• Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Contact Us
Sunday, March 26, 2023
Pet Rescue Blog
  • Pets
  • Breeds
    • Dog Breed
    • Mixed Dog Breeds
    • Cat Breeds
  • Food
  • Adopt a pet
    • Adopt a Pet in Houston
    • Rescue Dogs in New York City
  • Fitness
  • Pet Care
  • Reviews
    • List
  • Shop
  • More
    • Pet Names
      • Boy Cat Names
      • Female Cat Names
      • Horse Names
      • Bird Names
    • Health
    • Coupons
    • Infographics
    • Video
No Result
View All Result
  • Pets
  • Breeds
    • Dog Breed
    • Mixed Dog Breeds
    • Cat Breeds
  • Food
  • Adopt a pet
    • Adopt a Pet in Houston
    • Rescue Dogs in New York City
  • Fitness
  • Pet Care
  • Reviews
    • List
  • Shop
  • More
    • Pet Names
      • Boy Cat Names
      • Female Cat Names
      • Horse Names
      • Bird Names
    • Health
    • Coupons
    • Infographics
    • Video
No Result
View All Result
Pet Rescue Blog
No Result
View All Result

Care of chickens in winter

by Kithreen
September 5, 2021
in Chicken
Reading Time: 5 mins read
chickens in winter

Most chickens can stay outside in the winter just fine. They love to walk around and they can handle the cold well. There are of course a number of points that you should pay extra attention to in winter. Especially when it freezes or snows,

it is wise to keep a close eye on the chickens, the coop, and the water supply. But keeping chickens warm during cold winter days or nights is really not necessary. The animals are perfectly capable of keeping themselves warm.

Topics in This Blog

    • RelatedPosts
    • Infectious Coryza or acute snot in chickens
    • Identifying, Treating and Preventing Types of Lice in Chickens
  • Chickens in winter
  • Water
  • Feed for chickens in winter
  • Shelter
  • Collect eggs
  • night cage
  • Protection of wattles, combs, and paws
  • Snow
  • Not hardy chicken breeds

RelatedPosts

Coryza

Infectious Coryza or acute snot in chickens

Lice in Chickens

Identifying, Treating and Preventing Types of Lice in Chickens

Chickens in winter

Chickens generally tolerate the cold well. Most chickens in winter can therefore remain outside. There are a number of points that should be taken into account during cold winter days. For example, it must be ensured that the drinking water of the chickens is not frozen. The chickens must also be provided with sufficient feed for extra energy to stay warm.chickens in winter

Furthermore, a draft-free coop with sufficiently warm ground cover is a nice place for the chickens to stay during the night. Finally, sufficient shelter and good care of the wattles, combs, and legs ensure that the chickens get through the winter without any worries.

Water

Water is very important for chickens. Without fresh drinking water, chickens will stop laying eggs. If there is dehydration, the chickens will become weaker and in extreme cases can die. When there is frost, the drinking water of the chickens can freeze. If there is only night frost,

it is fairly easy to provide fresh drinkable water. Chickens are usually in the night coop at night and will not drink. It is, therefore, best to put the drinking water inside during the nights and put it outside again early in the morning.

You can also choose to empty the drinking tower at night and refill it the next morning. Providing unfrozen water is more difficult when it also freezes during the day. There are several ways to keep the water frost-free:

  • Fill the drinking tower with lukewarm water and refresh it regularly throughout the day. Try to place the water in a place where the sun shines. In light frost, changing twice a day will be sufficient, but on really cold days it may be necessary to change the water more often.
  • Use a heating element that you place under the drinking tower. Check regularly whether the water is ice-free.
  • Buy a second drinking tower and put it filled near the heating. If the water is frozen outside, you can easily swap the drinking towers and let the frozen water thaw inside.

There are also some tips for things not to do to keep the water ice-free:

  • Do not add salt, sugar, or antifreeze to the water. This is unhealthy for the chickens.
  • Do not give hot water. The water vapor can cause the comb and wattles to freeze.
  • Do not give water from a metal drinking trough or drinking tower. The comb of the chickens can stick to it during frost.chickens in winter

Feed for chickens in winter

During cold days, chickens need extra feed. They use more energy to keep their bodies warm. The metabolism is higher during the winter. It is best to give nutritious food with extra carbohydrates. Grains such as corn and sunflower seeds are energy-rich and nutritious. Also, green food,

fruit, and insects are tasty and nutritious extra. Do not give fat balls for birds or cooked rice or pasta. This is because there are too few nutrients for the chickens and this food can also cause problems with digestion.

Reading suggestions;Care Of Chickens During The Summer Day

Shelter

Not necessary, but comfortable for the chickens, is some extra shelter. Make sure that the chickens are not in drafts and give them plenty of places to shelter in rain, hail, or snow showers. For example, you can move a run for a fence, or cover the run with wood, for example. A raised night loft also offers opportunities to hide under.

Collect eggs

Although you should collect eggs every day throughout the year, this is especially important in severe frost to maintain the quality of the eggs. Eggs consist of more than half water and can easily freeze. Frozen eggs will burst and the eggs will no longer be usable. In addition, it will be a mess if the eggs are still in the coop when thaw.

night cage

Night frost regularly occurs in the Netherlands and Belgium. It is therefore important to make the night loft well resistant to cold nights. Because chickens can withstand the cold well, heating the night coop is not necessary. It can even cause the chickens to get sick because the temperature difference between inside and outside increases.chickens in winter

The coop should be draft-free, but still have sufficient ventilation to prevent moisture build-up. A thick layer of bedding is also comfortable for the chickens. Aubiose and hemp fiber in particular are good ground covers because they absorb little moisture. Straw is a suitable ground cover to retain heat.

Wood shavings, beech chips, and hay are less suitable ground covers in winter because these materials retain moisture that can freeze. Finally, it is good not to let the chickens sleep in a night coop that is too large. smaller lofts heat up faster due to their own body heat.

Protection of wattles, combs, and paws

In real severe frosts, it is possible that the combs or wattles of the chickens freeze. Also, legs with feathers, such as with saber legs, can freeze. You can rub wattles and combs with Vaseline. In case of persistent frost, it is best to apply once a week. With only night frost, lubrication every other week is sufficient. Foot feathers should be checked regularly for ice. If necessary, ice can be removed with a hairdryer.

Snow

Although chickens can handle snow well, the animals will appreciate it if the run or outdoor area is cleared of snow. Chickens cannot forage well in the snow and will get bored faster. Snow should also always be removed from the roof of a run or night hut. Not all roofs can withstand heavy snow well and there is a possibility that the roofs will collapse or break.

Not hardy chicken breeds

Although almost all breeds can withstand the cold, there are a number of varieties that cannot withstand cold winters. Seramas and fighting breeds like Ko Shamo can’t stay outside in freezing temperatures. These varieties originate from warm areas and are not adapted to frost.

These chickens can be kept in a heated shed or coop. For example, the loft can be heated with heat lamps or a heating element.

Tags: care of chickens
Pin3Tweet5Share8Send

Kithreen

This is Kithreen, staff writer and editor who knows that good writing takes more than carefully chosen words. Currently, I'm working at pet rescue blog and covering pet stories, sharing pet product and service reviews. Open for resource connection through HARO and Much Rack.

Related Posts

Coryza
Chicken

Infectious Coryza or acute snot in chickens

Lice in Chickens
Chicken

Identifying, Treating and Preventing Types of Lice in Chickens

snot
Chicken

Snot in chickens: recognizing and treating the disease

Follow Us on Google News

Pet Rescue Blog on Google News

Categories

  • Behavior (18)
  • Birds (28)
  • Cat Breeds (16)
  • Cat Names (2)
  • Cats (106)
  • CBD (17)
  • Chicken (23)
  • Dog Breed (36)
  • Dog Names (5)
  • Dog Park (4)
  • Dogs (281)
  • Events (3)
  • Facts (5)
  • Featured (58)
  • Fish (21)
  • Fitness (6)
  • Food (42)
  • Grooming (12)
  • Hamster (2)
  • Health (89)
  • Horse (42)
  • Infographics (2)
  • Insects (10)
  • Insurance (9)
  • List (3)
  • Mixed Dog Breeds (9)
  • NEWS (6)
  • Our Pet (5)
  • Pet Accessories (1)
  • Pet Names (3)
  • Pets (203)
  • Rabbits (21)
  • Reptile (6)
  • Reviews (21)
  • Rodents (9)
  • Senior Dog (1)
  • Training (24)
  • Travel (3)
  • Vets (3)
  • Video (9)
  • Wild (3)
  • Contact Us
  • Write for us
  • Advertise with us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • HTML Sitemap

© 2019 -22 Pet Rescue Blog

No Result
View All Result
  • Pets
  • Breeds
    • Dog Breed
    • Mixed Dog Breeds
    • Cat Breeds
  • Food
  • Adopt a pet
    • Adopt a Pet in Houston
    • Rescue Dogs in New York City
  • Fitness
  • Pet Care
  • Reviews
    • List
  • Shop
  • More
    • Pet Names
      • Boy Cat Names
      • Female Cat Names
      • Horse Names
      • Bird Names
    • Health
    • Coupons
    • Infographics
    • Video

© 2019 -22 Pet Rescue Blog

error: Content is protected !!
This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.