Keeping the coop warm in the winter, HOW?

[Kusanar]

I was just winter using my coop, and put duct tape and cardboard over the vents. I guess that was the wrong thing to do. I did notice it was really humid inside yesterday. I might drill some smaller vents, since my vents are big doors at the top on each side. I would think bottom venting would keep the heat from rising out. Or should I just not insulate the existing vents at the top, and keep them closed?

Actually, you WANT the hot air to leave, the warm air is the wet air, it's better for that hot wet air to get out so that drier (and yes, cooler) air can come in. Chickens are well equipped for cold, but not cold and wet. Moist air will just get them cold faster, like stepping out of the shower into a cold room what felt just fine and warm enough before you got yourself wet.

 

[Coldjensens]

We had a heat lamp disaster other newbies should be warned of. We had a nice light with a metal grid in front of it designed for a chicken coop. It was our first winter with chickens. It was -20 f one night and my daughter came to me and said the light was not working. I brought it in to test it and it crumbled to pieces. After searching for an hour for a replacement, all I could find was a 1500 watt halogen work light. Well - that certainly will keep them warm. I rigged it up at the top of the coop so it would not be too close to the roosts and overheat the chickens. I put insulation and sheet metal above it to avoid the possibility of the plywood roof catching on fire.

In the morning we found a disaster. Playing forensic scientists, we pieced together what happened.

The work light had a handle on it that serves as a stand when it sits on the ground. That handle hung slightly below the light. Apparently the rooster got up on that handle and pressed himself right against the light. The heat from the light set his feathers on fire. The rooster jumped down into the straw at the bottom of the coop and set the straw on fire. At some point some of the hens also caught on fire.

Somehow all of the chickens escaped from the raccoon proof* coop that was now full of burning straw. The rooster and two or three hens ran out into the woods and something killed them and ate part of them (probably a fox enjoying a nice roasted chicken dinner). The other five hens ran into the carriage house next to the coop. There was a door that had broken and could not be closed. Just inside that door was a large metal shelf where we store several cans of gasoline, kerosene, paint thinner, starter fluid etcetera. At least one of the hens was still on fire when they ran by that shelf** but luckily it did not blow up the carriage house.

The five hens survived and the coop was repairable, but we were lucky. Looking back that was a really stupid idea, but at 11 p.m. and -20 degrees it seemed like a good solution at the time. I knew the light got hot and thought that was a good thing for keeping chickens warm. I had accidentally dropped paper on similar lights in the past and it had not burned. It never occurred to me a light could set feathers on fire, or that a Chicken would press themselves right against a super hot light for a long enough time to catch on fire. I felt terrible about it for a long time.

We learned and we still use a light to keep them warm, but we use a light designed for the purpose and keep two back ups in the carriage house so we do not have to improvise. Even with the light working, if it gets that cold now, we just bring the chickens inside and put them in the bathroom for the night (which is what we should have done, but bringing chickens into the house never even occurred to us).


* Raccoon proofing the coop and eagle/hawk proofing the run was the result of other disasters in our initial chicken keeping learning experience. I wish the people who gave my daughter 12 chickens had also given us a good book on how to keep them safe. For some reason Raccoons love to pull the heads off of chickens. They will go to great lengths to do so. They do not eat them, just pull off their heads and leave them. Raccoons are very very clever about getting into things.


** We know a hen was still on fire because we found burn marks on the floor by the shelf and also further into the carriage house. There were also a trail of burned feathers leading past the shelf.

 

[Mountain Peeps]

Ventilation is probably one of the most important things to have in winter. Without proper ventilation your birds will get frostbite, respiratory illnesses and other problems.
Chickens can survive brutally cold temps as long as they are dry and out of all drafts. Sealing up all cracks in the coop and putting in about 1 square foot of vent space in the eaves per bird. Wind chills are merciless on chickens sleeping at night so make sure your coop is draft free.

Other things to do to help keep your chickens snug this winter include using straw as a bedding, using the 4" inch side of a 2x4 roosts. I also put a towel that has been in the dryer and put it on the roosts to warm their feet. Make sure that there is no water spillage or moisture collection on the bedding as this can also result in frostbite. On the very cold nights you should rub vaseline on the chickens' combs and wattles to help prevent freezing.
Here's a link on frostbite and ventilation.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/frostbite
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/...-go-out-there-and-cut-more-holes-in-your-coop

You don't need a heat lamp if you have ventilation, proper bedding, proper roosts and proper feed. In the winter you should be feeding your normal layer, grower or chick feed along with scratch as this will keep the birds warm especially if you feed it in the evenings.

Bedding that is warm and absorbent is also necessary. Wet bedding mixed with the cold temps and wind chills equals bad frostbite. So either use straw, shavings or shredded paper. Straw is possibly the best bedding to use in winter. Line the nests with straw to help prevent eggs from freezing. Bales of straw help act as insulation and keep the coop even warmer.

Heated water bowls are also imperative. Chickens drink non-stop in winter and they can't do that if their water is frozen! So either buy a heated bowl or use a heated base on the bottom of their regular waterer. I've also heard of people who place a 40 watt bulb in between bricks and then put the water on top in a bowl. Make sure the waterer isn't plastic.

 

[Frizzlett98]

Oh my goodness! That's awful. I was going to set up a heat lamp last week but I decided against it for fear of them getting too close to it and knocking it dowm causing a fire. And it was a red bulb. They could see everything and started pecking each other on the roosts.

 

[SammyRouen]

I have a question I REALLY NEED answering!
Okay, I have one of those hanging bucket waterers with the poultry water sippers in the bottom. Last year I didn't have chickens (luckily) and we had a horrible winter here in Pennsylvania. But now that I do I am freaking out on how I'm gonna keep their water bucket from feezing to the point where they can't drink! Any tips?

 

[Estatechicks]

Don't know why these are sideways, but this is my girl's home. 2 Buff O's
I have put insulation on the north wall of the inside coop. Gets pretty chilly in WY.
The outside coop has clear plastic panels on the walls, the upper ones are removable for air flow. The lower ones are permanent and are attached to treated 2x4 buried in the ground. Nothin' is gettin' in this coop!

 

[Mountain Peeps]

I have a question I REALLY NEED answering!
Okay, I have one of those hanging bucket waterers with the poultry water sippers in the bottom. Last year I didn't have chickens (luckily) and we had a horrible winter here in Pennsylvania. But now that I do I am freaking out on how I'm gonna keep their water bucket from feezing to the point where they can't drink! Any tips?

You'll need to check it often. Also, maybe position it in-between two walls that have insulation. And if you do use a lamp or heat souce of some sort maybe put the water underneath it. (But far enough away so it doesn't melt.

 

[MyPetNugget]

I have a question I REALLY NEED answering!
Okay, I have one of those hanging bucket waterers with the poultry water sippers in the bottom. Last year I didn't have chickens (luckily) and we had a horrible winter here in Pennsylvania. But now that I do I am freaking out on how I'm gonna keep their water bucket from feezing to the point where they can't drink! Any tips?

Maybe if you put like an aquarium warmer or bird bath warmer in your bucket.

 

[Kusanar]

I have a question I REALLY NEED answering!
Okay, I have one of those hanging bucket waterers with the poultry water sippers in the bottom. Last year I didn't have chickens (luckily) and we had a horrible winter here in Pennsylvania. But now that I do I am freaking out on how I'm gonna keep their water bucket from feezing to the point where they can't drink! Any tips?

You'll need to check it often. Also, maybe position it in-between two walls that have insulation. And if you do use a lamp or heat souce of some sort maybe put the water underneath it. (But far enough away so it doesn't melt.

I don't know what I did to this post, but anyway, I was actually thinking about using a 55 gallon barrel, maybe cut in half and hung by sturdy chains, put 10-20 gallons of water in it at a time and put one of the floating, caged, horse trough water heaters in it, it would float down with the water level and they keep the water 2-3 degrees above freezing, so chances are that the nipples would stay warm enough to not freeze. The way the cages on those water heaters work, they can't bump into the sides or bottom of the container they are in, they're for plastic stock tanks, they also handle being dried out fairly well, so if for some reason you ran out of water or ran low enough the heater was in the air above the water, it wouldn't cause any real damage to it, they hiss a little when first pulled out of the water, but soon stop making noise.

 

[MyPetNugget]

I don't know what I did to this post, but anyway, I was actually thinking about using a 55 gallon barrel, maybe cut in half and hung by sturdy chains, put 10-20 gallons of water in it at a time and put one of the floating, caged, horse trough water heaters in it, it would float down with the water level and they keep the water 2-3 degrees above freezing, so chances are that the nipples would stay warm enough to not freeze. The way the cages on those water heaters work, they can't bump into the sides or bottom of the container they are in, they're for plastic stock tanks, they also handle being dried out fairly well, so if for some reason you ran out of water or ran low enough the heater was in the air above the water, it wouldn't cause any real damage to it, they hiss a little when first pulled out of the water, but soon stop making noise.

Good idea.

I personally had this problem last year as well. Thanks all of you for your ideas!