We live in the Mid-Atlantic. I’ve lived in this area since 2002.  Egads! (That’s not even a word I would ever say out loud, but it seems like the right one to write.  If you ever read newspaper comics as a kid like Hi and Lois or Family Circus, I remember being curious about words like ‘harumph’ and ‘egads’ because I never heard people actually say them.)  Can’t believe I’ve lived in one place this long.

We get some legit winters here.  Not every winter gives us a big snowstorm, but it can be in the teens and twenties for multiple weeks in a row.  And it gets pretty gray. So you best have some indoor activities that get your mood up. Knitting anyone? Netflix?  Knitting and Netflix!!!

This winter has been pretty mild so far.  We’ve had a few days that stay in the 30s, and then it seems to pop back up to the 40s and 50s. But my little chickens can’t come inside to get warm and since this is my first winter as chicken mom, I wanted to make sure I was doing whatever was needed to keep them safe and cozy.  

Here are the things I recommend doing to keep your hens happy:

Food and Water.  This one is obvious but worth emphasizing.  Since it’s cold outside, they need more calories to survive.  I keep their feed overly full and try to give them treats three times a week, like mealworms, veggie scraps from the kitchen (kale, collards, broccoli), and some blend of seeds and nuts like Garden Delight.  We have a heated water dispenser that I check twice a week to make sure it is clean and available.  If you don’t have one, depending on your daily temperatures, you’ll need to swap out fresh water pretty often since it will keep freezing.

More bedding.  I’ve added more bedding to their nesting boxes for comfort and warmth.  Our boxes are metal which cannot be enjoyable or relaxing so why not give them some more insulation?  They are giving me fresh eggs every day.

Secure their Shelter.  Since it’s cold, predators may be even more eager to find a way in.  Every time I go out to the coop, I check the perimeter for signs of digging and any areas where the fence may have a gap in coverage.  We have a light in our coop so dusk is actually a good time for me to check spots and cracks where the light is coming through and if that is space a predator could use.  Cover any gaps with chicken wire or fill any holes with large rocks.

Collect your eggs.  Frozen eggs can crack and that’s a shame.  I confess I am not great about collecting eggs more than 3 times a week but I haven’t had any issues.

Knit a sweater.  Humans like to wear sweaters during the winter, so why wouldn’t a chicken? Joking!  But these pictures are too entertaining to pass up.