Best Heat Lamp for a small coop

[Crooked Chicken]

Just wanted to comment on some of the temps people are posting such as -30 or 40F. Those kind of temps are record breakers in most of the US. I believe Pennsylvania has been in the 20F to 30F range, not minuses.

 

[PirateGirl]

If you really want to heat your coop, there are some great alternatives to heat lamps. Panel heaters and homemade cinder block heaters are two that come to mind. I recently saw a post from someone from Alaska who mentioned re-routing the wood stove pipe to run through a chicken coop as a common solution to persistently cold temps.

It was below zero F here this week and my 5 girls in a small coop were fine without heat or insulation. It didn't get above freezing (day or night) for 3 days, there will be longer spells than that soon.

Also, don't factor in wind chill when thinking about cold for the chickens. If they are in a coop, they are not in the wind, so their coop temp is the ambient air temp.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[aart]

We have a small coop with only four egg laying hens that get along well; but they are getting very cold because we are in Michigan and Michigan winters are brutal. What would be the best way to heat their coop so I don't wake up to my girls burnt to the ground or frozen like an icicle?

I hope you didn't get scared off, heat lamps are a pretty touchy subject.

Michigan winters can be brutal, but it's unlikely you will need a heater to keep birds warm.....you will need a heater to keep water thawed tho.
The first winter is hard and scary, but you'll see those birds are pretty tough.
Knowing more about your coop(dimensions and pics) and your flock(numbers, ages, genders) will help us help you get thru your first winter.
BTW where are you in MI?

 

[lazy gardener]

Just wanted to comment on some of the temps people are posting such as -30 or 40F. Those kind of temps are record breakers in most of the US. I believe Pennsylvania has been in the 20F to 30F range, not minuses.

Your post spurred me to check data records for my state. This is what I came up with:

Summer nights are usually comfortably cool. Winters are generally cold, but very prolonged cold spells are rare. Northern Interior weather stations may record as many as 40 to 60 days of sub-zero temperatures annually, while coastal stations report 10 to 20 sub-zero days per year.

I'm guessing my area falls in the 20 - 40 days of sub zero/year range.

 

[Crooked Chicken]

Your post spurred me to check data records for my state. This is what I came up with:

Summer nights are usually comfortably cool. Winters are generally cold, but very prolonged cold spells are rare. Northern Interior weather stations may record as many as 40 to 60 days of sub-zero temperatures annually, while coastal stations report 10 to 20 sub-zero days per year.

I'm guessing my area falls in the 20 - 40 days of sub zero/year range.

Yes, I think Maine does have some of the coldest temperatures on record. Brr.........

 

[Hokum Coco]

My method for dealing with winter is quite simple one extra feeder of whole corn. I live in Canada subject to -40º. I have 67 trips around the sun. I have raised various types of chickens and birds for decades.

TLC still has to be provided to birds that may not be adapting well to the diet. For the most part birds are vocal happy and do just fine. NO HEAT NO EXTRA LIGHT please and thank you works fine for me and my flock.

If for any reason you find it necessary to supply electricity to your coop via extension cord.

Please employ a "Ground Fault Outlet" also use a "Safety Chain" in conjunction to any heat lamp or incandescent bulb after mounting.
One coop fire is too many and these precautions could be the difference.

A simple action such as a rodent chewing on your extension cord could be the cause of a coop fire and a ground fault circuit could be the difference in witnessing your coop in tack or a pile of smoldering ash.

P.S. There are now a variety of ground fault extension cords available in major retail centers that also would be a wise investment.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Yes, I think Maine does have some of the coldest temperatures on record. Brr.........

Don't forget about the Midwest. We get our winter weather directly out of Canada. It gets cold here in Wisconsin for prolong amounts of time. We warm the air up before it reaches Maine. They get our sloppy seconds.

I don't heat any of my animals. They heat themselves. Heat lamps are for brooding chicks. They are dangerous when used to heat coops.

The difference here between insulated and not insulated is my birds in my uninsulated shed will sometimes get frostbite, my bantam coop is insulated and there has been zero frostbite.

 

[PirateGirl]

My method for dealing with winter is quite simple one extra feeder of whole corn. I live in Canada subject to -40º. I have 67 trips around the sun. I have raised various types of chickens and birds for decades.

TLC still has to be provided to birds that may not be adapting well to the diet. For the most part birds are vocal happy and do just fine. NO HEAT NO EXTRA LIGHT please and thank you works fine for me and my flock.

If for any reason you find it necessary to supply electricity to your coop via extension cord.

Please employ a "Ground Fault Outlet" also use a "Safety Chain" in conjunction to any heat lamp or incandescent bulb after mounting.
One coop fire is too many and these precautions could be the difference.

A simple action such as a rodent chewing on your extension cord could be the cause of a coop fire and a ground fault circuit could be the difference in witnessing your coop in tack or a pile of smoldering ash.

P.S. There are now a variety of ground fault extension cords available in major retail centers that also would be a wise investment.

Further to this, current building code requires GFCI outlets in any potentially wet area. If your home is relatively new you will already find them installed in your kitchen nearest the sink, bathroom, and any outdoor outlets. So you might not have to do anything special, however if you find this is not the case, it's worth the upgrade in any/all of these areas. It's not an expensive upgrade and not hard to do yourself.

 

[song of joy]

would a panel heater be fine?

I've used a Sweeter Heater panel for brooding chicks, and I trust this for use in a coop. However, a heater panel would probably produce too much heat for hens in a small coop. As others have noted, in most cases it's not necessary or advisable to heat the coop.

As far as temperatures are concerned, I lived in SW Michigan and in south-central Michigan for several years. The temperatures in those parts of Michigan are comparable to the ones my flock has experienced in the mountains of central Pennsylvania for the past several years. Temperatures here typically range from 0 to 40 degrees F in the winter, although we usually have a few weeks with temperatures ranging from -15 to 0 degrees F. A few years ago, overnight temps dropped to -22 for several nights, but my flock experienced no frostbite. Windchills can make it feel substantially colder, but the coop provides shelter from the wind so the hens don't experience the negative "windchill effects".

I don't heat the coop, but I'd like to suggest that a better question than "How do I heat the coop?" is "How do I make the coop comfortable for my hens in the winter?" Here are some recommendations to achieve a comfortable winter coop & run for your hens: Clean, dry bedding (e.g., pine chips), good ventilation, open windows (for light and ventilation), no drafts where the hens are roosting, no water stored in the coop with the hens (especially in small coops), windbreak around the run so they can go outside, roof over the run so they have a snow-free area to mill around in during the winter.

Wishing you and your hens a happy 1st winter together!

 

[Frazzemrat1]

Chickens retain heat very well, when there are no drafts... Check this out... Course, this is in Celsius, but that's ok. You get the idea.