What is the value of a chicken? It's an important question to consider before trusting what you see shared on the internet.
Unfortunately, nearly 1 billion chickens are killed annually for meat in Canada. This doesn't account for hens forced to live in egg farms their whole lives or the over 14 million who are exported alive. Because of this, chickens are often seen as commodities. Chicks can be purchased at farming stores for a toonie, and the number of unwanted chickens being given away in local online chicken groups is in the thousands per year.
However, despite these staggering numbers, we believe each chicken has fundamental value as an individual. When given the opportunity and environment to thrive, you can see their complex cognitive, emotional, communicative, and social behaviours blossom. Chickens are not all the same.
Research shows that chickens:
tell each other apart
demonstrate self-control
exercise reason and make logical inferences
have a sense of time and may be able to anticipate future events
tactically deceive one another
experience emotions, exhibit emotional contagion
show evidence for empathy
All this to say, when a remark is made that causes question marks around their basic care - such as heat for chickens in the winter - consider what value the person who is saying chickens don't need XY or Z is assigning to chickens. Below, we'll explore what we do for our flocks in the winter and how, regardless of the outside temperatures, they will always be comfortable within their homes.

Physiology & Preferences
Prolonged exposure to freezing temperatures can weaken birds’ immune systems, can result in hypothermia, frostbite, and the consequential loss of body parts. Even in cases where no permanent damage is done to the birds, chickens that are forced to endure freezing conditions experience preventable discomfort. Offering birds compassionate care means that we must take steps to minimize all these potential issues and focus on providing conditions in which we not just meet the basic necessities of their care but enable them to thrive, not merely survive. - Open Sanctuary
Most resources (recognizing that there aren't many focused on non-commercial farming of chickens) will share that the ideal temperature for chickens is usually between 13-21°C. While some breeds of chickens may be less averse to cold and may "reasonably" tolerate the cold, we'd argue that no life should be lived in a state of tolerance. Again, this goes back to the value of chickens and what they deserve. At 0°C, chickens begin to lose their ability to regulate their body temperature. By -7°C, frostbite and hypothermia begin to set in. Both can be deadly.
Then, of course, there are likes and dislikes. Just like humans, each of our chickens has a unique personality. For example, Henry, our sweet 7-year-old rooster, has arthritis, which makes him cold-adverse. Whereas Annie, Etta & Lottie, three of our newest hens, are all huge fans of the snow. Then there's Alma, who is firmly in the middle ground and will tolerate the cold if it means she gets to have a dust bath but doesn't like being outside in the cold past her covered run.
Humane Set Up

Our area has been known to see -30°C in the height of winter. Knowing the existing coop on the property would be useless in protecting the chickens over the winter; extra attention was paid when building the new coops.
There is a decent amount of floor space, allowing them to be kept inside while having enough space to walk around and not be crowded.
All coop floors, ceilings, and walls have been insulated using a combination of Tyvek wrap, insulation batting, and vapour barrier.
Each coop is fitted with electricity and has an adequate oil-filled radiator heating source.
In smaller coops, these radiators are elevated, ensuring they're not taking away from floor space.
We avoid using heat lamps, as they pose a fire hazard.
All heat is plugged into thermostat-controlled plugs.
When temperatures dip below 15°C, the heaters will turn on automatically until 15°C is reached.
The plugs are fitted with GFI breakers for safety.
In winter, we add vapour barrier to the covered runs to prevent snow drift.
We have a generator on standby, and in case our power is cut, the chicken coops are on a separate breaker (along with our fridge and home heat) to ensure their safety first.
We use covered water bowls to ensure chickens can't dip their wattles into an open water bowl, increasing the risk of frostbite from cold water freezing on their sensitive skin.
At least twice a day, we check on the chickens. We don't use automatic chicken doors. In the morning, we will look at the weather forecast for the day and determine whether it's indoor or outdoor. While replenishing their food and water at breakfast and dinner, we also note their physical appearance to ensure no signs of discomfort or illness.
Enrichment

Cold winter days are hard, and enrichment plays a key role in keeping our flocks happy and healthy throughout the bitter temperatures. Chickens will begin to pester each other if they face boredom or feel closed in, resulting in pecking and feather pulling.
At Secondhand Stories, mornings begin with mealworms and scratch (mixed grain and seeds) scattered amongst their bedding, encouraging their natural foraging behaviour. This keeps their focus for hours as they discover new spots they haven't yet dug around. We have several food puzzles as well, which they'll peck at and move around - just like cats or dogs! We've also used mirrors, swings, zylophones, music as different ways to engage the chickens durring the colder months.
Comfy Chickens = Happy Chickens
To wrap things up, we believe chickens are so much more than they’re often given credit for. At Secondhand Stories, every chicken in our care is treated like the unique and special individual they are. Our hope is that by sharing their stories and showing how amazing they are, we can inspire others to see chickens as the incredible, sentient beings they truly are—deserving of care, compassion, and respect.
All this would not be possible without the generous support of people like you.
You can donate here if you're inspired to make a gift to our sanctuary.
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