The Winter Chicken Chill

Suddenly, it’s getting darker earlier, temperatures are beginning to dip, and the flock is starting to molt. Luckily for chickens, they are incredibly adaptable. Chickens are not mammals like us. They are birds. Because of this, their bodies interpret weather differently than we do. It is important when selecting breeds that we consider their hardiness in the winter climate. For New Englanders, this means keeping cold-hardy breeds. Think of cold-hardy breeds like wild birds that do not migrate to warmer climates during the winter. Like the wild birds, they stay put and overwinter. With proper care and management, overwintering your chickens can be a success with a little bit of planning and proper preparation.

Feather Replacement

Chickens prepare themselves for winter by going through a molt each fall. If more than a year old, chickens will molt each year to replace their body’s feathers with new ones. Like all birds, they rely on their feathers to keep warm. You might notice that some chickens have milder molts than others, and some chickens seem to lose all of their feathers at once. This is normal depending on the breed.

The molt is very systematic. The feather loss begins at the top of their heads, then progresses to the chest, back, wings, and finally the tail. Fall molts can start as early as August or as late as