We’re back! The last couple of months have been EXTREMELY busy, but we are happy to have time to come back. Chickens are very hardy animals, but even they have a point where the temperatures are too cold or hot. If you are concerned that your chickens might get too hot and/or cold, all your questions are answered here!
Before we get started, a good thing to know is that a chicken’s preferred temperature is 70 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit, but the 50s to 80s if fine too. If you live in an area where the temperature only ranges in those degrees, then don’t even mind reading this! Your chickens will be fine-they will be great!
When is it too hot for my chickens?
If the temperature is over 97 degrees Fahrenheit, the risk of heat stroke and major dehydration goes way up. If not kept cool, your chicken could even die due to getting too hot. If your chicken’s free range, there are a lot more natural ways for them to cool down, but if your chickens live in a coop, they might strugle to cool down. There are many ways to keep your chickens cool. Some examples are:
~ Provide shade = If you let your chickens free range, then this shouldn’t be too big of a problem. As mentioned above, there will be a lot more natural resources such as bushes and trees for them to shelter under. However, if you keep your chicken in a coop, try building a covered area for them to find shade. This will also be a good place to shelter during rain.
~ Cold treats = consider freezing some fresh fruit such as strawberries, watermelon, banana and pineapples to give to your chickens. Each chicken will prefer a different fruit, so if your chickens don’t like any of the options we gave, try giving them other fruits and find the one your flock loves! The cold treat will help bring down their body temperature. Plus, it’s super fun for a chicken to peck on fruits like this and it also is good for their brains to try and get some.
~ Provide dust bath areas = have you ever seen your chicken rolling around in a pile of dust? Nothing to worry about! In fact, this is a completely normal thing chickens do to clean themselves and/or cool off. The dust is very nice and cool, so your chicken will definitely enjoy a nice roll around in it if they are too hot. If your chickens free roam, they will naturally find areas that have some soft dirt, but if your chickens are in a coop, the ground will most likely be pretty hard/solid, so consider digging up an area for them and adding some soft dirt for them to have a great time in!
Naturally, some chicken breeds do better than others in the heat. If you live in very hot climates, these chickens will work great for you:
- Bielefelder
- Whiting True Blue
- Wyandotte
- Americana
When is it too cold for my chickens?
Chickens are very hardy animals and therefor can tolerate pretty cold temperatures. However, if it gets down into the low 30s and below, your chickens will start to get a little cold. This may be surprising, but the best way to keep your chicken warm is to have more chickens. Chickens stay warm by huddling together, so if there are 8 or so chickens, they will be able to make enough body heat to stay warm enough during really cold nights.
However, if temperatures reach into the single digits or even the negatives, we recommend checking on your chickens a lot. If you notice a chicken hiding in a corner or walking very stiffly, then consider bringing your chicken indoors. If you have a garage, basement or mud room, grab a box and bring that chicken inside to warm up.
You might be worried about your young chicks during these cold winter nights, right? Actually, mama hens are very capable of keeping her babies warm. The only way that the chicks will suffer is if they get somehow separated from their mom. For example, we have a young batch of Bantam chicks and their mom in with the rest of our Bantams. The hen has to climb up a little ramp to get up into her nesting area. If the babies were unable to get up the ramp and into the nesting area, they would most likely pass away due to being too cold. So, just make sure you check that all the chicks are nice and warm in with their mama.
Surprisingly, most chickens due pretty well with the cold, so we won’t make a list. However, feel free to research about the chicken breed you are interested in and find out if that chicken does well in the cold or not. If the first source you use says that that chicken breed does horrible in the cold, check out at leats three other sources to see what other people have to say. Even if the idea that the chicken breed you want doesn’t do well in the cold, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get them if you live in a cold climate area. You will just have to take more precautions.