![\"raising](\"https:\/\/run-chicken.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/263d9c_6c07589513b94db0a55d217a5b02f4c8_mv2.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\nHere are some tips for chicken keeping in winter that might come in handy. You can also print out our checklists here<\/a> to help you get organized when preparing your coop for winter weather.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In Autumn, our chickens lay fewer eggs. Some chicken keepers buy an artificial light to supplement the natural light, so the egg production extends. But you cannot fool a chicken. When chickens are ready to molt, they sometimes stop the egg production even if the light is prominent and even throughout the day. When your chickens are molting, you can also provide proper nutrition, so we recommend some dried mealworms, sunflower, and pumpkin seeds that are a great source of protein and support your chickens during molting. In addition, molting is a natural process that lets the chicken have new warmer feathers for the winter. So additional warming of the coop or insulation is not needed in the winter, but if your insulation is already poor, it is best to fix that problem before the winter cold seeps in.<\/p>\n Wherever you and your chickens live, both of you acclimate to the weather around you. So, chickens adapt to gradual changes in temperature from season to season. A chicken’s complex thermoregulatory mechanisms allow it to survive and remain comfortable even in cold weather. Its average core temperature is 105 \u00b0F. Other mammals’ temperature is approximately from 97 \u00b0F to 103 \u00b0F. As a result, our cold feels and seems colder than the cold the chickens perceive. With a higher internal temperature than humans, chickens possess physical features and engage in behaviors that create and retain body heat much more quickly than humans. Also, burning calories generates heat. Chickens eat a lot more in cold climates and need to conserve that heat. But if they do not eat more in the winter, that does not mean you must provide even more food, so they do not get cold. They eat less because they don’t feel the cold and are full. It is more efficient and healthier for chickens to have a balanced and well-portioned diet. Overfeeding your chickens with fatty foods in the winter is not ideal because it can cause additional health problems later in their life.<\/p>\n Some circumstances need a heated coop from the inside. Still, most climates do not do so. You are better off not heating your coop with artificial heaters because you can prevent fires, premature chicken molting, growth of bacteria, and other nuisances.<\/p>\n Predators are more prevalent in the winter months. Food in the winter is scarcer for all of us, and so is for predators. As predators become desperate for food, make sure your locks are predator-proofed and that you lock your flock into the coop each night. Run-Chicken automatic coop door<\/a> will beautifully assist with these troubles. Automatic chicken coop doors are great helpers in locking up the flock at night and opening them in the morning.<\/p>\n For more information on how to secure your coop, read 5 “must-haves” to make your chicken coop predator-proofed<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nEasy and efficient chicken keeping in cold weather<\/h4>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nThings chickens do to retain body heat in winter:<\/h4>\n
\n
<\/a><\/p>\nList to tick off when preparing your coop for winter weather:<\/h4>\n
\n
<\/a><\/p>\nHeat the coop or not heat the coop?<\/h4>\n
Warn of winter Chicken Predators!<\/h4>\n