Chickens (& Ducks) in Winter: Week 4

Keeping chickens and other poultry in winter isn’t difficult but it does require some preparation as repairing or setting up fences in 3ft deep snow or scrambling with extension cords and heat lamps to prevent frost bite in sub zero conditions isn’t easy. Each of the next 6 weeks, I’ll focus on one aspect of caring for chickens and ducks in winter


The main things to prepare for are:

• Week 1: how to keep water (& food) from freezing 
• Week 2: proper shelter from harsh conditions
• Week 3: managing snow load and depth on shelters and fences
• Week 4: easy human access for regular cleaning, maintenance, and care
• Week 5: managing a change or possible increase in type and number of predators
• Week 6: managing boredom (especially if they are used to pasturing in summer)

Easy Human access for Regular Cleaning, Maintenance, & Care

The hens may live there but they aren’t gonna clean it or repair it, you are. Make it easy for YOU! Who cares about the chickens, they get along just fine, but if you hate going in to clean water bowls, to refill food bins, to clean nest boxes or roosts then you will put it off, potentially causing injury or illness for your little feathered friends. 

So many books & websites for small flocks give the deets on what the chickens or ducks need with a just a small name drop about what you, the farmer, the rancher needs. 

Especially in winter. 

Everything takes longer in winter. Requires more clothing. Gloves. Hats. Headlamp. Jacket. Boots. Everything is harder in clunky gloves and if it’s cold enough you don’t wanna take those off to open the metal gate latch that is frozen shut or to wipe down the water bowl. 

Don’t do it. I’ve done it. It’s not fun.​

So these are my key tips and hints for making it easy and breezy to clean and care for the structures that care for your hens even when if is -15F and you are hindered by clumsy gloves, headlamps, and winter gear.

1) Build in Enough Access 'Doors'

This might seem an obvious tenant to keep in mind while building to ensure easy access, but I've found that I always think that one, small one will be good enough. And it may be for while but soon as chores and snow pile up and temperatures drop it won't be. You'll get frustrated and hinges might break or come loose and you might need to quickly close off one, so having another is vital!

The very first hut with both sides of the roof acting as access 'doors'.

Another version with a fixed roof and a side access door

Each access door should follow these guidelines:

• low enough to not need to lift dirty bedding out - Take a look at the first version of the huts I built, the green one above. I made the roof the main human access so all bedding and poop has to be lifted over and out, extremely inconvenient and uncomfortable.
• smooth floors to easily slide shovels along - all of the hut floors are plywood with any structural bracing kept below and not on top so that poop can be scooped with ease!
• build doors well enough to not warp - while traveling at warp speed may be fun dealing with warped doors is not. Don't be stingy and use plenty of cross bracing and edge bracing!

Bracing is key to not let the larger doors warp. I will probably have to add a diagonal at some point.

Not enough gap left and I was over-generous with the paint so the door stays ajar.

A bit too much gap, this will need a thin board behind so the door doesn't get forced to the inside and to help stop small rodent from entering.

• leave enough gap so bedding, ice, mud, or snow won't clog door opening - while you don't want a gap large enough for weasels or rodents to get in (less than ¾-1") you also want the doors to close properly. Compare the hatch doors of my orange vs purple huts in the photos above. With the orange hut, I was a little to over zealous with getting every corner and cranny painted REALLY well, so much that the door won't close properly and will need to be remedied before too long. On the purple hut I trimmed the door maybe a little too much and will add a flange at the back of the opening to help keep any critters out.
• build door big enough (bigger is better!) - the roof 'doors' on my huts are full width and the side doors are 80% of the full width and height, mainly allowing for enough framing and bracing on the sides to help keep the little huts stable in case anything as big as a bear or mountain lion (or even a clumsy farmer) decides to try to bring it crashing down.
• build door high enough off ground so snow buildup is't a problem (see Week 3) - Each side door I build is at least 4" above the ground and the huts are also placed upon bricks (mainly making them easier to lever up and get onto their wheels while roaming the fields in spring, summer, and fall). The front doors of the runs need to be carefully shoveled so the snow won't build up into ice making it hard if not impossible to open. But if you built doors flush with the ground it would be perpetually impossible to open in all seasons whether it was snow, grass, or mud blocking the way.

Since the base of the runs sit on 2x4s on edge, there is about 3 inches between the ground and the lower edge of the door. Just enough to allow for a small amount of ice build up.

Each hut has 3 human accesses (rear door and each side of the roof is hinged) and 1 small chickie door (not visible as it goes into the run).

• more doors, more better (break on through!) - it is annoying to build doors, an essay of total fact. They require more framing, more cutting, more lumber, more planning, more ... everything. But you will regret not having more and not having them built properly in the first place. I did. Don't be like me.

Use Simple (but effective) Latches:

• easy for you to use with gloves - too small or too finicky of latches don't mix well with winter gloves
• easy to pour warm water on to unfreeze - recessed latches are a problem. All things will freeze when it suddenly drops well below freezing. Oils and other 'lock unfreezers' are fine but you gotta have them with you and you will never get that petrol smell off your gloves or out of your nose. I like just pouring a little water on it. I mean I'm bringing water to the hens. I got it, I'll use it. Just keep moving the hinge or lock for a few seconds and that water won't freeze it open as well.
• can't be opened by animals - ​​except those with opposable thumbs of course. After years of trying all different ones out while living amongst more brutish animals and the more dextrous ones I have my favs as shown below!

The locking eye hook. my fav! It is the least fumbly for bulky gloves and works when there isn't large expanses of wood to attach to. It definitely requires an opposable thumb to open to nothing but a human can open these little beauties!

Where there is larger pieces of wood available to attach to, I like using latches with carabiners. Easy to break free of ice and snow and use with gloves.

Place nest boxes near doors - the human-sized doors that is. It makes it easier for you to grab 'em often as the temps drop so less eggies get frozies!

Place heat lamps in a useful but accessible location - bulbs will break. It's a fact of life. Especially if the temps drop fast and a little frost forms on the bulbs before you turn them on, then they go POP! Changing the bulbs in steeply cold temps with big bulky gloves with restless hens underfoot is so easy you'll never curse while getting the job done. 

Also, even though hens don't like deep cold, you'll be surprised at what they can find comfortable. Feathers are an supreme insulator (think of all those fancy down coats used on Everest) so give the hens some space to move away from the heat. At some point they'll wanna cool off.

Minimize or Eliminate dark corners, nooks, and crannies - The hens will lay there eggs there, you will need to crawl in to get them (unless you are a jedi knight who can summon them to you), these are the droids - I mean eggs - you are looking for. 

A dirt floor is great, but ... - 

• rodents will burrow in - the warmth, light, unfrozen water, food scraps will draw them in like moths to a flame. And if you don't find rodents icky enough, behind them follow their predators and the small ones, like weasels and mink, can wipe out an entire coop in one night.
• everything will freeze to it and since there isn't a hard, smooth surface to scrap along that shit ain't gonna shovel. Not until spring and it has built up under the roosts like little stalagmites of shit. yay!
• You can 'fix' it!
  • cut boards to cover the dirt to be removed and scraped clean
  • cover the boards with straw to make it cozy for the hens and the poop will stick to it and not so much the boards

Place food and water near where it is easiest for you! - of course the hens need easy access to both, but so do you. They don't get any fresh water or more food unless you give it to them, especially in winter! Make it easy on you first! They are little and can hop up and down, can kinda fly, and have long necks (longer than they look at first) so making them work for it isn't so bad, especially when they would just be sitting on their rumps all winter waiting for fresh grass and grubs!