Healthy adult chickens cope with cold much better than with damp. Their feathers trap warm air, and cold-hardy breeds usually get through a freezing winter in an unheated coop. The trouble starts overnight, when a flock puts a lot of water into the air through its breath and droppings. If that air cannot escape, it condenses and freezes on combs and wattles, and that is how birds get frostbite in a coop that felt snug.
Winterizing a coop therefore means two jobs that sound opposed. Block the drafts at roost and floor level, where wind hits the birds, and leave vents open up near the roof, above their heads, where damp air can leave. Sealing every gap to hold the heat in traps the moisture with it.
Think hard before adding a heat lamp. A lamp that falls into dry bedding can set the coop on fire. If you do add heat, use a heater sold for coops and fix it so it cannot fall.
- Check the roof and walls for leaks — Do it before the first heavy rain or snow. Wet bedding in winter is hard to dry out.
- Block drafts at roost and floor level — Wind blowing across roosting birds pulls the warmth out of their feathers.
- Keep vents open near the roof line, above the roosts — Damp air rises and leaves through them without blowing on the birds.
- Look for frost or condensation on the inside walls on cold mornings — Frost inside the coop means the ventilation is not enough.
- Repair holes and loose wire that predators could get through — Check the hardware cloth, the door latches and the base of the run.
- Lay a deep layer of pine shavings or straw — With the deep litter method you add fresh bedding on top all winter and clean the coop out in spring.
- Make sure the roosts let birds cover their feet — A 2x4 laid with the wide side up lets a chicken sit down over its toes.
- Set up a way to keep water from freezing — Use a heated waterer, or set a metal waterer on a heated base.
- If the water is not heated, plan to swap it at least twice a day in freezing weather
- Check every cord and outlet that powers the coop — Use outdoor-rated extension cords and keep connections off the wet floor.
- Decide whether your flock needs any added heat — Cold-hardy breeds in a dry, draft-free coop usually do not.
- Fix any heater so it cannot fall into bedding — Use a heater sold for coops, and secure it with a chain or a second fixing as well as any clamp.
- Stock up on feed before snow makes trips hard — Chickens eat more in cold weather.
- Store feed in metal bins with tight lids — Mice and rats move toward food and shelter as it gets cold.
- Give a handful of scratch grains in the late afternoon
- Put a windbreak on the windward side of the run — Clear plastic or a tarp keeps the snow and wind out, so the birds still go outside on cold days.
- Spread straw over snowy patches in the run — Some chickens refuse to walk on snow and stay inside all day.
- Collect eggs more than once a day in freezing weather — An egg left in the nest box can freeze and crack.
- Expect fewer eggs as the days shorten — Laying slows when daylight drops below about 14 hours. Adding light in the coop keeps them laying, and leaving it off gives the hens a rest.
- Check combs and wattles for frostbite on very cold mornings — Pale, gray or black tips are the signs. If you find any, the coop needs more ventilation.
- Replace wet bedding around the waterer each week — Spilled water keeps that patch damp, and damp in the coop raises the risk of frostbite.
- Clear snow from the coop door and the run after each storm
- Keep a headlamp by the back door for dark morning and evening chores