Wind, moisture, and freezing temperatures can lead to ill chickens if you don’t make preparations now to keep them comfortable. Division of Extension Poultry Specialist Ron Kean walks us through recommendations on how to feed, heat, house, and water your backyard birds during the cold months.
Kean says it can be tempting to shut the coop up tight, but chickens need ventilation.
“We need to get rid of stale air and also a lot of moisture. If it gets damp, that can be pretty unhealthy, so we do need to ventilate,” he says. “So, yes close things up, but not completely airtight.”
Kean also recommends heating the coop and waterer (chickens need about a cup daily), and having deep-litter bedding to ensure the birds are comfortable and healthy. And, if your chickens are warm, they won’t require so much food.
Chickens don’t lay as many eggs in the winter because the days are shorter, he explains. You can fool them by having a light in the coop. Just because your eggs are “homegrown,” doesn’t mean they’re immune to issues you hear about in the headlines, such as salmonella or highly pathogenic avian influenza. Kean advises strong biosecurity practices, like separate clothes and shoes for chicken chores, and keeping your birds away from wildlife.
Salmonella can be passed from the hen through the egg to the chicks. It can spread to people by holding and kissing baby chicks. It may be hard for bird lovers to not give their chickens a kiss, but avoid it, he says.
“Rodents often carry salmonella, so if you’ve got mice in your chicken coop, that can spread it,” Kean says. “Preventing those things can be helpful.”
He says the best way to prevent salmonella poisoning is to cook your eggs.
