How to winterize your chicken coop? It's that easy!

When temperatures drop and the first frost sets in, many chicken owners worry about the well-being of their feathered friends. The chickens have happily scratched around in their run all summer and enjoyed every ray of sunshine, but how do they best survive the sub-zero temperatures and snow in winter?

Autumn is the ideal time to prepare for winter and winterize your chicken coop. This will ensure your chickens spend the cold months healthy and, above all, warm.

The good news is: Chickens are generally quite resilient to cold temperatures. They can even tolerate single-digit subzero temperatures without suffering from the cold.

However, your hens will spend most of their winter time protected in the coop. Here's what you need to consider to winterize your chicken coop.

The 8 best tips for a winter-proof chicken coop

With little effort, you can ensure your chickens feel warm and comfortable even in winter. This way, you protect your poultry's health and egg production – even if the outdoor run remains closed due to snow and cold.

• Cleaning the stable
  Before you insulate and line the coop with insulation, you should clean it just as thoroughly as you would in the spring. This includes dismantling the coop as much as possible, cleaning, or hosing it down. You can find our spring cleaning guide here .

• Mite control
  Check the construction materials and roof of the chicken coop for cracks, crevices, and holes. Seal all gaps and openings thoroughly. Also check feed containers, looking for signs of rodents that may have gained access to the feed or the coop.

• Prevent mites
  Don't give mites a chance, even in winter! All chicken keepers should protect their chickens from mites, even during the cold season. Regular cleaning, replacing bedding, and emptying nesting boxes are essential, along with regular ventilation. Also, treat the walls with lime as a precaution. You can find more tips in our blog post on mite prevention .

• dust bath
  Give your chickens the opportunity to brood. Place a tub of Cumbasil Mite – ideally with sufficient distance from the laying nests and perches. This way, the hens don't have to miss out on brooding in winter and, at the same time, provide the perfect protection against mites and ectoparasites.

• Water in the chicken coop
  Make sure the chickens have access to fresh water at all times. It must never freeze. If the coop floor insulation isn't sufficient, you can protect the water trough from the cold with old blankets.

• feed
  You should adjust the feed to the cold temperatures. Cold weather means increased energy consumption. Give your hens high-calorie, oily foods.

• Artificial light
  Adequate light is crucial for the well-being and egg production of your chickens! Therefore, it's recommended to use artificial light in the chicken coop during the winter. They need approximately 12 hours of artificial light per day to continue to consume enough food and thus stay in optimal health.

• Insulate the chicken coop
  Insulation makes the cold more bearable for your chickens and prevents frostbite, reduced egg production, and excessive energy consumption. This way, your chickens will feel much more comfortable and survive the winter in perfect health. Read more about insulation and choosing the right material below.

How to insulate a chicken coop?

In principle, insulating a chicken coop has several advantages – both in winter and in summer when it's very hot. However, when it comes to keeping chickens, the rule of thumb is "less is more." If you insulate too much, you could potentially block the supply of fresh air. If air circulation is no longer possible, the chicken coop becomes a haven for mites and other parasites.

Although your chickens can tolerate cold temperatures quite well, proper insulation in winter offers several advantages. When the hens don't have to expend all their energy keeping their bodies warm, their calorie consumption and thus their need for feed are lower. Furthermore, with good insulation, egg production remains stable.

Insulating a chicken coop – which insulation material is best?

To ensure your hens' beaks stay warm, you can use various insulation materials. Whether it's Styrofoam, tarpaulins and foil, sawdust, hay, glass wool, sheep's wool, or straw—anything that keeps out the cold will work. Even old cloth blankets help with the cold air.

Also consider the construction material of your chicken coop. A brick coop with stone walls offers more protection than a wooden coop made of thin slats, even without additional insulation.

If the chicken coop has openings or screen windows, you can cover them with tarpaulin or even Plexiglas to prevent the icy wind from whistling through.

Insulate the floor and walls in the chicken coop

If you have thin walls or a poorly insulated roof, you can insulate them with Styrofoam, glass wool, blankets, etc. With adhesive, you can easily cover the exterior walls and thus keep out wind and icy cold air.

Especially in a wooden stable, you can also hang blankets from the inside. These also keep out the cold and keep the interior temperature above freezing.

If the chicken coop is very airtight and built of stone, for example, it may be sufficient to insulate only the floor. A lot of cold air from the ground can penetrate the floor. You can also line or cover this floor with Styrofoam panels. This has the advantage that the feed trough and especially the water trough are protected from freezing for longer by the rising cold.

What do I need to consider when insulating the chicken coop?

No matter which insulation material you choose, the health of your chickens should always be your top priority. Therefore, there are a few things to consider when preparing your coop for winter.

If you choose Styrofoam or another artificial material, make sure the hens don't have direct contact with it. You want to prevent them from pecking at the Styrofoam and mistaking it for food.

Therefore, you'll need to cover any insulation material installed on the inside of the coop with another layer. This could be wooden panels, drywall, or similar. It's also important to seal the resulting cracks securely against mites, parasites, and even mice, martens, and the like. You can inject silicone into them or install wooden or stainless steel strips without any gaps.

Ventilation against moisture in the chicken coop

Furthermore, air circulation must continue to be ensured even after insulation. Generally speaking, if the windows of your chicken coop – if you have them – are fogged up in the morning, the humidity is too high. Therefore, it's important to ventilate regularly and thoroughly. This way, you can take precautions against mite pressure when temperatures rise in spring.

Additionally, be sure to ensure a constant supply of fresh air! For example, two ventilation slits located opposite each other on the walls of the stable are ideal for this.

Please note the following for the health of your animals and to prevent frostbite: The ventilation slots should be installed high enough so that your chickens are not exposed to drafts, especially at night!

In addition, humid air can only escape effectively if the vents are positioned as high as possible. Cool, heavy air from outside sinks from the opening, while stale, warm air rises and escapes through the other vent.