chicken coop heater pictures

[Hoosiermomma]

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Because they're chickens not people

They really do not get frostbite (in dryish, draft-free air) at freezing -- they produce body heat and their circulatory systems are fairly well designed.

I mean, look at "real" birds (cuz remember, chickens ARE birds) -- wild turkeys and crows and goldfinches and what-all do not get frostbite at normal winter temperatures.

Realio trulio, in dry draft-free air with a properly managed coop, most chickens are good down towards 0 F and many will be fine much, much colder than that.

Also remember the coop temperature is usually a bit warmer than outdoors on cold nights.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

We had a 'dog kennel' coop. We had tarps on all sides and top. The tarps weren't the cheap kind you buy at Lowe's, HD or the like. It was two tarps plus a layer of bubble wrap sandwiched in between. We also had two heat lamps inside it plus lots of bedding....straw shavings etc. Our roo and one or two others did get frostbite. He ended up losing some pieces of his comb and a few nails on his toes. The hens lost a bit of their combs too. As I recall, we never dipped into the negative digits either. We will once again use heat lamps but this winter we have an aluminum shed coop and will have bales of straw, at least two high, stacked all the way around the perimeter of the shed as well as a few inside. I will also try the vaseline too!

 

[elmo]

Hmm, I wonder if your problem may be not enough ventilation. Chicken respiration produces a fair amount of moisture, and if that moisture has no where to go, humidity will build up inside your coop. Birds are much more vulnerable to frostbite in cold, moist air than cold, dry air. Something to think about, anyway.

 

[gotpoodle]

For people with late summer/fall chicks, when are they considered fully feathered to withstand the cold?
Will 8 week old chicks be okay if put in their coop for the first time without heat in mid November in New England?

 

[Mrs MIA]

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I felt sorry for my birds the first year, and I think I did MORE damage by heating because it increased the moisture condensation, had to clean more often because icky stuff would start growing, and it created a fog when I opened the door to the coop in the cold weather. Plus the chickens would get snuffly.
I know I've written it a million times in as many threads asking about cold weather... do what makes sense for your area, but keep in mind that chickens are very resilient and for goodness sakes, they have down coats!

The only time I had to worry about frostbite on the combs was when the inside of the coop got down to 10°F for a couple of weeks straight, and then the only breeds I had to worry about were the ones with the big magnificent single combs. Keep an eye on them... if they start to look a little dark on the tips, slather them with vaseline each day. If you only have a few birds, or very young birds, or very old birds, yes... add only enough heat to keep them comfortable and active. They won't generate enough to keep themselves warm when it gets really cold (and when I say really cold, I mean below 0°F). Mine are outside and active to -15, -20°F. Colder than that and they prefer the cozy coop. But... I do have more chickens than are normally recommended for an 8x8' coop. They have enough roost space for all of them, but floor space is limited. I swear they keep the coop well above 0°F when it's -25°F outside. (A good argument for more chickens!!

)

The only heat I supply is the heated water base for the 3 gallon galvanized waterer. I have a 13w compact fluorescent light on a timer for 14 hours of light to keep the laying up. I feed them the 20% protein feed instead of 16%, supplement with boiled eggs and salmon/halibut, and treat with a few handfuls of cracked corn/scratch in the evening. That's it! If you're in Florida and experience an occasional frost, don't worry about it. They'll be fine as long as they have a cozy cubby to go into.

Gotpoodle... What is the average temperature at night in November in NE? I would put them in their coop during the day and keep an eye on them. They will huddle at first because of the new surroundings, but after a day or two, they should start exploring. Watch them for signs of distress, or if they keep huddling tight for warmth. I've been putting out fully feather 6 week old babies in the layer pen without heat and we've been in the 30s and 40s during the night. I've found that if I wean the chicks from the heat using the absolute lowest temps that they are comfortable at, they adapt quicker to being outside.

Hope this helps...

 

[gotpoodle]

Temps range @ 20-30F degrees at night in November, although it has been known to get colder in 'the hills of Worcester, MA' where I am.

I had ordered chicks earlier in the summer but we had a bear coming around so I kept all the supplies but decided to postpone the chicks and get some electricity on that side of the house for light and power if I need it. Now I'm wondering whether I should still try to get them this year, or just wait til spring...

 

[Mrs MIA]

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Babies would not survive that cold without heat, most likely. If you can wait until spring, (I know it's hard!) I would if I were in your shoes. But if you can safely add even a 100w bulb down low to the chicks, and keep them draft free, you should be able to put them out there if they're 8 weeks old.

 

[gotpoodle]

Thank you! You pretty much confirmed my thoughts. I've considered getting started pullets but I'm kinda looking forward to babies, and I want to make sure the breeds I want are available and get them off to a good start.
Besides, waiting til spring will give me a chance to rethink my coop... a million more times!

 

[Mrs MIA]

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LOL! I hear you! My first coop has been revamped 4 times to get it the way I want/need it. I just shut down my incubators because I don't want any more chicks this winter. We'll start up again in Feb/March. Electricity is too expensive to be brooding chicks all winter!

 

[darkmatter]

Here in the Midwest we do get subzero temperatures and sometimes wind chills in the minus double digits. My Coop is over 15 years in use with no heat. (see my BYC page) It is ventilated year round with vents under the eaves, low and high side. I open the windows in the spring and close for the winter. The dirt sub-floor usually has up to 18 inches of deep litter accumulated which I think composting adds a little heat in the winter. I have hung a old Thermometer inside from the roof and notice that the temperature inside is commonly 10 to 20 degrees warmer then outside. For water I place a shallow rubberized tub on a concrete block----I'll either break the ice or dump it over to stomp the ice block out and fill it in the mornings when I let the chickens out. The Chickens do fine in cold weather if they have a reasonable shelter to get out of the worse conditions, some have learned to dig under the snow for free range food hunts.

 

[muddstopper]

You all that want heat could go geothermal and run that with a solar panel/battery electrical system. If your coops are stationary, it would be really simple to do. Rent a trencher and trench down below freeze level in the ground. Add about 200ft of pex tubing to the ditch and cover with dirt. Fill tubing with glyco acohol to prevent freezing. Get one of those gate opening solar systems, one panel will do and a deep cycle battery. Hookup a 12V low flow water pump. Install pex tubing under the floor of your coop and insulate with foamboard. Once you get below the freeze line in your soil, the temperatures will stay fairly constant, around 50degrees or so depending on just how deep you bury the pex tubing. This heat will transfer to the glyco in the tubing and then be circulated to the floor of your coops, thus keeping the coop temps above freezeing. No fire hazard, on electric bill, and no freezing combs and feet. A good system would probably set you back about $200, not counting the renting of the trencher. You could also loop the tubing thru your water pan and keep it from freezing as well. This system will also work in the summer time to cool your coops.

If you dont want to go to all this trouble to heat your coops but still want to keep the water'ers from freezing. Just dig a deep hole, fill with stone, and place the water pan over the hole. The heat thats stored in the soil will rise and help prevent the water pan from freezing. Of course if the hole fills with water, all bets are off.