Fall Chicken Care: What to Do Before First Frost
Fall is a transitional time for chickens and their owners. As egg laying and the weather cools off, there are many tasks you can carry out to protect your girls over the winter. Join chicken mom Melissa Strauss for some tips on caring for your chicks in the fall.
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Chickens are an excellent addition to the garden and homestead. They eat insects, lay eggs to eat, and make excellent fertilizer. Not to mention, they’re quite good company. I love when they follow me around the garden, making their sweet little chicken noises. If you’re a chicken owner, I’ll bet you just thought about imitating those sounds, didn’t you?
For most of the year, chickens are fairly low-maintenance. Once you get set up with a coop and define your birds’ space, it’s mostly just feeding, cleaning, and collecting those eggs. The occasional injury is par for the course, but they’re mostly easy to care for.
There are a couple of times during the year that your girls will need some extra attention. In the spring, if you’re raising chicks, that can be a hassle, and broody hens are no fun. But aside from those issues, spring simply means that everything goes back to normal.
In the fall, however, there are some important factors to account for. There are tasks that will make a big difference in how your chickens fare over the winter. Let’s talk about some of the important fall chicken care tasks to take care of for a comfortable winter in the coop.
RopaPoultry Oregano Oil+ Supplement
RopaPoultry Oregano Oil+ Supplement
Carolina Coops® Hemp Poultry Bedding
Carolina Coops® Hemp Poultry Bedding
Farmight Automatic Chicken Coop Door, Aluminum
Farmight Automatic Chicken Coop Door, Aluminum
Increase Protein After Molt
Molting is a natural process that chickens go through, where they shed their old feathers and grow new ones. This usually happens between summer and fall, right around the time the days get shorter. When and how vary by the breed and age of the bird, as well as their environment.
Molting can happen quickly, where a ton of feathers fall out at once. I have a leghorn named Siena who looks quite raggedy right now. Others may lose their feathers gradually, so that it’s less obvious when it’s happened. The process takes between six and twelve weeks, based on the aforementioned factors.
During their molt, most chickens stop laying eggs. This is because their energy shifts from egg production to recovery. Growing all of those new feathers is exhausting. There is no cause for alarm when this happens. It’s just the natural course of things for your hens.
Feathers are mainly protein. Keratin, to be specific. It’s the same material that makes up our own hair and fingernails. To help them through this process, it’s beneficial to increase the amount of protein in their diet.
You can do this by adding high-protein snacks to your daily routine (mealworms are a great treat). You can also switch to a higher protein feed for a while. Another great way to add protein to their diet is to feed them back any eggs they are still producing. Chickens love scrambled eggs!
As a note, chickens live, on average, five to eight years. Commercial layers live slightly shorter lives, while heritage breeds may live longer. Expect that after their fourth or fifth molt, they will either stop or drastically reduce egg laying. Think of this as retirement.
Check for Parasites
Before the weather gets cold and more stressful, it’s a good idea to do a general health check. An important part of this is identifying the presence of any parasites. Chickens are susceptible to both internal and external parasites, and it’s important to take care of them as soon as they crop up.
The signs of external parasites are difficult to detect during their molt, as loss of feathers is a sign. So is a reduction in egg production. Look for any red, scabby areas on their skin and dirty feathers around the vent.
Internal parasites can cause weight loss, watery droppings, pale combs and wattles, and reduced egg production. Again, they will naturally lay less this time of year, so take stock of their general condition and vigor. If they look lethargic and unhealthy, there’s a good chance they have something.
If you detect the presence of parasites, it’s important to deal with them now. Winter is a stressful time, and they don’t need other issues to contend with. For external parasites, dust baths are important, and diatomaceous earth is an excellent additive. Permethrin sprays are also helpful in their bedding.
Internal parasites are more complicated and often require a vet’s care. They can identify the right medications. Many herbs are helpful in keeping this to a minimum. Oregano and especially oregano oil are great for their digestive health.
Deep Clean Coop
Deep cleaning your coop is a vital part of fall chicken care. It removes waste, reduces bacteria and potential parasites, and sets them up for a less stressful winter. Fresh bedding makes anyone sleep better. I know I look forward to slipping into fresh sheets.
Molting is a stressful time for chickens, so reducing stressors like bacteria and waste will make them more comfortable. They will spend more time in their coop during the colder months, as well. Cleaning out the old bedding helps break cycles of insects like mites and lice, and is an important aspect of fall care.
Shovel out all of the bedding and droppings in your coop and give everything a good scraping. Use a mild disinfectant or vinegar and water solution on the walls, floors, waterers, and feeders. Make sure to get those egg boxes nice and clean as well.
Let everything dry completely before adding fresh, clean bedding. In addition to fresh bedding, you can add fresh herbs and diatomaceous earth to freshen things up and deter insects. Don’t forget to compost the old material. That chicken poop will be valuable fertilizer. Make sure to age it for a year, though, or you’ll burn up your plants.
Check Ventilation
While you’ve got everything pulled out of the coop, and it’s nice and clean, there are a few things to check on for more complete fall chicken care. Simple maintenance tasks can get pushed aside during the summer, and it’s important to take care of these before winter.
One of the important fall chicken care factors to check out is the ventilation in your coop. Ventilation is an exceptionally important aspect of care that is often overlooked. Your birds can handle cold, but damp, stuffy air is not good for them.
During the winter, while they spend more time in the coop, there will be more droppings and moisture in general. This leads to damp bedding and possibly frostbite. It also causes a buildup of ammonia, which can cause breathing problems. Take care to provide adequate ventilation and ensure that there is nothing blocking the vents.
Rodent and Predator Proofing
Rodents and predators are an issue all year, but they’re particularly problematic in fall and winter. Food becomes scarce, and these critters will come looking for it where humans provide it. They can carry parasites, viruses, and other diseases.
Rodents eat chicken feed, and they attract predators like snakes and other larger animals to the coop. Rodents can also prevent your chicks from getting a good night’s rest. I don’t need to tell you what predators do; it’s not pretty, and when it happens, it will break your heart. Since other small animals hibernate in the fall, chickens become more appealing. Predators will be willing to do more work to get to them.
Hardware cloth is a chicken keeper’s best friend in fall chicken care. Chicken wire keeps chickens out, but it’s no match for a raccoon’s nimble fingers and determination. Make sure your hardware cloth is free from holes and damage. It should extend into the ground far enough to prevent an animal from digging under it.
Seal up any cracks and holes in any part of the coop or run. Rodents can get in through small spaces. Store food in metal containers with tight lids, as they can chew through plastic.
Avoid using poison in the coop to kill rodents and pests. This can harm your birds. Chickens eat insects, and they’ve been known to put down a rat or two. If the rat or insect has eaten poison, your chicken will, too.
Check Roosts
Another fall chicken care task that will help your chickens get through the winter is checking and fixing their roosts. Roosts should be higher than nesting boxes, or your hens will try to sleep in the boxes. I’ve experienced this firsthand, and it means dirty eggs all the time.
Wood is the best material for roosts because it will be warmer on their feet. Use 2x4s with the flat side up so that they can sit comfortably and tuck their feet under their feathers. Make sure they are clean and free of droppings, and check for splinters or rough spots.
Add in Scratch Grain
While you should continue to give your chickens their regular feed in the winter, it’s also good to supplement as part of your fall chicken care routine. Keep in mind that free-range birds are accustomed to feeding on plants and insects they find outside. These foods will be scarce in the winter.
Scratch grains are an excellent supplement for birds in the fall and winter. Scratch grains are cracked corn, barley, oats, and other seeds or grains. They are lower in protein but higher in carbohydrates than regular feed.
It takes longer for your hens to digest scratch grains, and this produces body heat. This can help them stay warm on cold nights. They also burn more calories trying to stay warm in fall and winter. Adding some scratch grains and other treats will help bridge the gap.
Winter boredom is an issue, so scattering scratch grains in their bedding or run will help keep them busy. It will create a more peaceful flock. It also helps to aerate the bedding because they scratch around in it.
Feed them a few handfuls (depending on the size of your flock) an hour or two before bedtime. This will help warm them up and keep them toasty at night. If you want to strike a good nutritional balance, add some soldier worms or mealworms to your scratch.
Frostproof Waterers
Finally, water can be tough in winter. Your normal watering methods may not fly. You can always put in the extra care of emptying and filling their water in the morning and evening. But here are some other methods of getting fresh water.
Submersible heaters are a good investment if you live in a cold region. You can place these inside a larger water container, and they will keep the water from freezing. Using a heating pad is another method, but there is the risk of catching fire if you’re not careful.
An electric, heated watering bowl is a good solution if you have power in your coop. If you don’t, there are non-electric methods you can try. Black rubber pans are good for winter water, as they thaw faster in the sunlight. You can bury buckets halfway in the ground to insulate them and slow the freezing process.
Floating a ball on the surface of the water is another way to prevent ice from forming in milder climates. Whatever you choose, just remember that water is the most vital aspect of chicken care, in the fall, and at any time.
