Do heat lights count?.if so..yes i keep one on...but..i dont think it helps much, really....
Do You Heat Your Coop? (Poll) LATEST UPDATE PG 15
- Thread starter bluey
- Start date
yes
i use straw, 100 watt light bulb and insulation, works great no frozen water etc
i use straw, 100 watt light bulb and insulation, works great no frozen water etc
Yes...my 250 watt heat lamp pops on when the temp hits 32....turns back off at 36
Yes, we have 24 chickens - 23 18-week-old pullets and one gorgeous yet wimpy rooster. Our hen house is 10 x 12 x 8 and we have two 250-watt infrared heat lamps over the roosts. It helps a lot, keeps their combs and wattles from frostbite, and they are more comfortable. We live in NH, and it gets cold here...and snowy. Right now, it's about 10 degrees and it feels like -10 because of the wind.
All of ours are heavy breeds - but it doesn't hurt to try and minimize their discomfort. They are pretty young but four started to lay two weeks ago. 16 weeks at the start - and if we didn't give them some warmth at night and minimal light, they may not have started at all.
I know heavy breed birds can withstand the cold and are indeed bred for that; but you know - pilgrims on the Mayflower survived the first winter (at least, those that did survive) wearing layers of clothing and living in homes heated only with wood. Temps in their homes averaged 50 degrees or so - and they could survive that but when it was possible for them to be more comfortable - warmer - didn't they take advantage of that?
Don't believe all you read about Nanook of the North.
All of ours are heavy breeds - but it doesn't hurt to try and minimize their discomfort. They are pretty young but four started to lay two weeks ago. 16 weeks at the start - and if we didn't give them some warmth at night and minimal light, they may not have started at all.
I know heavy breed birds can withstand the cold and are indeed bred for that; but you know - pilgrims on the Mayflower survived the first winter (at least, those that did survive) wearing layers of clothing and living in homes heated only with wood. Temps in their homes averaged 50 degrees or so - and they could survive that but when it was possible for them to be more comfortable - warmer - didn't they take advantage of that?
Don't believe all you read about Nanook of the North.
No heat. The last snow storm showed me I needed to do some caulking though.
Yes.
If I only had adult chickens I wouldn't use a heater, but I have chicks in the big coop.
So each of the two brooders has a heat lamp and then I have a small space heater in between the brooders set to only go on when the temp drops below 30 in there. None of the above seem to add much heat to the big girls section of the coop, its never actually 'warm' in there when I go in to let them out in the mornings.
I also have a heat lamp in my bantam coop to help keep their water from freezing.
I need to swap all the bulbs out from 250w to something much smaller though.
If I only had adult chickens I wouldn't use a heater, but I have chicks in the big coop.
So each of the two brooders has a heat lamp and then I have a small space heater in between the brooders set to only go on when the temp drops below 30 in there. None of the above seem to add much heat to the big girls section of the coop, its never actually 'warm' in there when I go in to let them out in the mornings.
I also have a heat lamp in my bantam coop to help keep their water from freezing.
I need to swap all the bulbs out from 250w to something much smaller though.
Yep- a heat lamp, a CHE...and a heat lamp outside on their 'porch'.
About heat..... I have an old dawg. large mutt german shepherd and chow mix. an anonymous doner present..one of those kind she has arthritis in her back hip. Last winter I felt sorry for her and began to let her inside for the cold nights.
Suddenly her coat turned loose and it was the biggest mess Ive ever seen in my life. She totally lost her coat..in my bedroom.!!!!!!
I figured it out all by myself. her rhythum was thrown off and her brain thought it was summer time and turned loose of the coat and left her without protection in the cold.
so no more of that.. I do have a water bed heater in her wonderful warm house now. turned on to 70 degrees. It helps her hips and I have not seen any hair flying around like it did last year.
so I came to the conclusion that if Im not going to provide heat all day long every day and night that I must not tamper with mother nature...or at least not too much.
Chickens have lived out side for several years now and I think they are adapted for the cold. I saw posted ..forget the name.. a woman here who talked about the down under the feathers that fluffs up and keeps them warm if it has a chance to fluff up.. heat stops t hat.. and unless I intend to keep them heated all winter Im not going to tamper with mother nature.
in fact i have a thick cedar tree beside their coop. they love that cedar tree in the winter time. They would love to roost there every night and me old party pooper has been known to climb a step ladder to get them down and put them in their house.. That tree is perfect so t hick they are almost in a blanket of cedar and so many limbs a predator would have a time getting them loose.. i know i did. you shoulda seen this old woman in her house coat climbing up that tree I came in bleeding from my arms and my neck and my forehead. DH said why dont you leave em alone and let em enjoy that tree.
I just felt better having them inside. I bet they would not even get wet if it rained. Nature will provide most of the time.
Suddenly her coat turned loose and it was the biggest mess Ive ever seen in my life. She totally lost her coat..in my bedroom.!!!!!!
I figured it out all by myself. her rhythum was thrown off and her brain thought it was summer time and turned loose of the coat and left her without protection in the cold.
so no more of that.. I do have a water bed heater in her wonderful warm house now. turned on to 70 degrees. It helps her hips and I have not seen any hair flying around like it did last year.
so I came to the conclusion that if Im not going to provide heat all day long every day and night that I must not tamper with mother nature...or at least not too much.
Chickens have lived out side for several years now and I think they are adapted for the cold. I saw posted ..forget the name.. a woman here who talked about the down under the feathers that fluffs up and keeps them warm if it has a chance to fluff up.. heat stops t hat.. and unless I intend to keep them heated all winter Im not going to tamper with mother nature.
in fact i have a thick cedar tree beside their coop. they love that cedar tree in the winter time. They would love to roost there every night and me old party pooper has been known to climb a step ladder to get them down and put them in their house.. That tree is perfect so t hick they are almost in a blanket of cedar and so many limbs a predator would have a time getting them loose.. i know i did. you shoulda seen this old woman in her house coat climbing up that tree I came in bleeding from my arms and my neck and my forehead. DH said why dont you leave em alone and let em enjoy that tree.
I just felt better having them inside. I bet they would not even get wet if it rained. Nature will provide most of the time.
Last edited:
yes- One flat panel heater and two 250 watt red heat lamps as a back up.
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