Let it Snow!

Let it Snow!

Reading Time: 6 minutes

Follow these simple tips to help your chickens thrive this snow season.

By Elizabeth Mack Even in the mildest climates, winters can be challenging for backyard poultry flocks. By carefully preparing for weather extremes and understanding flock behavior, you’ll set your flock up to not just survive but thrive through winter. 

Winter Shelter Essentials 

Many backyard chicken enthusiasts expend a large amount of time and effort on their coop, while the run is often an afterthought. Don’t cut corners on the run. Unless your chickens are free-range, the run is where your flock will spend the majority of its time. Runs that face north or west should be protected from prevailing winter winds. Attaching heavy-duty tarps will keep out snow and rain and protect the flock from frigid winds. 

If you let your flock outside the pen, straw bales make a good wind break and also give chickens something to peck and play with. I have a predator-proof run with a small hut on the east exposure where morning sun hits. When the winter winds whip through the run, the chickens snuggle up in the hut. I also have a large, fenced-in enclosure where I’ve added two south-facing, covered huts. The outside shelters have become my flock’s favorite winter hangout. 

Don’t forget to keep an area for dust bathing available during winter to keep parasites at bay. After the growing season, I open up my raised vegetable beds for my girls; it’s their favorite area for a dust bath. It’s a win-win since their scratching prepares the dirt for spring planting, and they love the leftover kale I leave behind. 

All Cooped-Up 

On especially frigid days when your flock refuses to come out of the coop, place straw bales around the outside perimeter of the coop floor. Winds can leak in where the walls meet the flooring. The straw bale insulation will prevent the floor and wall seams from leaking, which is a major contributor to heat loss in the coop. 

Make sure the coop roosts are wide enough so that chickens can sit with their feet flat on the roost. Once they roost, their body will generate enough heat to keep their feet from frostbite. However, if the roost is too narrow or the roosting perch is round, this forces them to grip the perch with their toes, making them susceptible to frostbite. A 2-by-4 board works best for most chickens. Avoid metal, which absorbs the cold and can freeze. 

Chickens can tolerate the cold much better than heat. After their fall molt, they’ll have a thick coat of feathers to keep them warm. Artificially heating a coop isn’t just a fire hazard; it also can have a negative impact on a flock’s ability to acclimate to extreme weather conditions. Even though we might think it’s freezing when it’s 20 degrees Fahrenheit, your chickens will be just fine. If windchills dip to extremes, dab some petroleum jelly on their combs to prevent frostbite. 

Keep Moisture Out 

The enemy of chickens isn’t cold or snow but moisture. In rainy winter climates, it’s essential to keep the run floors dry. If chickens stand in a wet, muddy run, their pads will soften, which can lead to puncture injuries. By the time you discover a foot is infected, it’s often too late to save the chicken. 

Keep extra pine shavings or straw and several raised perches on hand for wet runs. I’ve also used wooden pallets for muddy walkways and added a few extra perches and old logs to keep them off the wet ground. 

Flocks that are reluctant to walk out into a snowy yard can be enticed by a path of dry straw. Just throw down some straw on a path and sprinkle a little scratch grain along the trail. They won’t be able to resist the temptation of the scratch treat, and getting out for a little exercise will keep them from getting bored. 

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Nutritional Needs 

Water is the most important factor for healthy chickens and continued egg production. During subfreezing weather, it’s essential to keep water from freezing. Thermostatically controlled waterers are a good option but can be pricey. I use heated dog bowls available at big box stores for under $20. Even in subzero temps, I’ve never had a problem with frozen water. With an open bowl, you have a greater risk of chickens dirtying the water. I like to give them fresh water daily or every other day, so I take that opportunity to make sure the bowl is clean. 

While it can be challenging in the dead of winter to clean out and refill their waterers, this is the best way to keep them hydrated and healthy. Avoid continually topping off the water, as chickens will avoid stale water. 

Warm scrambled eggs with a little oyster shell makes for a nutritious winter treat for your flock. While cracked corn and other scratch grains are a common treat, take care not to overdo it. Chickens need excellent nutrition during the cold winter months, and scratch grains have no nutritional value. On especially frigid nights, I’ll give my flock a small amount right before they go to roost. When they go in for the night, they’ll digest the grains and help keep their body temperatures warm. 

Lurking Predators 

During long, frigid winters, food sources for wild animals become scarce, and natural predators — most notably coyotes and raccoons — will come sniffing around your flock. You might see and hear coyotes during their mating season, from January through March. Raccoons will also be active starting around January but will hang around much longer than coyotes, usually through late spring. My coop and run are predator-proof fortresses — or so I thought. I’ve still lost a coop full of hens to a murderous raccoon. 

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Make sure that the coop and run are secure. Check the hardware cloth, making sure it’s securely fastened. The staples used on the hardware cloth can loosen over time, especially in winter during freeze and thaw cycles. I’ve checked entrance doors and found little handprints where a raccoon has tried to dig its way in. Keep an eye on your run fencing and repair any breaches. Check the roofline as well, and if you let your chickens free-range, make sure they have a covered area to hide from overhead predators. Hawks, owls, and eagles are active in late winter. 

Boredom Busters 

When chickens are confined in a small space for long periods, they can become irritable and testy, just like humans. Pecking and fighting are signs of boredom and overcrowding. Make sure your flock has outlets for their energy before they’re snowed in. Here are some to consider. 

Wind chimes. Hang a metal wind chime in the run. The chickens will be attracted to the shiny metal and peck the chimes. 

Fresh herbs. Consider hanging some fresh herbs or greenery as well. Dried herbs, such as thyme, rosemary, or oregano make great treats. 

Small bricks or logs. Place them around the perimeter of the run as a great hidey-hole for overwintering insects. Turn them over every week or so. The beetles and other small insects make for a juicy chicken treat. 

Hollow branches and stems. Hollow branches can be a micro-habitat for overwintering insects. Save them and throw them in the run. When I grow sunflowers in the fall, I save the seed head and the large stem, where insects overwinter, as a source of winter treats. 

Snow. Most chickens actually like to peck and scratch in the snow for tasty insects. 

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Even mild climates can have their share of challenging weather conditions for backyard flocks. With a little careful planning, your flock might enjoy this year’s winter weather. 


Freelance writer Elizabeth Mack keeps a small flock of chickens on a 2-plus-acre hobby farm outside of Omaha, Nebraska. Her work has appeared in Capper’s Farmer, Out Here, First for Women, Nebraskaland, and numerous other print and online publications. Her first book, Healing Springs & Other Stories, includes her introduction—and subsequent love affair—with chicken-keeping. Visit her website Chickens in the Garden (www.ChickensInTheGarden.com)


Originally published in the December 2022/January 2023 issue of Backyard Poultry and regularly vetted for accuracy.

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