It is normal to worry about your chickens as the weather gets colder and to wonder what you should do to keep them warm, happy, and healthy. There are a few dos and don’ts that we will discuss in this article about how to take care of your chickens during the winter.

What you should do

(1) Use Sunlight

The sun is a natural heat source that you can take advantage of for your birds. One of the best options is to use windows with insulation that will trap the heat from the sunlight throughout the day and keep it warm in the coop.

You can also incorporate a run into your coop for those chickens that get antsy and want to get some fresh air. Maybe it is too cold for them to be fully outside in your backyard, but this way they can still feel the sun on their feathers.

(2) Collect Eggs More Often

When your hens are laying eggs in the winter the below-freezing temperatures will make the eggs start to freeze. If the eggs do freeze, then they will start to expand and eventually crack. You will need to collect your hens’ eggs more frequently throughout the winter to keep this from happening.

(3) Use a Water Heater

Your chicken’s water will freeze once it hits colder temperatures. You could either change their water often or invest in a water heater that thaws it out. If your chicken gets dehydrated, then your chicken could get sick, and it will cause a decrease in egg production.

If you do not want to make this investment, then you could incorporate a “sunroom” into the coop and keep the water in that section so that the sun will thaw it out. You can gauge if the place you live gets enough sun during the winter for this option to make sense or not.

(4) Provide Stimulus for Your Birds

Your chickens will get bored easily during the wintertime. Make sure you provide items to stimulate them to keep them busy. This could be a swing, some extra yummy treats, or a puzzle toy.

(5) Use the “Deep Litter” Method

Deep litter is a sustainable and environmentally friendly way to keep your birds warm. You will essentially create compost by layering pine shavings along with your chicken’s waste and feed. By occasionally stirring it up and adding more pine shavings, it will create microbes that will eat the bad bacteria.

(6) Feed and Water Your Birds More Frequently

Chickens are similar to us in the fact that we both exert more energy when trying to keep ourselves warm. Because of this, your chickens will be hungrier and thirstier throughout the day. Make sure the food that you add to their diet for this season is rich in nutrients and probiotics so it will give an additional boost to your bird’s immune system.

A great option is Supreme Grub’s Black Soldier Fly Larvae. This will be a yummy treat for your feathered friends and it contains 40% protein, 25% fat, and 80x more calcium than mealworms.

What you should not do

(1) Do Not Stress

Chickens are more resilient than you think. They are able to withstand cold temperatures with minimal assistance from you. These tips and tools in this article will help you feel more prepared. You already care about your chickens’ wellbeing by reading this.

(2) Do Not Use a Heater

A lot of people think that using a heater will help with warming the coop in the winter. However, this is a huge fire hazard considering the flammable material lining the bottom of your coop. It could also get too warm and cause your birds to overheat during the night.

Chickens’ body temperatures are naturally about 106 degrees Fahrenheit, and they have plenty of feathers to keep themselves warm. You may also see your chickens huddling together and this is their natural way of getting warmth from one another.

(3) Do Not Seal the Coop Completely

Your first instinct may be to close your chickens in at night and keep as much cold air out as possible. However, this traps the humidity inside and increases the chances of the coop developing mold that could make your chickens sick.

You should have some sort of ventilation for your birds. The best way to vent the cold air is through the top of the coop so that your birds will not have cold air blowing directly on them throughout the night.

(4) Do Not Forget a Roost

If you do not already have a roost in your chicken coop, then you will need to get one for winter. Chickens naturally roost together and as previously mentioned, they will do this at night to keep warm and because it is comfortable.

While raising chickens (or poultry in general) may be a fun activity, keeping your feathery friends healthy may sometimes become a challenge. 

No matter how sanitary you keep your yard, there will still be various germs and diseases that may affect your chickens health.

Aside from getting a few products known for their ability to fight off parasites and germs, you should concurrently try to strengthen your chickens health. One of the ways is to strengthen the intestinal flora aka microbiome and introduce some good bacteria to your chickens. There are three terms you should be aware of which can play an important part in rebuilding your chickens intestinal flora and strengthening their immune system.

Prebiotics 

Prebiotics, being non-digestible food ingredients, beneficially affect the host. They do this by stimulating the growth and activity of a limited number of bacteria in the colon. 

They are known for improving the GIT health of poultry. This is because the presence of prebiotics in the diet causes an increase in certain groups of GIT bacteria in the intestines of your chickens and ducks, which are considered to be beneficial to the host. 

In addition, there are various prebiotics that have helped to reduce pathogen colonization in poultry. This has decreased the incidence of infection in birds significantly. 

How to Give Prebiotics to Your Feathery Friends 

Prebiotics come from high-fiber foods, so it is pretty easy to give them to your birds. The added bonus is that they make great treats that they'll love. Here’s a list of some of the prebiotics that you can feed your poultry with: 

• Honey
• Berries
• Barley 
• Garlic
• Black soldier fly grubs (whole dried insect)

Probiotics 

Probiotics form a barrier in the colon of your birds that prevents bad bacteria from attaching to the intestinal walls. They also encourage beneficial microflora in the intestines and prevent pathogen growth. 

The best part is that they support the immune system in general and boost growth rates in poultry. This means that your feathery friends are less likely to fall sick. 

Also, suppose you’re someone who craves an omelet for breakfast every day. In that case, you’d love to know that probiotics keep quality egg production high. Yup, they really do help in keeping your egg supply constant. 

How to Give Probiotics to Your Chickens?

There are a couple of options. The simplest would be sprinkling some brewer’s yeast or garlic powder over their feed.

You can also make probiotic rich treats for your chickens, all by yourself! Here are some of our favorite recipes: 

1. Apple Cider Vinegar

All you need is apple scraps, peels, and sugar.

• Put the scraps in a bowl and add enough water to cover the solids.
• Stir a quarter cup of sugar into the bowl.
• Place something heavy (e.g., a plate) on it and cover it with a kitchen towel. 
• Set it aside for 10 days at room temperature, after which you will use a filter to drain the liquid and remove the solids. 

If you think that the vinegar smells of alcohol or wine, put it back and wait until it starts smelling like a good vinegar.

2. Yogurt 

• Heat the milk to 180 °F
• Cool it to 112-115 °F
• Add your yogurt starter (the good bacteria)
• Mix the yogurt starter with the rest of the milk 
• Pour the milk into jars and incubate it for 7 to 9 hours
• Leave the jars in the fridge to allow the yogurt to cool and set

That’s how simple and easy it is to make probiotic rich treats at home! 

Postbiotics

Postbiotics can be seen as deliberately inactivated microbial cells which have similar benefits as probiotics. 

The benefits provided by postbiotics are uncountable, but we’ll present a summary of them here:

• Improves health and growth performance
• Promotes the immune status 
• Optimize the intestinal microbiota 
• Reduce pathogen pressure 
• Support gut morphology 
• Boost natural defences 

Sources of Postbiotics for Your Birds 

Any food fermented by live bacteria is considered to contain postbiotics. To name a few, here’s a short list:

• Yogurt
• Miso
• Tempeh
• Kimchi
• Certain Pickles 
• Sauerkraut

Conclusion 

The key to healthy chickens and ducks is a nutrient-rich diet, a clean coop, clean water, and most importantly, pre, pro, and post biotics. They will play a significant role in keeping your feathery friends healthy and productive. 

Not to forget, they are very easy to give to your chickens and ducks, whether it’s through commercial feed or homemade treats. And yes, your birds will make sure to thank you for them with loads of fresh eggs. 

Chickens are low maintenance, easy-to-keep birds that make your backyard space fun and provide multiple benefits, including a fresh supply of eggs. 

But when your feathery friends fall sick, it can get distressing. Seeing the once healthy and happy birds acting lazy and low-spirited isn’t the best sight to behold. However, that’s not much of an issue - you can treat most problems at home all by yourself.

So, let’s talk about the top 4 chicken health problems and how to fix them.

Problem #1: Foot Injuries

Chickens run around and cluck till they exhaust themselves and call it a day - it’s their way of having fun. 

But by running here and there, they may develop cuts or other minor injuries on their feet. Though these alone aren’t a problem, they may worsen into infections and hurt them. If pus fills the infection, a condition called Bumblefoot may develop.

How Can I Tell If My Chicken Has A Foot Injury?

Injured chickens spend more time sitting around. When they try to walk, they are unable to put weight on the injured foot. Plus, they act lazy and generally out of sorts.

How Can I Treat A Foot Injury?

You should always keep an eye out for cuts on the feet. If you spot one, wash it with an antiseptic wound wash and slightly bandage it. This will prevent the cut from developing into a more serious infection.

If an infection has already formed, you can cover it with an antibiotic before bandaging. In case the problem doesn’t go away, your chicken may need medical attention to get any pus removed.

Problem #2: Egg-laying issues

One of the most common health problems in chickens is related to egg-laying. And if you’re someone who whips up an omelette for breakfast everyday, you know how upsetting it can be when you’re not getting your supply. 

Chickens usually face egg-laying issues because of stress, certain deficiencies in their diet, and infections. To treat the problem, it’s important to diagnose it by looking out for the right symptoms.

Here’s What To Observe

Take it as a red-flag if your chickens are experiencing the following symptoms:

• Trembling wings
• Lazier than usual and reluctant to move around
• Reduced appetite
• Experiencing weakness
• Unusual droppings

How To Bring Back Those Eggs

To improve the situation, you can incorporate sufficient amounts of calcium and protein into your chickens’ diet. An efficient source of these two essentials is Black Soldier Fly Larvae; they provide a variety of nutrients along with calcium and protein to improve your poultry’s health.

In addition, you can supplement their diet with oyster shells and multivitamins.

Problem #3: Picking One Another

Your chickens may start picking on each other’s skin and feathers. If they get a taste of blood, the problem can worsen since chickens are drawn towards the color red. 

The best way to avoid this problem is by not letting it happen in the first place. Here’s how you can do so:

• Use a large coop. Overcrowding is one of the most prominent triggers of this cannibalistic behavior in chickens - when they fight for space, they often end up picking on each other.
• Give them enough food and water. Again, this can instigate them to fight amongst one another.
• Do not mix aggressive breeds with your flock.
• Keep injured birds away from the coop.
• Try to reduce stress levels in your chickens.
• Use an appropriate source of lighting; often too much light can instigate chickens to pick on others.

Problem #4: Diseases

Your backyard chickens can contract various diseases. These can be due to certain bacteria, fungi, viruses or parasites. Although some diseases are treatable at home, more severe ones may require a visit to an avian pet.

Chicken Mites

Mites are small insects that suck your chickens’ blood. The most common symptoms of these are red spots on your chickens’ skin. 

To treat them, you can use insecticides, such as permethrin or mite sprays. Plus, you can sanitize your chicken coop to protect the other birds and prevent mites from reoccurring in the future.

Avian Flu

Just like you can catch a cold, so can your feathery friends. Symptoms include coughing, sneezing and nasal discharge. Luckily, the solution is easy - get your chickens vaccinated, and they’ll be good to go.

Ringworm

Ringworm is a fungal disease that your chickens can contract. Its visible symptom is the formation of a white, thick layer on their combs. But ringworm is nothing to worry about; it usually heals on its own.

However, you can prevent most diseases in the first place by avoiding overcrowding, adopting sanitary practices and feeding them nutritious, healthy diets.

Conclusion

Your chickens keep your backyard lively and cheerful with their clucks and footprints. Understandably, seeing them ill and lethargic can be sad! 

In this article we listed down the most common problems with chickens and provided easy solutions you can implement to solve them.