For those of us who sleep with our chickens , we want to go out of our way to keep chickens warm in the winter . It ’s true that , as poulet keeper , we are responsible for keep back our domestic fowl safe and quick in the wintertime , but there are proper and wrong ways to do that . In this clause , we ’ll be talking about how to keep chickens warm in the wintertime and the warming method you should avoid .
How cold can chickens tolerate?
Chickens are surprisingly sturdy in colder climates , especially cold weather breed , like silkies , wyandottes , andwelsummers . But just like people and other animal , if it gets too cold and they do n’t have appropriate shelter , they can freeze to death . wimp can tolerate temperatures down to freezing , 32 degrees Fahrenheit or 0 grade Celcius . Once it shake off below freezing , things can get a niggling fleck rasping for your chickens . They need a safe , warm tax shelter where they can hunker down during extremely insensate temperature .
How to keep chickens warm in the winter
Keeping your chickens fond in the wintertime is one of the most of import obligation of a chicken custodian . The safe news is that it is n’t all that hard to do . There are 6 simple steps you may take to help keep your chickens nice and warm when the days get shorter and the nights get colder .
Provide lots of bedding
Providing a cryptical layer of fuck at the bottom of your poulet cage and in the nesting boxes will avail your chickens keep their feet warm and provide a stratum of insulation at the bottom of your chicken coop . Chickens do n’t care nose candy , nor do they like having their foot resting on very moth-eaten surfaces . Bare Sir Henry Wood floor in a volaille coop during the wintertime will be unpleasant for your chickens and will lour the temperature inside of your Gallus gallus coop to possibly severe levels . I strive to keep a 3 - 6 inch layer of bedding in my chicken coop during the winter .
Provide a roost
provide your chickens with a roost is fundamental to their happiness and health , regardless of the time of year . A roost is a farsighted , categorical dowel or board that their talons are able to wind around . chicken prefer to rest on woodwind instrument that resembles ramification , where they would roost in the wild . supply a chicken roost will give your birds a place to huddle up next to each other in the winter . Your birds will fluff out their feather and share their consistency heat with one another , helping to keep each other lovesome .
Insulate your chicken coop
The body temperature of a volaille runs much hot than a human . wimp body temperatures usually place from about 105 to 106 degrees Fahrenheit . They ’re picayune furnaces ! One agency to keep them strong in the winter is by capturing their body rut inside of the cage . Just like with your home , adding a layer of insulation to your hencoop can make all the difference of opinion . Just be thrifty that any insulation you use is not expose to the interior of the chicken coop . The last thing you desire is for your birds to be peck at and eating your chicken coop insulation !
Reduce ventilation openings
I wish I could say there was a firm rule on how much respiration you need to provide your chickens in the wintertime , but there really is n’t . It look on a figure of component , from the size of your coop to how cold it gets in your area . The Feather Brainhas an extremely thorough analytic thinking of just how much ventilation you should have in your chicken henhouse , but for wintertime ventilation , the golden rule is to have as much ventilation in your coop as you peradventure can without letting in serious winter drafts . In my experience , this has call for reducing the sizing of my chicken coop ’s airing windows during the winter . It may be different for you .
Place your coop in a sunny spot
If you hold up in a region that is n’t totally overcast all wintertime , placing your chicken coop in a gay location can help increase the temperature inside of your chicken coop . This tip is a three-fold - edged blade , as it will also increase temperature in the coop in the summertime . This tip is ideal for climates that are cold in the wintertime and mild in the summer .
Be careful with heat sources
I see the impulsion to keep your chickens lovesome in the winter . I pass years living in Colorado , where temperatures could drop as low as -15 degrees Fahrenheit , far below freeze . But not once did I ever provide a heat source inside of my chicken henhouse . The world is , they do n’t necessitate a high temperature root unless it ’s go to be really , atrociously stale outside , and even then , it should n’t be much of a heat source .
Gallus gallus that are in a properly insulated crybaby coop , costless of drafts with plenty of bedding and an appropriate amount of ventilation will huddle up for lovingness . supply a heat germ to your wimp can be dangerous . I have seen volaille coop burn down because a heat lamp got strike hard down or a radiator got knocked over . It ’s just not a secure option for your chicken . Please avoid using heat source inside of your chicken chicken coop .
