How do you heat your coops

[TonyDomino]

A discarded toaster oven!

 

[pappy1264]

We are building our coop. Insulating the walls, but lots of ventilation by the roof. Also putting several windows to help with sun to warm it, but I have been told it isn't a good idea to do any extra heating as it is not good for them to get to warm and then have to go outside. Chickens have been kept for years w/o heat, heck before they had electricity!

 

[karlamaria]

I added a heat lamp for babies , to take the edge off the cold, my chickens loved it and produced all winter long. My coop is big enough for 20 hens, there are 8 residing in it and the lamp only took out the sting off bitter cold. I will use it again this winter .

 

[coffeekittie]

After reading through the entire thread, I am happy to know that I won't have to worry about not having electricity/heat in my poultry houses when I move to mountainous northern Eastern Washington (above Curlew). As near as I can tell, it's zone 4b, and dry. I will only have whatever power I can generate from the sun, maybe wind. No extra power to feed to animals, and that had been worrying me greatly. I already have started raising cold-tolerant breeds, but still...I worried. Now I can put that particular problem to rest. Now to figure out how to keep the critters out of the wet over here in the Pacific Northwest....

Thank you!

 

[Rhiahl]

Ike, thanks for this. I've never raised chickens and have decided to give it a whirl. My husband grew up on a ranch here in Montana and keeps telling me that no heat necessary, that at the most you want a 40 - 60 watt bulb on a timer (the old ones that are hard to find) for light to keep the laying going. He hates chickens and has told me I'm on my own. Although, he will help with construction stuff. The biggest problem I've seen with them in the cold here is at a local place where the "rancher" (and I use the term loosely) allows the chickens to free range, doesn't have a coop for them, never feeds them unless she throws meals scraps out the kitchen door for the turkeys, chickens and dogs to fight over, has three roosters per hen you name it, it's just not right. I'm not sure why she has the animals She can't find eggs, predation is horrific. Her chickens have had their toes frozen off, the hens backs are so raw from the roosters and they peck at each other on the raw spots. This county is SOOO bad at animal protection no help for the birds there (I've tried). So, I was freaking about heat on those -30 degree nights. I finally met up with a woman raising chickens a couple of weeks ago and the difference was AMAZING. Such beautiful birds! It's good to have confirmation on the heat issue for me.

So, the journey begins! I'm looking forward to 5 cold weather tolerant breeds (I think Buff Orpingtons and maybe two Australorps) in the spring. Although, I'm considering some pullets right now. I am just not sure buying the pullets from a hatchery would be the best move. I'm curious about how easy they would be to handle being raised at a hatchery.

Questions, questions, questions! I'm obviously the newbie!

Charlotte

 

[Hokum Coco]

I am subject to -40º here in Canada and I have a cold hearty breed. I heat my coop with 10 to 15 chickens.

That is it!

 

[VTchooks]

Hi Nevada Sun
I am pretty new to the chicken raising myself. I have 5 ladies. Right now they range outside and come in the wood shed at night but I am thinking about a coop inside the shed and thinking about heating, water, sand, light via installation of a southern window and/or a safe light. Lots to think about to keep my chooks happy. I will have to check out the heater you mentioned. Thanks for the info.

 

[Minniechickmama]

Minnesota. No heat. Open air. No problem. In fact, I have a mixed flock that lives outside with access to two unheated coops all year long. They do fine. Keep them dry, bedded, fresh water and feed. They will keep themselves warm. This big windows (not glass just hardware cloth) are open to the South and no draft comes in. On occasion, snow does blow in, but is removed and I am fixing that before it snows again. However, this 'snow', which was actually slush, fell on May 2nd of this year and was 16+" deep. Most chicken breeds are hardy enough to stand cold winters. Do you know when I lose birds? In July when it is 100˚ and I can't cool them down. They stress, get respiratory distress and overheat. I will take cold over hot any day.

 

[VTchooks]

great to know. How do you keep water from freezing? We get -20 to -35 degrees in January.

 

[Hokum Coco]

I do not stop my water from freezing. I replenish my water fresh every morning in rubber buckets. It pops out easy peasy. and fill the container with fresh water daily. Sometimes twice a day (check for eggs twice a day) in bitter cold so eggs do not freeze. I live in Canada and was subject to -40º last winter. No heat no light no losses.Golden Comet hens.