Take care of your chickens in the winter.
Chickens don't hibernate during the colder months of the year, but they do reduce certain activities. By the end of September, it's colder and there's only 12 hours of daylight every day. Birds adapt to this by spending more time in coops, some of which need extra heating. Accommodate your birds by understanding and preparing safely for different chicken habits during the winter time.
Chickens Share the Warmth
Chickens cozy up together on perches to share body warmth in the coldest weather. From a chicken's point of view, cold weather doesn't really begin until daytime temperatures are below freezing. This is because they are well insulated against the cold with a coat of feathers, which traps warm air next to their skins. Drafts are a different matter. Ideally, coops must be windproof, keep rain and snow out, while still allowing enough fresh air to enter for ventilation. Check your most vulnerable birds during the cold months, because any without a full set of feathers, due factors like to moulting, are at risk of freezing
Chickens Lay Fewer Eggs
Chickens live by the natural rhythms of daylight. Once the winter days offer less than the optimum 14 to 16 hours of daylight, egg production slows down. It may even stop for a short time in extremely cold weather. Hens are in the habit of laying fewer eggs in winter, because energy produced from feed goes to maintain their body temperatures. Heating the coop is an expensive option. Adding artificial lighting will fool birds into laying more eggs in the winter months, but it also shortens their egg-laying careers.
Digesting While Resting
Chickens that go to roost at night with full crops are warmer and healthier birds. This is important, since they typically spend more hours in the coop during the long winter nights. Their bodies need a full load of feed to make enough heat to keep them warm. An afternoon serving of grain is a good insurance policy. Although chickens will eat snow, access to fresh water is also important for their health. A small ball floating in the water trough prevents it from freezing.
More Poops Inside Coops
Put simply, your chickens will poop more inside, if they spend more hours in there. Extra clean-up sessions are required, since the poop contains ammonia and quickly becomes a health hazard, especially if there's too little ventilation, or the coops are crowded. Areas under perches need special attention to keep coops a pleasant place to rest, for cleanliness, and to prevent infestations. Any chickens refusing to enter their coops at night may be protesting the state of their housing, and take to roosting up trees, instead. Once your birds acquire this habit, it's hard to persuade them to change roosts, without a bribe of their favorite snack.
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