Frozen chicken feathers....ummm, hair?

This is one of those things that you never even fathom happening till it happens in your coop! Frozen chicken 'hair'. Or topknots. Or just call them feathers....either way when temps hit zero or below, suddenly a little wet hair is a big deal! Frozen head feathers are especially a problem on birds with big hairdos like Silkies and Polish. 

Yes, those are ice drops frozen to the ends of her feathers! I noticed the problem last week when temps were in the negatives here in Western Pennsylvania. It mainly happened in the Silkie coop. The birds would lean down to drink water and their head feathers would dip into the water. 

This happens year round, however it's only a hazard in the winter. In the winter the wet feathers freeze. Frozen feathers are never a good thing! The solution was simple though...just trim the feathers!

Frozen chicken feathers

Youngest son held the birds while I gave their hairdos a quick trimming. Since feathers have no nerves or blood supply past the quill, it's safe to trim the ends. Just be careful not to trim the quills! It's kind of like when you trim a chickens nails, just stay away from the blood supply and you'll be in the right place!

A few of the roosters needed beard trims also. Feathers tend to wick the water toward the body and the last thing we need is for our birds to get wetter and colder then the should be....especially in this polar vortex weather! A simple trim won't hurt and they might even be thrilled to find that they can suddenly see better.

Of course they look a little silly, but it will grow back in spring! I know it's tempting to just bring them in the house and get their feathers dried out then put them back out (especially when they have perfect little feather poofs!) but they will just get wet and frozen all over again!

I've noticed less of a problem with the red and white plastic drinkers than with bowls of water. However, the water trough in those will freeze at very low temperatures, so the big heated dog bowls are often the best bet in winter.

Of course, with them the chickens hairdos and beards can get in the water! It's sort of a 'try it and see what works for your flock' situation. 

Related reading: How to keep your chickens water from freezing in winter.

Keep warm!

~Lisa

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