Chicken heating needs in cold climates

[Shamo Hybrid]

Ive had that waterer , mine rusted and I exchanged it for the plastic one. It will freeze up outside , the little tray will be full of ice.

We made for less then $9 a cookie tin water heater , get a tin cut a hole in the side , wire a light socket inside out lid on and plug in . Place watered on top , a 25 watt bulb was great , 60 watt made tea .

Make sure you have a large run, and yes cover it and add plastic in winter to stop the winds . In very cold temperatures my girls are out in the snow because they have a wind block .

That sounds like an electrocution waiting to happen!

 

[snow5164]

That sounds like an electrocution waiting to happen!

Ok .. no point arguing that . Look things up before you make statements..experience says it works

 

[aart]

Ok .. no point arguing that . Look things up before you make statements..experience says it works

One can't fix st.....

 

[rosemarythyme]

The plan was to keep the water fount right outside the coop, I got the 5 gal so I wouldn’t have to fill it up as much, is putting it outside the coop a bad idea? I think there will be plenty of ventilation considering the door will always be open and the for the floor I planned on using 1/2” square wire in hopes that it would add to the ventilation as well...

Water outside is fine, especially with limited space.

Rethink your ventilation plans. For safety, it's better for the coop door to close and lock at night. Aim to put more ventilation up high, by the roof, as warm humid air rises.

Also rethink the wire floor - it's not ideal for ventilation, it's just going to get a lot of hard to clean poop stuck in it, plus wire is very hard on an animal's feet and can lead to problems like bumblefoot, cuts, torn nails.

 

[Cravechicken]

Water outside is fine, especially with limited space.

Rethink your ventilation plans. For safety, it's better for the coop door to close and lock at night. Aim to put more ventilation up high, by the roof, as warm humid air rises.

Also rethink the wire floor - it's not ideal for ventilation, it's just going to get a lot of hard to clean poop stuck in it, plus wire is very hard on an animal's feet and can lead to problems like bumblefoot, cuts, torn nails.

I wanted to keep the door open for ventilation as I’m making a big completely enclosed chicken run outside of it, the chicken coop will be on one side, my house on the back side and a fence on the other side so they should have plenty of wind block, does the run need a roof too? I was gonna use chicken wire all the way up. What would be your recommendation for the floor? It’s still not finished so my options are open.

 

[aart]

Yes, the run needs a solid roof if you're going to count on it as 24/7 housing.
Chicken wire is not predator proof....combo of 1/2" hardware cloth and something heavier too for larger preds.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Yes, the run needs a solid roof if you're going to count on it as 24/7 housing.
Chicken wire is not predator proof....combo of 1/2" hardware cloth and something heavier too for larger preds.

All this, and as far as the coop floor, wood is usually the best choice. Either paint it, cover it with linoleum, or use a coating like Black Jack 57 to protect it from moisture.

 

[Tortoise]

All this, and as far as the coop floor, wood is usually the best choice. Either paint it, cover it with linoleum, or use a coating like Black Jack 57 to protect it from moisture.

Hope I'm not hijacking asking this. Still very new to this forum.
Linoleum is not too slippery for them?
Is the flex seal a good idea for the floor? Its water proof and has a rubbery feel.

 

[aart]

Linoleum is not too slippery for them?

It's usual vinyl that is used, not linoleum(sorry pet peeve)....
...but, yes, it can be slippery with pine shavings over it, for the birds rather than the humans, especially when shavings are fresh.

 

[Tortoise]

It's usual vinyl that is used, not linoleum(sorry pet peeve)....
...but, yes, it can be slippery with pine shavings over it, for the birds rather than the humans, especially when shavings are fresh.

So don't use anything over it or use something other then pine shavings? The slippery surface doesn't cause problems for them?