Poultry are hardy and well-adapted to a range of environments. However, like most animals, even they have a climate that’s ideal for their health and egg production. Young chicks, too, need even more specific needs for their health and safety.

When winter arrives across many parts of the country, cold weather comes alongside it. Be sure to prepare your poultry houses for winter weather before it gets here.

We’ve created this brief how-to article with some of the top priorities when prepping your poultry house and coops for cold weather.

Getting Started: Prepare The Poultry House

Routine maintenance is important to keep your poultry barn operating at efficiency, but sometimes routine doesn’t catch every potential issue.

Before the winter season begins, be sure to inspect your entire poultry house structure. The objective is to ensure the barn is sealed tight. Issues like cracks in the walls or ceilings, gaps in doors and windows, and other structural problems are identified and remedied.

A damaged barn will lose surprisingly substantial amounts of heat, driving heating costs up during the winter.

Equally as important is pest prevention. A tightly sealed barn reduces entry points for rodents and other winter barn pests. Pests can contaminate feed, water, and cause illness among poultry.

This is also a good time to inspect your barn’s insulation and replace it if necessary.

Drain Cool Cells & Inspect Water System Insulation

Freezing will damage cooling cell systems. Be sure to empty interior and exterior cool cell water lines as well as the system reservoir. Pumps should be removed and stored for the winter.

This is also an ideal time to inspect the poultry house’s plumbing. Identify and repair leaks, insulate pipes, and inspect drinkers. Repair or replace broken poultry drinker system parts and lines.

Deep Clean Fans and Shutters

Air will still need to be circulated out of the poultry barn to prevent the build-up of gasses like ammonia. For fans that can be covered, perform a deep clean of the blades, shutters, and covers themselves. Before installing covers, inspect them to make sure they are in good condition.

For exhaust fans, replace worn belts and bearings. Check that all electrical systems attached to the fans, including controllers, are working properly. It doesn’t hurt to have common replacement parts for barn fans on hand in case of a winter emergency.

Don’t Forget About Air Inlets

While inspecting your poultry barn’s primary ventilation systems, also look over any installed air inlets. Be sure that sidewall inlets open uniformly and their screens are both free of holes and cleaned.

Check Your Poultry Heaters

From brooder heaters to forced air systems, check that all systems are operational. Test each heater individually to ensure that it works properly.

Before performing a test run, perform a surface and deep clean of all heaters. Be sure to inspect burners for corrosion and rubber gas lines for cracks.

Of course, it goes without saying this is also the time to replace worn parts and upgrade outdated poultry heaters.

Lastly, take inventory of all on-hand replacement parts and repair tools for your heaters. Be sure to stock up on common replacement parts in the event of an emergency. Having a heater go down in the middle of winter can be a major setback.

If the time has come to upgrade your barn’s heating system, contact our sales team for assistance in finding the right options for your size and type of poultry house. Give our team a call at 1-800-845-3374 for assistance.