The Chicken Keeper's Winter Survival Kit- Everything You Need to Keep Your Flock Thriving Through the Season

As the days get shorter and temperatures drop, backyard chicken keepers know it's time to shift gears. Winter brings new challenges- freezing waters, frostbite, reduced egg production and the ever-present battle against boredom. But with the right preparation and care, your chickens can thrive even in the coldest months.

There are only a few things that are critical to a backyard flock in cold temperatures:

• access to water

• a nutritionally complete chicken feed

• a dry, draft free living space

  
  

  Actively planning to ensure chickens have those resources is the key to cold weather comfort and safety. When effective litter and best management practices are used for waste management, caring for chickens in winter doesn't require much effort.

  
  

Here's your ultimate Backyard Chicken Keeper's Winter Survival Kit to help you (and your flock) get through winter stress-free.

Understanding the Needs of Chickens in Winter

Chickens are surprisingly tough animals, but their needs transform significantly when winter arrives. Understanding their behaviors and physical requirements can help you provide the right care.

Chickens are warm-blooded and thrive in moderate conditions. They handle cold better than extreme heat but still require protection from harsh weather.

But don't confuse your comfort level with a chicken's comfort level. Chickens are anatomically very different from people and have unique attributes that allow them to regulate their body temperatures.

A properly winterizes chicken coop allows them to keep themselves warm.

Coop Insulation & Draft Control

A warm winter coop begins with proper insulation and effective draft control. The purpose of insulation is to retain heat and reduce heat loss, not to create an airtight environment. A coop must always be able to breathe. However, any gaps, cracks, or openings at roost height—such as those around windows, doors, or wall seams—should be sealed to prevent cold drafts from blowing directly onto the birds.

Understanding Ventilation

Ventilation refers to the continuous exchange of stale, moist, or ammonia-laden air with fresh, clean air. While poor ventilation is a major concern in large commercial operations where birds are confined 24/7, backyard flocks have a much more forgiving environment.

Backyard chickens spend the night in the coop, but they are not confined there throughout the day. Once the coop is opened in the morning, fresh air circulates freely through open doors and pop holes, naturally refreshing the coop environment. Because of this, ventilation in a well-maintained backyard coop is typically straightforward to manage.

There’s no need to overcomplicate it:

• Eliminate drafts at roost height,

• Ensure there is passive ventilation up high, and

• Allow daily airflow when the birds exit for the day.

Heated Water Source

Consistent access to fresh, unfrozen water is essential for maintaining flock health throughout winter. Chickens rely on water for thermoregulation, digestion, nutrient absorption, growth, and egg production. Even short periods of water deprivation can significantly reduce or halt egg laying for weeks. Snow is not an adequate substitute, as it cannot provide the necessary volume or nutritional function of liquid water.

Because chickens consume more feed during cold weather to maintain body heat, their water intake must remain stable to support proper digestion. For this reason, a heated poultry nipple drinker or another reliable heated water system is the most efficient way to prevent ice formation. All effective heated drinkers require electricity; without it, you must provide fresh water multiple times per day—often an exhausting routine in harsh conditions.

Why Water Should Never Be Kept Inside the Coop

Frozen temperatures combined with moisture inside the coop significantly increase the risk of frostbite. Chickens produce a large amount of moisture through both respiration and droppings—the latter of which are approximately 85% water. When excessive moisture becomes trapped, condensation will appear on windows and surfaces, signaling a ventilation or sanitation issue.

Placing water inside the coop contributes heavily to this problem. Chickens will repeatedly enter to drink—and inevitably poop—throughout the day, creating a constant cycle of moisture that is impossible to manage. This leads to damp litter, ammonia buildup, and unsafe conditions for the flock.

For these reasons, food and water should never be kept inside the coop.

Chickens do not drink at night, as they are asleep once roosted—provided artificial lighting is not left on overnight, which is not recommended. As long as clean, unfrozen water is accessible within an hour of daybreak, your flock will meet their hydration needs safely without compromising coop conditions.

Nutrition

A balanced, high-quality layer ration is the foundation of flock health—especially in winter. Do not change or supplement their primary diet during the colder months. Chickens naturally consume more feed in winter to fuel their internal “furnace,” generating heat through digestion. Their layer ration is specifically formulated to meet these increased nutritional demands.

Backyard chickens typically have adequate fat reserves and are often very well fed—sometimes overfed. Treats and snacks, while popular, can disrupt essential nutrient balance and interfere with proper egg production. Despite common myths, laying hens should not be “fattened up” for winter. Excess calories do not equate to improved cold tolerance.

Current research shows that backyard chickens are increasingly experiencing obesity-related health issues, most notably Fatty Liver Hemorrhagic Syndrome (FLHS) and heat stress, due to being fed high-fat or high-energy extras in addition to their formulated feed.

How Chickens Generate Heat

Chickens maintain their body temperature by eating. As they digest feed, they produce metabolic heat, which warms the air next to their skin. Their feathers then trap that warm air, creating natural insulation. This is the safest and most effective way for birds to stay warm in cold weather.

Why High-Fat Treats Are Not Beneficial

Items such as suet, scratch grains, and cracked corn do not provide meaningful winter benefits. Instead, they can:

• Disrupt nutrient balance

• Reduce egg production

• Create behavioral issues

• Interfere with proper feather regrowth

• Contribute to long-term obesity and liver disease

These products are better suited for wild birds, not backyard laying hens.

Frostbite Prevention & Treatment

Roosters and hens with large combs or wattles are particularly vulnerable to frostbite during winter. Frostbite occurs when moisture combines with freezing temperatures, creating conditions that damage exposed tissues.

Prevention

The most effective way to prevent frostbite is to maintain a dry, well-ventilated coop with appropriate litter. Reducing excess moisture from respiration, droppings, and damp litter significantly lowers the risk of tissue damage.

Avoid using petroleum-based products such as Vaseline as a preventative measure. Despite common belief, these products contain water and can actually worsen frostbite in severe cold.

Treatment

If frostbite does occur, prompt care is essential. Chick’ N Balm can be applied to aid in soothing and healing affected areas. It is designed to support recovery—but it should not be used as a protective barrier to prevent frostbite.

Coop Cleanliness & Litter

Maintaining a clean coop is especially important during winter, when moisture and ammonia can build up quickly and pose health risks to your flock.

Moisture Control

Use Freshcoop on the droppings board beneath the roosts after removing overnight waste to help absorb excess moisture. Since winter droppings tend to be wetter, effective moisture absorption is essential for reducing humidity and preventing frostbite, odors, and respiratory irritation.

Sand for Coop Litter

Sand is an excellent choice for winter coop litter. Its benefits include:

• Rapid moisture evaporation, keeping the coop drier

• Superior warmth retention due to high thermal mass

• More stable coop temperatures compared to traditional materials like pine shavings

Because sand dries quickly and doesn’t decompose, it helps maintain a cleaner, healthier environment during cold, damp months.

Chick’ N Protect for Winter Freshness

Winter often means closed-up coops, which can trap odors and moisture. This is when

Chick’ N Protect becomes a powerful addition to your kit.

Use it to:

✔ Neutralize odors naturally in nesting boxes and roosting areas

✔ Keep the coop fresh between deep cleanings

✔ Repel flies, mosquitoes, ticks, and mites — pests that can still appear in winter warm-ups

✔ Create a cleaner, healthier environment for sensitive winter respiratory systems

Lightly spray in nesting boxes, under roosts, and on bedding for a refreshed, insect-resistant coop environment.

Respiratory Support in Winter: Chick’ N Breath

Cold temperatures and increased moisture can create conditions where mild respiratory issues become more noticeable. If you hear sneezing, wheezing, coughing, or raspy breathing, Chick’ N Breath can help.

Chick’ N Breath is formulated to:

✔ Boost the immune system

✔ Reduce respiratory discomfort

✔ Ease symptoms such as sneezing, wheezing, and coughing

✔ Help birds breathe easier and stay more comfortable in cold, damp weather

Adding it to your winter wellness routine can make a meaningful difference in keeping your flock healthy through fluctuating temperatures and increased humidity.

Deep Litter Method

We do not recommend using the deep litter method for most backyard flocks. Although often promoted as a “low-maintenance” option that generates heat, deep litter actually requires careful and consistent management, including:

• Regular stirring

• Monitoring internal litter temperatures

• Maintaining precise moisture levels

Improperly managed deep litter can create dangerous conditions, including excessive ammonia, mold growth, and harmful bacterial buildup. Additionally, most small backyard flocks do not produce enough waste to achieve the internal temperatures needed for safe deep litter composting.

Roosting Setup

For winter, 2×4 roost boards placed with the wide side facing up are the best choice. This allows chickens to sit fully on their feet, using their body heat to keep their toes warm while they sleep—an important preventative measure against frostbite.

Create Wind Breaks

Protecting your flock from harsh winter winds is an important part of maintaining a comfortable outdoor environment. One of the most effective and affordable solutions is using 6-mil contractor’s plastic to cover the run walls. This simple modification helps block wind, rain, and snow, creating a noticeably warmer and more sheltered run area.

On sunny winter days, the enclosed run can function almost like a greenhouse, often becoming up to 10°F warmer than the outside temperature. Just as a coop must be kept free from drafts at roost height, the run also benefits from wind protection during cold, blustery days.

Over the years, we have found that installing contractor’s plastic by the end of October is ideal. After that point, colder temperatures and higher winds can make installation more difficult and uncomfortable.

Why Draft Protection Matters

Chickens maintain an internal body temperature of about 107°F. In winter, they fluff their feathers to trap a layer of warm air close to their skin—similar to how a person retains warmth under a thick blanket. When a cold draft blows through, it disrupts this insulating layer and strips away the heat they’ve built up. This is why a draft-free environment is essential to keeping chickens warm.

Provide a dry, sheltered, wind-protected area, and your flock will take care of the rest.

At the end of this blog, you’ll find photos of my winterized coops and runs using contractor’s plastic. Be sure to secure the plastic with wood strapping and screws—staples alone will not withstand strong winter winds.

We purchased 6-mil contractor’s plastic from Home Depot in the insulation aisle, where it is typically priced around $37 per roll, making it a cost-effective winterizing solution.

Lighting and Egg Production

Shorter winter days naturally lead to a drop in egg production. If you’d like to maintain more consistent laying, consider adding rope lights in the coop on a timer to extend daylight to approximately 14 hours. We use larger rope lighting in the run.

For the health and comfort of your flock, set the lights to turn on early in the morning rather than extending light into the evening. This allows the hens to follow the natural rhythm of roosting as the sun sets and they will not get caught off the roost when the lights go out. We typically set our lights to come on both in the coop and run, in sync with each other, at 3:30 am and shut off at 8:00 am.

Boredom in Winter

When snow or icy conditions limit free-ranging, chickens can become bored quickly. Boredom often leads to unwanted behaviors such as feather picking or even cannibalism, so providing mental and physical stimulation is essential during long stretches of bad weather.

Add Enrichment Activities

Create opportunities for activity and exploration inside the run to prevent conflict and keep birds engaged. Consider adding:

• Outdoor roosts

• Logs or stumps

• Wooden chairs with the seat removed

• Platforms or small perches

These structures encourage exercise and give chickens space to spread out.

Try to avoid relying heavily on treats for entertainment. While snacks may be tempting, even healthy extras dilute the balanced nutrition provided by their layer feed. Instead, make their regular feed more engaging by offering it in different containers, feeders, or presentations.

Refer to our Winter Enrichment Activities blog for more detailed information.

Additionally, installing a roof over the run gives your chickens a dry space to leave the coop during poor weather, which greatly reduces stress and boredom.

Winter Takeaway

With the right preparation and a well-stocked winter kit, your flock can stay warm, healthy, and content all season long—no matter the forecast.

Preparation is protection. Make sure you’re stocked up on essentials like Chick’ N Balm, Chick’ N Protect, Chick' N Breath, and Freshcoop before the snow arrives so you’re ready for whatever winter brings.

For more trusted tools, supplies, and winter must-haves, you may also be interested in products featured in our Roslin Recommendations | Roslin Poultry Ranch Amazon Affiliate Shop—a curated collection of items we personally use and love.

And don’t forget to visit our Chick’ N Wellness Shop for all your chicken health, wellness, and care essentials.