The benefits of keeping chickens

reply to post by Muckster


Thanks for answering my questions about avian flu. I noticed the hens on my commute are not out in their yard the past couple of weeks. I hope they all didn't get made into meals! It is getting colder here and that made me wonder, in my urban girl ignorance, what do you do with the chickens in winter? Do they still roam or do they stay in their warm buildings? Are they cold tolerant at all? I asked my mom but she said it never got that cold where she is from so she doesn't know and she didn't really remember much about them from her childhood.

reply to post by SheeplFlavoredAgain


Hey no problem, I love talking about chickens and am more than happy to help

Chickens actually are better adapted to slightly colder climates than hot ones (although they will do well in both and it depends on the breed)

Our chickens will happily roam around in the snow and dig for treats... As long as they have a draught free coop with good ventilation, to retreat to at night, there should really be no problems... unless you live in a really extreme environment.

I know that some people (who live in the more northern regions) put Vaseline (petroleum jelly) on the chickens exposed parts (Combs, wattles and feet) to help prevent frostbite. Britain is not that cold though, and our chicken do fine even when the weather drops into the minus zone.

Hope this helps,

muckster