Preparing a homestead for extreme cold in Minnesota, from caring for chickens and waterfowl to cozy winter meals and simple, faithful winter rhythms.
It is cold in Minnesota, and it is only going to get colder over the next few days. We’re looking at negative 45 degrees. I’ve seen some models that say even closer to negative 60 degrees Fahrenheit with the wind chills.
Regardless, it is going to be cold. It’s cold right now, and our heat is out. Unfortunately, this Fall I didn’t have enough time to get our chicken coop completely cold-proof.
We don’t use any sort of heating source for our chicken coop beyond a heating panel. We also have a metal plate for our water. I didn’t get all of the external open areas closed off this fall.
Today, before the cold snap becomes even more intense. And I know that most of the United States right now is going through varying weather craziness. I hear down south of us is going to be like three inches of ice, which would be just catastrophic.
So, lots is going on in this country right now. Today, I’m going to take you along. It’s a little bit different from the feel than we normally have with my homemaking, homesteading type of content, with a little homeschool splash in sometimes.
Today’s going to be more of a come with me as we prepare for some really intense weather. Hopefully, we’ll get the heat on today, and then we’re going to come inside,e and we’re going to get this lovely stove of ours going with some biscuits and some other things. That’s the plan for the video today. So come along as we prepare for this very intense cold weather here on our little homestead.
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Puff Pancake with Einkorn Flour
I just realized that I never said, “Welcome to Healing Home, I hope you are encouraged and inspired by your time here.” I say that every single video, so I feel a bit odd not saying it now. If you are new here, I always have an accompanying blog post that has a rough transcript and then all the links that I mention laid out in an easy format, so if that interests yo,u be sure to check out the description.
Before we get going with our cold snap prep, I’ve got to get the kids fed, and their favorite breakfast continues to be my Einkorn puff pancake with honey strawberry jam (Everything Worth Preserving). They like to call it a ‘puffy pancake,’ and the puffier it puffs, the better it tastes, according to my bunch of boys.
When I remember, I love souring the einkorn grains with kefir overnight, but on this day, I definitely didn’t remember. My puffy pancake is a basic combination of kefir, einkorn, and eggs, and it’s just a great way to get something tasty and easy in at the beginning of the day.
Taking Care of our Chickens in Negative Temperatures
We did get our heat back on, and before we get bogged down with school and stuff, I’m gonna take some water out to all of our areas. Our chickens, our ducks, our geese. We’re going to patch up any of the holes in the chicken coop that need to be patched up before this huge freeze. I’m gonna take some treats down to the chicken and just kind of button up everything for this cold snap.
Part of the reason why we don’t overwinter anything but our chickens, our ducks, and our geese because the cold in Minnesota just gets so intense. When we get to those negative temperatures, days on end or the high of a negative temperature, it’s just really hard to maintain your systems. We have never overwintered our pigs or any other animals besides our birds.
Like I said, patch everything up, bring in some treats, button everything outside, and then we’ll come in and just do some cozy fun things here inside. We’re starting to warm up and be warm again.
Ducks and Geese in the Winter
One thing I’ve had to learn the hard way on our homestead is that ducks and geese are just built differently. No matter what we do, our two geese and two ducks absolutely refuse to seek shelter during cold snaps. We’ve tried two different shelters. I leave the pull barn wide open like a five-star resort, and they’re like, “No thanks, we’re good.” And honestly? The research backs them up. Waterfowl are incredibly well designed for cold weather — they’ve got layers of dense feathers and down that trap heat, plus this wild little heat-exchange system in their legs that keeps them from losing warmth even when they’re standing on frozen ground. So while I’m bundled up wondering how they’re still alive, they’re just out there… vibing.
What I’ve noticed is that as long as they have food, a little protection from the wind, and water, they’re perfectly content in the open. We keep a small water tank for them (our deicer for their tank), and that’s more than enough — they don’t need a pond, a palace, or a heated spa situation. They fluff up, hunker down, and ride it out exactly the way they’re designed to. I think sometimes we project our own discomfort onto our animals, assuming they must be miserable, when really they’re just doing what ducks and geese have always done.
So at this point, I’ve stopped trying to convince them that shelter is a good idea and focused more on meeting their actual needs… and accepting that they’re tougher than I am. The shelter that you see just hanging out in our duck and goose area is actually something we bought this summer because I was convinced once again that we needed something for them. They have never once been interested in it, so it’s actually for sale on Marketplace right now!
Prepare Wisely, Steward Well
I think that’s been a good reminder for me in all of this — our job is to prepare wisely, to steward what God’s given us well, and then to trust the design He already put in place. We can build the shelters, haul the water, open the barn doors, and do our best to think ahead… but at the end of the day, God knew exactly how to design a duck and a goose long before they ever lived on our homestead. Sometimes preparedness looks like action, and sometimes it looks like letting go of control and trusting that His creation — and His care — is enough. And honestly, that lesson applies to a lot more than just extreme weather.
Preparing Our Chicken Coop
So next on the list was the chicken coop. I swung the door open, ready to check on everything… and discovered the reason our ladies were going through water like it was a hot summer day — our trusty old corrugated metal waterer had a leak right at the bottom!
That little discovery turned into a quick trip to our local farm co-op for a brand new waterer that won’t dribble water all over their bedding.
I’m keeping our awesome automatic coop door in place — it’s extra large (left over from when turkeys lived with the chickens), and it’ll continue to open and close through the cold snap like clockwork based on when the sun rises and sets. It’s called an ADOR doo,r and it’s from a company based in Texas if you like USA-made items!
But the little hole leading to their run? That’s getting shut up with a piece of thick wood cut just right, because when the wind whips in, minimizing drafts is really going to matter.
Inside, the coop was… yeah… full of chicken “contributions” and litter — and you know what? That’s actually a good thing this time of year. When you let that bedding build up just right and stir it occasionally, the decomposing material starts to generate a bit of natural heat and helps keep the ambient temperature inside warmer than outside. This deep-litter strategy is something seasoned chicken keepers swear by; it’s been shown to help raise coop temps just through the composting action underneath the fresh shavings and straw.
Since the birds will be spending more time in there with it closed up, I also brought down a few fun distractions — like citrus halves for them to peck at. I don’t usually give citrus because it’s not great for their digestion in big amounts, but a little extra pecking and foraging keeps them busy and happy during cold days. And for a nutritional boost? I crushed up some of their own eggshells and sprinkled that into their feed — a natural calcium source that poultry keepers often use to help support strong shells and overall bird health.
Cozy Winter Meals
To wrap things up, winter prep around here always comes back to food — the cozy, filling kind that warms everyone up from the inside out. Tonight it’s sourdough biscuits and gravy, which is a total family favorite. I’ll have the biscuit recipe linked, but the gravy is one of those meals I just make by memory at this point. I use ground pork because that’s what our freezer is full of right now — pigs we raised this summer — along with onions, green peppers, Redmond Real Salt, and a mix of sour cream and milk to make it rich and comforting.
When I mentioned it earlier, my three-year-old immediately asked if that’s what we were having for dinner… and when I said yes, he jumped around yelling “YAY!” And honestly, that kind of reaction tells me we’re doing winter right. Cozy meals, full bellies, and simple rhythms — that’s part of how we prepare for the cold, too.
Preparing a Homestead for Extreme Cold – Letting it Settle In
As the cold settles in and the sun dips low, with snow rolling across the land and everything feeling still and frozen, it’s easy to think this season is only about endurance. But even here — in the quiet, in the cold, in the waiting — life is still at work. While the world outside looks harsh and asleep, there are tiny green shoots pushing up indoors, almost unnoticed, quietly growing. And I think that’s such a picture of winter on the homestead… and in life. Seasons of cold don’t mean nothing is happening — they often mean something is being prepared beneath the surface. Spring will come in its time. Until then, we tend, we wait, we trust, and we keep going — knowing that God is always at work, even when everything looks frozen.
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