CHICKENS IN THE WINTER!!!!.......HEAT...or NO HEAT??????????

[bairo]

I should add that I do increase the thickness of pine chips on the floor to nearly 6 inches in winter and mix my layer pellets with flockraiser half and half to slightly increase the protein.

 

[scooter147]

Quote:
Wild turkeys will definately eat their fill of acorns, dried grasses and seeds. Wild geese will mainly eat dried grasses. Just like any animal that is native to cold climates they adjust. The feed in the winter is definately not as nutricious as during other times of the year but it helps them survive. That's why animals pack on fat in good times to help make it through winter.

 

[LynninOK]

Can I ask a silly question? I live in NE Ok, where (mostly) the winters aren't too horrible. Last year (I didn't have chickens, yet), we had an extended cold snap that was WAY beyond the ordinary, got down to twenty below and stayed arctic cold for for a couple of days. My question is, would it be recommended to provide maybe a heat lamp in times when the cold was beyond the norm? I'm talking for short periods, maybe overnight, not for extended use. My coop is thin walled and very ventilated, but my girls are doing fine so far this winter. I just know they wouldn't be "acclimated" to the kind of cold snap we got last year.

 

[scooter147]

Quote:
Here is my opinion. If you use a heat lamp and want it for the coldest nights then it will have to go over the roosts or it's benefits are minimal if any. Oh what's that? I use a heat lamp and now I've light in my coop 24/7 and my hens don't roost so there not under the heat lamp. I have done this in the past (I don't anymore) and found that a infared seems to work a little better in keeping them on the roost.
The other issues here are (depending on how many hens you have and the size of the coop) it's going to take more than one to provide any benefit to all the birds. Make sure that all wires are firmly secure to the walls and or ceiling. Cords that are strung across the coop without being attached are very inviting to the birds, they can view them as a new roosting spot and bring the light to the floor and burn the coop to the ground.
20 below is miserable and birds with large combs and wattles are likely to suffer frost bite. My experience over the years has been they generally do very well in draft free coops with good feed and plenty of unfrozen water available.
On days in which the temp is not expected to reach more than 15 degrees I don't even open the pop door during the day. They are probably not coming out anyway and this prevents a cold wind across the floor.
I sound like a broken record to many but have never lost a bird to the cold but generally loose one or two to the heat.
I live in the eastern part of Missouri just about smack dab in the middle on the Missouri/Illinois border so our winters are generally not all that bad. Yes we have snow, cold spells etc but the artic type cold generally only last a day or two.

 

[rancher hicks]

All things that the experts say is NOT to add heat. I've been saying this for some time. There will always be those who don't believe the experienced.

There are ways to keep chickens warm in the winter other than heat. Keep the humidity down and they will be fine.

 

[LynninOK]

Good food for thought. Thank you! I'm going to stock up on bedding materials and straw bales around the base of the coop to block the wind.

 

[stuhayes2010]

I do not heat and it gets down to single digits here in the winter. I think chickens are good to about ten below zero (farenhiet). Also, I've heard stories of people heating the chickens in the winter, losing power, and their chickens freezing to death (probably just an urban legend, by why risk it).

 

[teach1rusl]

"If temperatures are below freezing in your area, you may notice your chickens’ egg production decline. To offset this, provide some extra light for your chickens in the early morning and evening."

That statement makes no sense to me. Adding a light to increase egg production has little to do with temperatures below freezing. Short days, whether cold or not, will usually cause egg production to fall off. And I believe (although I haven't seen much info. about it) that cold weather can impact egg production too, as a lot more energy is being spent on keeping warm. If that weren't the case then the commercial egg industry would not bother with maintaining their facilities within a particular temp. range, even in winter. But anyone can write an article

I have no doubt that over time, most animals will develop thicker coats, fuller feathers, etc. to deal with the changing environment...that's logical. However, the often used "heating a coop is bad for them" sometimes irritates me. That's a very generic statement. Yeah, I'm sure if you keep your birds in house temps., and then they're forced directly out into below freezing weather, it's gonna' be shocking, have a negative impact...but we're talking major temp. changes.

I don't think most folks who do add heat to a coop are trying to heat a coop like a house. I DO add a little heat to my coops at night and my little pet flock goes outside every day. They go from a 'toasty 35' or so (sometimes less if the temps take a nose dive) out into a 20 degree morning. This is their 3rd winter doing so, and I've seen no ill effects. And you know what? If I lost electricity, they'd just have to be uncomfortable like my other animals (who ARE used to house temps)...but it wouldn't be a drastic change for them, since they go out every day anyhow.

I don't care that most folks don't add a bit of heat to their coops. I wonder why it bugs so many people that some folks do????

 

[scooter147]

Quote:
Doesn't bug me at all. I think most of us a give our experience and advice to those who ask "Do I have to add heat" or "Will my chickens survive the cold" etc. etc. etc.

 

[goldies99]

i think it is important for the people new to chickens know, that they DO NOT need to add heat in the winter!