Funny thing about chickens. They evolved as wild birds in the steamy jungles of southeast Asia where it never frosts. They thrive despite high humidity, heat and plenty of rain.
Because they’re so useful, people domesticated chickens thousands of years ago and brought them to frigid climates so different from the hot tropics. How do they survive the cold? Are some breeds best adapted to frosty, even subzero, nights?
Northern chicken caretakers often worry about their birds freezing to death. It can happen but ironically the most serious weather threat is baking hot summer weather. Even though they came from jungle birds!
Chickens endure the cold, often in comfort, thanks to their amazing down and feathers. Gently hold a hen and peel back the somewhat hard outer feathers on her breast. Underneath are puffy modified feathers called down. Humans created synthetic insulation that’s stuffed into sleeping bags and jackets to keep skiers and construction workers comfortable but these synthetics aren’t as warm as down. That’s why high-end winter clothing is usually insulated with down taken from ducks and geese.
The fluffy down of most chicken breeds helps them survive the north’s chill but there’s one weak link in their anatomy. Blood flows constantly through a hen’s naked featherless comb. It radiates body heat outward and can frostbite on frigid nights. Legs and toes are also featherless on most breeds, but little blood circulates through them, so heat loss is minimal.
Like many people who live up north, we face a dilemma when ordering chicks. It can drop to 25 below zero here in Iowa, but we also have 95-degree humid August nights. So, we need chickens well suited for both cold and heat.
The Best Winter Breeds.
Anyone living where it gets really cold can order chicks that have these characteristics:
- A small comb to reduce frostbite.
- Loose, fluffy feathers with lots of down.
- Big bodies.
Journeying through Hoover’s website or catalog shows several breeds that meet these characteristics. Brahmas and Cochins top the list and even have feathers on their shanks. Buckeyes and Wyandottes also fare well during cold waves and may lay a few more eggs. Many other breeds also thrive in winter and are listed in the Hoover’s catalog as being cold hardy.
Then there are breeds that struggle when the mercury dips below zero. Mostly these are smaller breeds that have massive single combs. Leghorns top the list but generally less cold hardy breeds lay white eggs.
Keeping Chickens Safe During Cold Weather
Northern families don’t need to shun breeds that aren’t listed as cold hardy. We’ve kept leghorns safely through temperatures down to 30 below zero by doing these things:
- Banishing drafts. Weatherstripping and caulking even small holes and cracks helps bar cold wind.
- Upping carbohydrates in the diet. As warm-blooded animals chickens need fuel. When it’s really cold out we up the amount of corn we feed our flock and always make sure they have plenty of commercial layer feed available.
- Keeping fresh unfrozen water in the coop. Electrically heated waterers make this easy.
- Adding heat. We don’t do this……..unless the forecast calls for temperatures down to 20 below zero with wind. On these rare nights we position our brooder light in the coop. Our goal isn’t to make the coop toasty warm. It’s just to boost the temperature up a few degrees. Be careful! Heat sources can pose a fire danger. Keep bulbs and heaters away from chickens and anything flammable.
Like us, most northern families need to protect their flock from both winter’s chill and summer’s scorch. Choosing appropriate breeds when combined with careful management will keep them comfortable and laying during any weather.