Official BYC Poll: Do you allow your chickens outside in the snow, or keep them indoors?

[BYC Project Manager]

Snow days can be fun, but what about for your chickens? Some flocks love to explore the winter wonderland, while others prefer staying cozy indoors.

What’s your approach? Do you let your chickens roam in the snow, or do they stay tucked away in the coop?

Share your strategy in our latest poll and see how other chicken keepers handle snowy days!

Further Reading:

• Keeping Chickens Without Free Ranging
• Frostbite: What to Know About Injury, Care and Recovery
• Caring For Chickens in the Winter
• Winter Chicken Predators To Look Out For
• Cold Weather Poultry Housing and Care

(Check out more exciting Official BYC Polls HERE!)

 

[AntiqueB]

I open the door to the run, so they can come out in the snow if they want. But they never do! They dislike it.

 

[Chicken butler]

My coop is inside a barn, so if they don't want to go out, they can hangout in the barn and I just toss them some scratch on the ground in the barn. For Most of my hens this is their first winter , the first snow of the year here was about a foot deep. I opened the door of the coop and ran to the door of the barn to see their reactions they all stood in a line at the door and just stared at the snow! gave one big fat nope and went back in the coop too eat some feed.

 

[MysteryChicken]

I always let them out no matter how deep the snow is, & let them decide whether they want outside, or not.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I open the pop door in the morning and let them decide. If it snowed overnight and they wake up to a strange white world they typically stay in for a day or two, then some start going out.

One time it started snowing during the day when they were already outside. They stayed out, no big deal. The change was gradual enough it did not bother them.

 

[K0k0shka]

Mine don't free range. Their run is partially covered, but snow still blows in in some areas. If it's not too bad, they'll come out and stay in the snow-free areas. If there's been a storm that has blown snow everywhere inside the run, they won't come out. In that case, I go and clear the snow, and spread a bag of dry leaves on the ground (I bag and save a lot of leaves in the fall, to use throughout the year in the run). They LOVE walking around and scratching through the nice, fluffy, dry leaves! They'd really rather be outside, so they appreciate the carpet of leaves and always come out onto it, no matter how cold it is otherwise.

Here they are today, in single digits Fahrenheit, enjoying the dry leaves and a nice treat of warm mash (their regular crumble mixed with hot water until it's clumpy in consistency).

 

[BDutch]

Hey chickens. What is your opinion about snow?​

Gin & Tonic: “What is snow ?” Was that the white thin blanket we had in the morning two weeks ago that disappeared after a few hours?”

Katrientje: “Snow? Very interesting, but I only saw it 3 times in my whole life.”

Ini mini and the other Dutch bantams:
“Awful, I remember we had a lot of snow for a whole week about 4 years ago. No way we would go outside”.

 

[Debbie292d]

Ours come out once the paths are made.

A little explanation of before, during, and after is in my silkies thread if you want to see more.

 

[Sally PB]

My run is covered, so unless the wind blows just right, snow doesn't get into the run. But if it does, they stay inside until (usually) Stormy The Brave shows them that it's ok.