Cold chickens.....when to use heat lamp?

[CentralKYRedneck]

This will be my first winter having chickens in KY. The few people that I have met around me say the only thing I need to worry about is making sure they can get up off the cold wet ground. Everyone says I dont really need to worry about heat here. I hope they are right...? Any other Kentuckians or nearby people have any advice about heat?

 

[rdranch]

Hi- You should be fine if you stick to the basics. Draft free coop with ventilation, and keeping the floor dry, ice free water and a proper roost. This should keep you in good shape to near zero temps.

 

[CentralKYRedneck]

Thanks

 

[mygirls55]

I dont use heat in my coops. One coop is a chain link dog pen that is 8x5x10, and I have all sides covered with plastic sheets to keep the wind off them. The top is covered with tin. I think the cold winds are the worst for them. When they roost they all huddle together, and their feet are kept warm with their feathers. I do change their water daily, and have to beat ice out of pans, but my chickens have done fine with no heat. I have buff orphingtons, and cochins, and some leghorns. Live in Northern Oklahoma. Have had my chickens for about 3 years. Havent lost any!

We have had temps....18 degrees before. I dont think heat is good for them? Just mho?
I love the backyard chicken forums! So informative. Thanks all!

 

[upthecreek]

If my chickens need heat i provide it for them , not to the excess but to make it bearable for them . They are living creatures much like us and if we are miserable when freezing then so are they . To much of freezing temps in their life can't help but effect them in the negative way . I've been out in the elements during my time in the military , being caught out in the cold weather trying to sleep in an old abandoned house we found , the back walls had been blown out but we had a wind break . We did not sleep a minute the whole night because we were freezing . A few more nights like that and i don't think we would have made it .
It's not gonna hurt to put some heat in for birds that need it , it will lengthen their lives and make them much happier .
That's all i got to say , so have a good night in our nice and warm homes "Thank the Lord" .
Shannon

 

[greathorse]

They are living creatures but to say they are like us is completely wrong. They have feathers, coats etc. To say they will live longer if you give tehm heat is conjecture and based on no fact whatsoever.

If a person choooses to give them excess heat and risk everything that goes with that it is fine. Just saying they aren't like us at all

 

[tiffster011]

Quote:
Oh my gosh I think I would die!!! -29C.... Holy Crap that is cold. It was 34F last night in Arizona and I froze my butt off. I am so whimpy.... But I would curl up and die!!

 

[claud]

It's the time of year again to think about the winterizing.

I just wanted to add that I think humidity in the coop is probably the biggest thing that will cause problems with chickens in cold temps.
I have never heated my coop in the 10 years I had chickens and never lost a bird to the cold. It gets down to 0 F here in winter and rarely below that. My coop is an uninsulated metal shed with plenty of ventilation and a coop door that is open to the run year round. The coop window to the east stays open year round unless it is windy, bitter, blizzard conditions then I will close it. 2-by-2 roosts keep their feet warm.
I had frostbite on the comb of my roo one time when it rained all day and then temps dropped to single digits that night.
Proper ventilation is the key........in my experience.


Also, a heated waterer is a GREAT idea. I went one season without one and that was long enough - lol.

 

[feathersnuggles]

On another thread someone said that warm water (from the waterer heater) would cause frostbite in the coop b/c warm water evaporates and adds a lot of moisture to the air. Does anyone have experience with heated water putting out a lot of moist air?

Thanks.

 

[claud]

Quote:
In the summer my waterer is in the coop. In the winter I always have the heated waterer outside. I do think it adds humidity in the coop.