To Heat or Not to Heat?

[ChikinInThePines]

Hey everyone!
I live in South Carolina and the temperatures have been dropping into the upper 'teens (F). I was curious if it would be worth adding some supplemental heat inside my coop? I have read where people will put just a normal lightbulb, all the way to fancy split systems on their coops....Would a Panel heater work? Or should I just make sure there's no wind getting in?

 

[DobieLover]

You will never need supplemental heat in your climate. Just make sure you have copious amounts of ventilation with draft free roosting in the coop and your birds will be fine.

 

[NatJ]

Hey everyone!
I live in South Carolina and the temperatures have been dropping into the upper 'teens (F). I was curious if it would be worth adding some supplemental heat inside my coop? I have read where people will put just a normal lightbulb, all the way to fancy split systems on their coops....Would a Panel heater work? Or should I just make sure there's no wind getting in?

If you have adult chickens that are reasonably healthy, and they have been living in that coop so they could adjust as the temperature droped during the fall and winter, then keeping the water thawed is the only thing you should really need.

Young chicks are a different case, and sick chickens might be a different case. A few breeds with unusual traits might also have trouble (frizzled feathers that stick out instead of trapping heat, extra-tiny body size on Seramas, that kind of thing.)

If the temperature drops an enormous amount in a short time (50 degrees or so of change), even healthy adult chickens might have trouble coping. But in that case, you would be better off bringing the chickens into a garage or basement for a few days, rather than fussing with all-winter heating arrangements.

 

[MommyGirl]

Hey everyone!
I live in South Carolina and the temperatures have been dropping into the upper 'teens (F). I was curious if it would be worth adding some supplemental heat inside my coop? I have read where people will put just a normal lightbulb, all the way to fancy split systems on their coops....Would a Panel heater work? Or should I just make sure there's no wind getting in?

I’m in Georgia and have never put heat in the coop and mine do fine!