Chickens so resistant to cold
Having urban chickens is not a summer or seasonal activity. When you commit to having urban hens and a chicken coop in your yard, you are also committing to keeping them in the winter. Our chickens are not a recreational activity or a convenience that you have to get rid of every fall. These animals are sentient beings and we must see to their well-being.
Our hybrid hens can provide eggs for at least 3 years and make good pet hens for pet therapy when they are older.
A few small modifications to the hen house will suffice. You will need to cut off the wind in the aviary, make sure the roof is watertight, install an electric drinker in the aviary and provide a thicker layer of wood chips. They will eat a little more grain and warm, hot snacks in the morning and at the end of the day will be well appreciated. To learn more about winterizing your hen house, consult the “Winterizing your hen house” section in the “Hens in Winter” section of our site.
Breeds resistant to cold
There are more than 43 species of cold-resistant chicken breeds and hybrids. It is wrong to believe that only hens with tiny crests can withstand the cold. Although this is an advantage for some, others with small crests are not adapted to the cold at all. The danger with this kind of overly restrictive criterion could lead some people to believe that this or that breed of hen will be resistant to the cold, because it does not have a large long crest and could thus risk subjecting these hens to unbearable cruelty and lead these hens to certain death.
Our beautiful hybrid red hens from our hatcheries are perfectly adapted to withstand the cold. If the hens like to venture outside in winter in very cold and windy weather, we can coat the ridge with petroleum jelly (Vaseline) to avoid frostbite.
Hybrid laying hens are created from cold resistant hens. So even if they have long crests, they will adapt and survive the harshest winters as long as you provide them with a hen house and a dry environment. A thicker layer of wood shavings on the floor and under the perches, in the nests, and good ventilation will ensure a healthy and pleasant winter for our chickens.
On the other hand, among the criteria for choosing cold-resistant hens, experts have tended to tell us that in general they will have a rounder, more compact body and small crests. But don’t select only for the ridge! The ridge alone cannot be the only determining criterion for selecting cold resistance. It is necessary to consult breed selection lists and books such as (My Pet Chicken: cold hardy breeds) in order to properly determine if a particular breed of hen is cold resistant.
Many hens have very small crests, or no crests at all, and are not cold tolerant. As a result, some people may mistakenly believe that this breed is cold-resistant because it has a small crest or no crest at all! As for cocks, of these species they will always have a larger crest. But females will often have no ridges, or will have very small ridges, and that doesn’t mean that they can withstand the cold.
Beware, these breeds of hens, therefore the females, even if they have small crests are not tolerant to cold: Crevecoeur, Cubalaya, Fayoumi, Houda, Kraienkoppe, Malay, Redcap, Seebright Bantam, Serama, Sultan, Sumatra, Yokohama. Also, hens with elongated bodies such as the Phoenix, Old English Game, are not resistant to cold.
In Quebec, it is the breeders who will often have these types of hens in their breeding program and will know how to adapt their environment in winter according to the cold tolerance. For the keeper of urban hens, having hybrid hens, they are all resistant to the cold, even with a long crest.
In fact, it is not the cold that will have an impact on the crest. It will be humidity and a poorly ventilated henhouse. Your hens that will go in the snow on very cold and windy days will benefit from this beautiful natural light and clean air to lay, move, explore and lay good eggs. On the other hand, if the crests and barbs are too exposed to the elements, a simple application of petroleum jelly will suffice to protect them.
Here’s an overview of cold-resistant hens ;
Ameraucanas, Bantam Brahma, Barnevelder, Brahmas, Buckeye, Buff Orpington, Orpingtons, Australorps, wyandottes, Rhode Island Reds, New Hampshire Reds, Barred Rocks, Delawares, Favorelles, Easter Eggers, Silkie Bantam and Marans. We must not forget our Chanteclerc, Cochin, Hamburg, Sussex, Welsummer, Delaware, Dominica. Several other species more available in Europe also resist very well to the cold.
The breeds most resistant to extreme cold are :
Black Cooper Marans, Blue Favocana, Cream Legbar, Blue Orpington, Lavander Orpington even with a good ridge, Australop, Snowy Easter Egger, Barred Plymouth even with a long ridge, Barred Plymouth Rock Bantam even with a good crest, Black Jersey Giant, Blue Cochin, Blue , BBS Ameraucana, Blue Laced Red, Blue Orpington even with a good crest, Buckeye, Buff Brahma Bantam, Black Frizzle Cochin even with a good crest.
The Silkies Bantam are also resistant to cold. It will be wet weather, rain and soaked floors that can make them more vulnerable because the feathers absorb more moisture. These hens must have a very dry hen house in winter and sheltered from the wind. It is not recommended to heat the barn itself, unless it is not insulated, a light heat could be added at night without increasing the internal temperature too much so as not to create thermal shock when they go out in the aviary during the day. That is to say, use these ceramic lamps only in very cold night conditions below -10, -15 Celcius.
If the aviary is well weatherproof, they will be fine. But the Silkworm will not be able to stand going outside in snow and freezing rain like other species. So they need more protection. But they are resistant to the cold.
The book My Pet Chicken and their website offer a good picture of the chickens and their characteristics.
https://www.mypetchicken.com/
Have a nice winter with your chickens!
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