Raising backyard chickens is a great way to naturally get rid of table scraps and keep fresh eggs in your home. Unfortunately, they also require lots of care. Perhaps the time that they need the most care to stay healthy is throughout the winter. Keep reading to get some tips for keeping your chickens healthy during those cold winter months.
Light Your Coop
You may have noticed a decrease in egg production as the days get shorter and colder. While the temperature is partially to blame, the lack of light is the biggest factor in egg production. If you want to keep your chickens producing healthy eggs all winter long, then light up your chicken coop. Even though it’s not natural light, it’ll still influence your chickens to keep laying their eggs.
Insulate Your Coop
Just because the cold doesn’t affect your chickens as much as the darkness does, doesn’t mean you can skip insulating your coop. Cold chickens are unhappy chickens, even though they can fluff up their feathers to stay warm. Add insulation in any holes or weak spots to help keep your chickens safe and comfortable during the cold, windy winter. Just make sure you don’t block too much airflow, as this can cause ammonia to collect.
Reduce Ammonia Buildup
Most people worry more about ammonia buildup in the summer when the sun heats things up and makes it easier to smell. Ammonia is still a problem in the winter, though, and can negatively affect your and your chickens’ health. The best way to reduce ammonia buildup in the winter is to add a mesh vent to your coop. Any venting will help, but a mesh vent in the roof of your coop will do the best job of keeping the air inside fresh.
Keep Bedding Fresh
Another way to reduce ammonia buildup and keep your chickens happy is to keep their bedding fresh. Some companies scientifically design bedding to capture and eliminate ammonia odors, but you’ll still need to keep it fresh to keep your chickens healthy. Even if you just use natural bedding options like straw, changing it frequently helps insulate the coop, prevents bacteria from proliferating, and keeps chickens happy.
Feed Them More
Some people think chickens need less food in the cold months because they get less exercise. But the opposite is true. Maintaining their body heat in colder temperatures uses more energy, which means they need more food. You can invest in a special winter feed to help them keep up their ideal weight or just feed them more.
Keeping your chickens healthy through the winter is difficult but important. The extra care you put in will allow them to reward you with plenty of delicious fresh eggs, though, which will make the work worth it.
