5 Winter Chicken Care Mistakes to Avoid
Yes, winter is on its way out - but if you struggled with keeping chickens through the frigid cold temperatures this winter, you might be wondering how to get ahead for next year. Don’t worry! We’re here to help.
Here at J&R Pierce Family Farm, I think it’s important to connect my readers with valuable insight from other experts. Today’s post is a guest post brought to you by Lisa Daniels at Own the Winter.
Chickens are sturdy little creatures that thrive in even the coldest of temperatures. Severe heat is frequently more life-threatening to chickens than extreme cold. After all, chickens are walking, squawking little down jackets! They may not enjoy the cold. But hens can readily survive in temperatures as low as ten degrees Fahrenheit. Still, they must have an adequately winterized coop to warm and dry in.
When the temperature outside grows colder, chicken owners must know how to care for their flock. Some areas may not receive snow. Others may receive several feet of snow. And in either case, everyone should prepare for winter. We'll go through five common chicken-owner blunders, why they're wrong, and what you can do about it.
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How Can You Tell if Chickens Are Too Cold?
Chickens are remarkably hardy, but you can tell that they need a bit more heat if you notice signs like:
Pale wattles and combs
Ruffled up feathers
Frostbitten combs
Usually, however, supplemental heat is not necessary - and can actually be dangerous. We’ll discuss this in more detail below, but for now, check out this post and this video for more information:
5 Winter Chicken Care Mistakes to Avoid
Here are some of the most common winter chicken care mistakes you can make - and tips on how to avoid them.
1. Providing A Heat Lamp For The Chicken Coop
One of the most dangerous winter chicken care errors you can make is using a heat lamp.
The most compelling argument against using a heat lamp? Heat lamps cause many coop fires every year. It could kill the entire flocks and extend to houses and other facilities.
It's tough to secure a heat lamp in such a way that it doesn't topple over. Consider the fact that chickens fly, and they do it erratically. The constant bumping of flying hens against heat lamps can cause them to loosen and fall.
Even if the heat lamp is correctly attached, debris such as chicken feathers might float up into it. It can become trapped, resulting in a coop fire.
Another reason to avoid the heat lamp is that it might turn out unexpectedly. It can happen in minutes, and you may not realize it until it's too late.
No one believes it will happen to them until it happens to them. We read of heat lamps causing coop fires and inflicting coop damage every year. Allowing this to happen to you is not a good idea.
If you still need to heat your coop in the winter, please use a flat panel heater instead of a heat lamp. It would be a much safer solution for the chicken coop.
2. Letting The Chicken's Water Freeze
One of the most common mistakes poultry owners make is failing to plan for frozen water, so knowing the minimum temperature to protect pipes from freezing is essential. Water is crucial for chickens. They need it to digest their food, develop, lay eggs, and control their body temperature. When the temperature outside drops below freezing, their water can freeze in as little as an hour.
It is why you should plan ahead of time. If your hens don't have access to water for even a few hours, you may witness a drop in egg production for weeks. They also refuse to eat and are unable to remain warm. You can heat their water with a heated chicken waterer or add the apple cider vinegar. You can also place a water bottle in it with salty water inside. Both of those last options will make it take the water longer to freeze.
3. Sealing The Chicken Coop And Not Letting Ventilation
Fresh air is something that everyone, including poultry, enjoys. Significant volumes of water disperse into the air when chickens breathe. This moist air generates humidity. If not ventilated, it can lead to frostbite, ammonia build-up, and other severe problems.
Some people think that introducing ventilation may endanger their chickens. The vents will, after all, allow the warmest air to escape; how could the flock survive without it? But, in reality, it's the warm air that poses the most threat to your birds. Because moisture traps in that heated air, it is your worst enemy when it comes to frostbite. It can also expose them to respiratory problems. The moisture created by your hens will condense on available surfaces. It can also affect frostbite-prone appendages if enough ventilation is not in place. When we add freezing temperatures to the equation, frostbite is a possibility.
Consider this: while you're outside in the cold, have you ever gotten your hands wet? When we expose our wet hands to cold air, they will freeze faster and cause frostbite. The same goes for excessive wetness in the coop.
4. Having a Draft in the Chicken Coop
If the cold wind is below zero, you'll want to make sure the coop isn't drafty in the winter. It can cause frostbite on combs, waddles, and toes. Drafts are uncontrollable gusts of wind that enter through a crack surrounding the window, walls, or around the floor.
We should seal everything from the roost to the floor. When a gust of cold air blows in, it chills the chickens, preventing them from staying warm. To help avoid these drafts, caulk around the windows and cover the walls with heavy plastic.
5. Using the Deep Litter Method Incorrectly
If you're using the deep litter, make sure you do it correctly. Otherwise, you risk making the coop unhealthy for the chickens and yourself. It would help if you used carbon-based litter, such as pine shavings, leaves, or grass clippings. Make sure you have the right bedding for your chickens. While it requires appropriate aeration, you cannot rely on the hens to turn it. So you will need to change it frequently.
Excess moisture and ammonia fumes must escape. Thus, it would help if you had cross-ventilation and open eaves. The humidity is not too dry or wet, as too much moisture can make the chickens sick. We build them up in stages, so you must begin in the spring. Start with four to six inches of pine shavings and add more as the material decomposes. We should never use diatomaceous earth. It kills important insects and bacteria while drying up the litter.
Final Word
While there are things that we should avoid during winter, we must remember the chicken needs too.
Provide them shelter, healthy food, and clean water for them to survive the winter. Cleaning the coop is a good idea. Provide a thick layer of pine shavings and straw for the chickens. We can use a clean straw to line the nests. Get rid of the cobwebs. Examine the airflow. Does it have proper ventilation? Maintain the coop's structure by repairing holes, fissures, and other weak spots. Doing so will ensure you have happy chickens and healthy production during winter.
What other tips do you have for raising chickens? Let me know in the comments!
Want to learn more about raising chickens? Be sure to check out these articles!
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