How to Keep Chickens Warm In Winter + Prevent Frostbite

Come explore 10 ways to keep chickens warm in cold winter weather (without electricity!) along with tips to help prevent frostbite, winterize the coop and run, and keep your chickens as happy, healthy, and comfortable as possible. I’ve also included tips about using electric heaters in the coop, if you’re considering that option.

Truth be told, heat waves are typically more life-threatening to chickens than cold weather is. With their built-in down jackets, many breeds are exceptionally cold-hardy! However, folks in freezing climates will still need to take measures to add extra insulation, block cold drafts, stop their water from freezing and more.

(This post was originally published in November 2019 but recently significantly updated.)

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What temperature is too cold for chickens?

There’s no exact number or temperature that is considered “too cold” for chickens. In general, chickens are quite cold hardy and should be able to comfortably survive temperatures in the teens or lower (F), especially if you follow the tips in this article to help keep them warm.

However, the risk for frostbite comes when temperatures dip below 32°F (although wind, moisture, and breed are big contributing factors). See specific tips on preventing frostbite in the sections to follow.

How well chickens tolerate cold also greatly depends on their age, feathers, and breed. For instance, cold-hardy chicken breeds include Ameraucana, Easter Eggers, Marans, Orpingtons, Wyandottes, Speckled Sussex, Brahmas, and Australorps. Yet Silkes, Frizzles, and some bantams generally aren’t very cold-tolerant. Young chickens or those that aren’t fully-feathered (e.g. molting) will need more protection in winter too.

Keep in mind that the temperature inside a winterized coop should be much warmer than the ambient air outside! We use this indoor/outdoor thermometer to monitor the temp and humidity inside our coop. With its remote sensor, we can easily keep an eye on things from inside the house!

10 Ways to Keep Chickens Warm in Winter

1) Prevent Cold Drafts

Does your chicken coop allow cold air or wind to blow inside through slats, cracks, windows, or large screened sections? If so, do your best to seal things up! Preventing cold drafts is one of the best and easiest ways to prevent frostbite and keep chickens warm in winter, especially overnight.

Plywood is one inexpensive option to patch or cover openings. Or, use a tarp, durable clear plastic sheeting, or Tyvek material to completely wrap the coop to winterize it. Our chicken coop has several operable windows that we close for winter, and only open on warm days as needed. Ensure the roof is waterproof and sealed as needed too.

However, do not block off all ventilation openings – explained next.

RELATED: Check out 10 Ways to Keep Chickens Cool in Hot Summer Weather, along with our 10 Favorite Chicken Coop Supplies that will make your life easier!

2) Maintain Good Coop Ventilation

While it’s important to block cold drafts, ventilation is essential in a chicken coop – especially during winter! A build-up of ammonia and moist, stagnant air from their breath and droppings will increase the risk of moldy bedding, respiratory infections, and frostbite.

Therefore, ensure the coop maintains good ventilation and low humidity levels with the use of screened predator-proof vents. Vents should be located near the top of the coop, well above where the chickens roost. This will allow hot steamy air to rise and escape, but prevent the potential cold drafts coming through the vents and blowing directly across them. 

3) Add Insulation

Did you know that the internal temperature of an adult chicken is around 106 degrees Fahrenheit? They generate a lot of body heat – which can also help heat the coop without electricity! By adding extra insulation and thermal mass, you can better trap valuable body heat inside to keep your chickens warm, naturally.

If you live in a very cold climate, you may want to consider permanently insulating the walls of the coop (which will also keep the temperature down during summer) but do so in a chicken-safe manner! On the floor of the coop, add thick layers of bedding material such as straw or pine shavings. Depending on the size and layout, you could even add full bales of straw inside the coop for extra insulation (which will also take up empty space instead of cold air) or stack them around the outside or underneath your coop.

More chickens = more body heat, just in case you need another “excuse” to get more.

4) Preventing Frostbite

The most cold-sensitive part of a chicken is their comb and wattles. The larger the comb and wattles, the more prone to frostbite they are. Single-comb roosters are especially at risk, and they don’t usually tuck their heads at night like hens do. Chickens feet are also vulnerable to frostbite; see tips about using flat roosts in the next section!

Chickens living in cold, damp conditions are increasingly susceptible compared to those with a drier environment. High wind chill combined with excessive moisture is a recipe for disaster when it comes to frostbite, highlighting the need for good ventilation as well as blocking cold drafts.

One simple way to help prevent frostbite in chickens is to coat their combs and wattles with vaseline, coconut oil, or petroleum jelly. You could also apply a healing salve, like our organic calendula salve! Some chicken keepers say they never do this, while others swear by lathering their flock before bedtime on freezing nights.

Signs of frostbite include black or white discoloration and sometimes blisters, especially on the tips of a chicken’s comb and droopiest part of their wattles (the areas furthest from their body). Damaged tissue slowly dies and eventually falls off. Learn more about treating frostbite in chickens here.

5) Use Flat Roosts

Roosts are a chicken coop basic, but they help keep them warm in winter too. Since heat rises, roosting up high is much warmer than being close to the cold ground. I even know folks who wrap their winter roosts in old cloth towels to offer extra insulation and comfort.

Flat roosts (such a 2×4″ board on its wide side) are generally more comfortable for chickens than round dowels or natural branches. In winter, flat roosts also help prevent frostbite! By keeping their feet flat, chickens can hunker down and keep their toes protected beneath their warm bodies and fluff. On the other hand, round roosts leaves their toes curled down and exposed. I’ve seen many chickens lose toes or even whole feet due to frostbite…

Also, there is warmth in numbers. Chickens snuggle together to stay more warm and cozy, so if you have a chicken that tends to sleep alone or in another location (such as in the nest box), move her to the roost with the others on frigid nights.

6) Winterize the Run

Winterizing your chicken run will encourage your flock to come out of the coop for some much-needed fresh air and sunshine on extra chilly days. (And to eat and drink, if that’s where you keep their food and water.)

In a similar fashion to the coop, you can use tarps, heavy-duty plastic sheeting, or sections of clear corrugated roofing material to cover or wrap the run area to offer added protection from rain, snow, and wind. I’ve seen folks create poly tunnels, hoop houses, or makeshift “greenhouses” for their chickens too!

Additionally, lay down thick straw over the frozen ground or snow, giving them a warmer place to comfortably walk around. Some chickens don’t mind tromping through the snow, but monitor their feet for signs of frostbite!

7) Warm Food, Carbs and Treats

Keeping your chickens well-fed during the winter also helps keep them warm! Even though they’re less active, chickens surprisingly consume more feed in the winter than they do in spring or summer. The simple process of consuming and digesting food helps generate internal heat, warming them from within. Plus if your flock normally free-ranges, reduced foraging in winter means they’ll be getting less calories from insects or plants.

As most chickens take a break from laying eggs in winter, their nutritional needs also shift slightly – demanding less protein for egg production and more carbohydrates for basic energy instead.

So, in addition to their regular feed, consider offering your flock warming treats (in moderation) such as cracked corn, scratch, DIY flock block, cooked rice, grits, corn, or warm oatmeal – perhaps topped with chopped fruit or sunflower seeds. You could also moisten their feed with warm water or offer fermented chicken feed for a nutritional boost.

Some folks choose to keep feed inside the coop during winter to encourage their birds to eat more, yet others prefer to keep it outside to force them to get outside for fresh air.

Finally, be sure to provide an additional source of grit if the ground is frozen or they cannot otherwise forage naturally! Grit is essential as it helps to properly break down food material in their crop.

RELATED: Don’t miss our complete list of chicken-safe treats (and toxic things to avoid) – or our easy flock block recipe, which is also a great boredom buster for winter!

8) Prevent Water from Freezing

As the temperatures drop below freezing, you need to find a way to prevent your chickens water from freezing too! Exactly how will vary depending on your climate, coop or run set up, and access to electricity. For instance, if it only freezes overnight in your area, you may be able to simply put out fresh water each morning.

Ways to keep chicken water from freezing:

• Manually change out the water as needed. This may mean bringing out fresh water each morning, or potentially a couple times per day – depending on your weather. Be sure to have two chicken waterers, bowls, or other containers available so you can simply swap out the frozen one for a fresh one.
  
  
• Keeping water in direct sun can help prevent it from freezing as readily.
  
  
• If electricity is available in your chicken coop or run, use a heated pet bowl, heated poultry waterer, or specialized heated base to set their water container on – made for this very situation.
  
  
• You could keep the water inside the coop, which should be several degrees warmer than ambient outdoor temperatures. However, some chicken keepers advise against putting water in the coop since it also adds undesirable moisture inside.
  
  
• Insulate the chickens water container such as with old wool caps, towels, or other materials. Chicken expert Lisa Steele from Fresh Eggs Daily shares a nifty trick to keep her chickens’ water from freezing using old insulated tires in this video.
  
  

9) Deep Litter Method

You could also use the “deep litter method” in the coop to help keep your chickens warm in winter. Rather than regularly cleaning it out, continue to add more fresh bedding on top of soiled bedding. The deep litter provides insulation, and also naturally produces some heat thanks to the microbial activity within it – similar to a hot compost pile!

However, the deep litter method is only effective if managed properly. If not, it can also increase undesirable humidity and ammonia levels, causing more harm than good. See this guide to learn more about the deep litter method and best practices.

10) Electric Coop Heaters

Finally, you could install an electric coop heater to keep your chickens warm in winter, though it’s a somewhat controversial subject. Some cold-climate chicken keepers insist it isn’t necessary. It may also encourage the birds to stay indoors rather than getting fresh air outside, or prevent them from getting accustomed to the cold.

However, other chicken keepers routinely provide supplemental heat for their chickens in the winter – be it out of “necessity” and extreme cold, or simply because they feel sorry for the poor dears. Others only provide heat on occasion or extra-chilly nights. 

The risk of fire is the largest concern with providing supplemental electric heat, so do your homework, heed safety precautions, and exercise good common sense if you decide to go this route! Traditional heat lamps pose the most fire risk, as they can easily topple over into bedding or other ignitable material. Yet there are many more modern, safer radiant-heat options available that pose less risk.

To heat or not to heat your chicken coop during winter is a personal decision.

Tips for Molting During Winter

Most chickens go through their annual molt and lose feathers in the fall, but have hopefully grown fresh new fluffy feathers before deep winter hits. However, if you have molting chickens during very cold weather, there are a few things you can do to help them stay warm. 

• Provide extra protein-rich foods to encourage fast feather growth. 
• Create a “chicken sandwich” by tucking the less feathered birds between their biggest, fluffiest buddies on the roost at night.
• If necessary, carefully set up a safe heat source in the winter chicken coop – or even bring them indoors.
• As cute as it may seem, do NOT put “chicken sweaters” on them! The extra pressure against them is very uncomfortable and even painful while their new feathers are growing out.

For more tips, see our guide on caring for molting chickens.

And that concludes this lesson!

I hope you found this information to be useful, and learned something new to help your flock stay as warm and cozy as possible! Please feel free to ask questions, and pin or share this post.

If you’re a newer chicken parent, please pop over to our Beginner’s Guide on Raising Chickens for even more tips. Finally, when winter goes away and things start to heat up again, come back to learn 10 Ways to Keep Chickens Cool in Hot Summer Weather!

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• When Do Chickens Start Laying Eggs? 5 Tell-Tale Signs It’s Soon!
• How to Store & Wash Fresh Eggs: Best Practices for Backyard Chicken Eggs
• How to Make a Chicken Dust Bath: Easy DIY Ideas