you have enough ventilation in your coop (more on that here). If you have enough ventilation but still have issues, it might be time to consider some safe supplemental heat.
As The President of Chickenlandia, I don’t consider it my job to tell you what to do. My goal is to give you information and offer options so you can make an informed choice regarding what is right for your particular situation. The night Higby died, if I had listened to my gut and brought her in, she may have had a few more months to peck and scratch. It turns out that the most important lesson she taught me didn’t have to do with winter at all. She taught me to listen to my heart, and now it’s my mission to share that sentiment with you.
Stay warm out there!