It’s that time of year again. Each morning I drink my coffee and look out on our pond to see that the ice has once again reclaimed the surface of the water. As the sun comes around the side of the house, its rays reflect brilliantly across the surface, and warms the crystals into liquid again. It’s a beautiful site to be sure, but acts as a reminder that the chicken’s water is forming morning ice crusts as well.
Winter has a strange effect on chickens. Not only are they susceptible to all the usual blunders that unforgiving icy temperatures provide (such as colds, frost bite and malnutrition), there is a more tangible effect, as the lack of sunshine slows egg production to a halt. And once in a while I will come down to the coop to find a single frozen egg.
In spite of Old Man Winter, it amazes me how resilient chickens can be. When I was younger, I did very little in the practice of changing them over for winter. Other than switching to a base-heated waterer and a couple of extension cords, the chickens got the same treatment as in summertime and they did fine. But as I’ve gotten older, my sense of nurturing has kicked in and I want to mother everything, including our chickens.
Last year, out of sympathy, I kept a heat lamp on them during the freezing months. I won’t be doing that again. I think it confused their systems and six of them went into a molt at the coldest time of the year, sort of counterproductive. This year, I will be letting their combined generation of body heat keep them warm naturally. I rub a little petroleum jelly on their wattles and comb tips to guard against frost bite, and while our chickens are not raised for meat production, they’ve been on grower/finisher for some time, to fatten them up for winter.
I’ve always given my chickens electrolytes, but this year I am switching brands to one that contains a probiotic as well to help support immune system. It’s by Agri-Labs and it helps to reduce stress. We add it to their water twice a month. The conversion can be tricky, because it’s based on 128 gallons, but I broke it down and we give about 2 teaspoons per gallon. We’ve also discovered a supplement called Red Cell that provides vitamin A and D. These two vitamins are especially important during Michigan’s short winter days when sunshine is far and few between. If we get heavy snows, the chickens can sometimes be locked in for days. Our coop has a large window to let in as much sunshine as possible, but Michigan winters can be so gray that it doesn’t seem to be enough. I’ve been putting the Red Cell in a spray bottle and I mist their food each morning. They seem to really like it as they aim for the dark crumbles first.
It’s also important to provide fresh fruit and vegetable scraps, as free range in the winter provides pathetic forage. Winter squashes are a great choice as they provide nutrients like vitamins A, C, K and E, antioxidants and minerals that we Northerners lack due to less sun exposure. My chickens LOVE pumpkin and this time of year, in Michigan, you can find deer pumpkins really inexpensive. I saw a sign the other day at a local dairy for $5 a truck bed. Visit your pumpkin patch from Halloween and ask if you can purchase the pumpkins that didn’t sell. They’ll probably be thrilled to get rid of them. Wash your pumpkins with a diluted bleach-water solution, then rinse and store in a cool place such as the garage or basement. The bleach kills the mildew that activates rotting, and you should have a fresh supply of pumpkin all winter long for you and your birds. Slice into wedges and put through the food processor on “shred” (goats like it, too).
You can also give your chickens a warm winter treat by making them a hot breakfast. Scramble a few eggs and pop them in the microwave and just wait for the clucks of appreciation. The protein helps keep them warm and makes up for the animal protein they’re not eating through bugs, worms, etc., in the frozen winter. Chickens are omnivores and need animal protein to keep their diets balanced. You can also give them a can of fish-based cat food.
Even with these measures, we will never get the eggs that came during the spring and summer, but we can be assured that we’re giving our birds the closest thing to sunshine that we can provide.
Visit Jennifer Sartell’s website at Iron Oak Farm.
11 Comments
I have 2 insulated Amish play houses for my birds and each has a fan ventilation and also a very low wattage panel heater.
I have never had a molt or problem with bacteria, but I stay away from hay and I change my pine chips and do spot cleaning often.
I also use a base heater for water and put vaseline on the combs (though it gets cold enough for some of the roos to still get frostbite on the edges.
I give extra light in the evening as soon as the days shorten and I have minimal egg dropoff…I also feed vitamins and calcium year round.
and we supplement with greens, scrambled eggs and scraps…along with scratch…when foraging stops.
I found an excellent chicken foraging brick at the feed store a few weeks ago and they have only put a little dent in it so far. It seems to be good snack food for them in the winter months and it lasts a long time.
I believe in a little heat and supplemental light. I know that can survive but why should they have to unless you absolutely cant run an extension cord?
they really shouldn’t molt…as a matter of fact this is the first time Ive heard of that.
Its nice to see another ‘Momma” who takes the extra care with the chickens. I found that if I use the red lighted heat lamps for the bad nites the hens seem to do well with it, I also have ceramic lizard lamps that just give out heat but no light. I do the pumpkin but also spagetti squash, wheat germ, raw oats & 7 grain mix that they get warm with milk, yogurt or kefir in the winter for their breakfast. I also have a supply of liquid chicken vits that go in to that each morning but not the full dose since they get it every day when its cold. My coop also has a window but the coop is on the north side of the shop & here in Massachusetts (up near NH) they get no sunlight in the winter so I get the natural sun lights that I can put in the coop during the day so they get the benefits of it & it is shut off just before they come in to roost. thanks for the great article!
Thanks for the great tips! This is our first year with chickens and it will be their first winter, so I appreciate the ideas!
One of my hens came down with what looked like CowPox. I began putting Olive Leaf on top of their feed in the morning. She healed up and the other hens didn’t get it. I can also try some garlic on their feed occasionally. I don’t put the olive leaf on it anymore.
The chicks from spring start laying when the hens quit in late fall, so we get a few eggs during the winter. I wrap the coops in plastic for the winter, but no extra lighting. They have a heated dog dish during the day in the winter when I let them out. We live just below 5000′ elevation in central Idaho and winters are dark and long, but our girls have been doing well. They hang out on our porch when the weather is really bad.
Thanks for the ideas on pumpkins – will have to try that.
Chickens really love boiled potatoes, and the warm potatoes and potato water give them a real boost when it’s cold.
I’m with you on the CFL and a timer for the additional light. I’m leaving out the use of a heat lamp this year and experimenting with straw, leaves and plastic for some exterior insulation both on top, around the sides, and under the floor. I’m also using some plastic on the north and west sides of the run to better protect them from those bitter winds.
For those of you using a heat lamp in your coops, be sure to have some sort of ventilation at the top of the building to allow moisture to escape, especially if your coop is insulated.
With the moisture from their body heat added to the moisture from their droppings and the warmth from the heat lamp, you are creating a wonderful atmosphere for bacteria to flourish.
Our coop is uninsulated and has ventilation at the top. There is a window to allow daylight and we have a regular light bulb that we keep on for extended hours. Petroleum jelly on their combs and wattles help keep the moisture off to protect against frostbite, but it’s no guarantee.
I’m glad I’ve finally found a real person who feeds their chicken’s garlic. We do too, especially if they seem to have a bit of a cold because it has antibiotic properties, but I’ve read some debate as to whether it’s good for them. Our chickens seem to do fine with it, I’m glad to hear yours do too. And yes, I’m still on the fence with the heat lamp. Maybe I should just try it at night like you do. We had it on 24 hours a day and the whole coupe was toasty. They refused to come outside, instead they would all huddle in the doorway to get some fresh air. Occasionally someone would get knocked out in the snow and she would squak and push herself back in. I say “no heat lamp” now, but I know myself, I will be trekking it down to the coupe some cold winter night with extension cords in hand -Ha! I’m such a push over. Thanks so much for your comment!
I have a CFI light bulb on a timer for 2am-7am. They are going to roost at 4pm now and egg production was falling way off. They needed a longer day and now things are picking up.
My hen house roof is insulated so their body heat isn’t escaping through the roof. They instinctively know how to bunch up an move around to stay warm enough.
I have an issue with feeding chickens animal flesh but you can give them worms or grubs for protein. One of the biggest issues for birds in the cold weather is having a supply of water. I will be using a heated waterer this winter.
Also don’t forget to bank you chicken house. Plastic works or bales of straw work well.
I disagree with not having a heat lamp at nite. I keep one that is the dim kind on my banties at nite so they dont have to struggle to stay warm during their time of rest.. they dont molt and seem to do much better with it at nite. I also feed pumpkins and table scraps to them..I give them a warm breakfast of hot water mixed with powdered milk and garlic and usually some kind of meat or dog food mixed in.. I will try the electrolites and other vitamins.. that will help also..thanks for your blog!!!!