Cold temperatures

[theabee]

This might be a silly idea, but if you live where it doesn't get to cold all the time, it might work at night. If you filled a waterer in the coop with extremely hot water and maybe even put gallon jugs filled with boiling water around the coop, would this produce enough heat (just for the night) to warm it on only the coldest nights? I guess you wouldn't want the water to be too hot in the waterer in case the chickies wanted a drink...

(thinking of chicken drinking boiling water). But gallon jugs could be filled with boiling water and placed after the chickies had gone to roost so they didn't bump into the hot jugs. It's like those water bottle heaters for bed to keep your feet warm!

I might try this when I get chickens... eventually... unless you think it could be dangerous in some way I haven't thought of.

What do you think? Would it work for a small coop for a few hours at night?

 

[bobbi-j]

This might be a silly idea, but if you live where it doesn't get to cold all the time, it might work at night. If you filled a waterer in the coop with extremely hot water and maybe even put gallon jugs filled with boiling water around the coop, would this produce enough heat (just for the night) to warm it on only the coldest nights? I guess you wouldn't want the water to be too hot in the waterer in case the chickies wanted a drink...

(thinking of chicken drinking boiling water). But gallon jugs could be filled with boiling water and placed after the chickies had gone to roost so they didn't bump into the hot jugs. It's like those water bottle heaters for bed to keep your feet warm!

I might try this when I get chickens... eventually... unless you think it could be dangerous in some way I haven't thought of.

What do you think? Would it work for a small coop for a few hours at night?

The concern I would have is the humidity that would be given off when the water is cooling down. If it's a dry cold, it's far better for them to deal with the temperatures, than humidity and cold.

 

[theabee]

The concern I would have is the humidity that would be given off when the water is cooling down. If it's a dry cold, it's far better for them to deal with the temperatures, than humidity and cold.

What if you put a cap on the water jugs? The plastic gallon jugs that some milk comes in? This:

If you put a cap on the water, it would give off heat but not steam!

 

[bobbi-j]

Honestly, unless you have a BUNCH of them, I don't think they'd put off that much heat to make enough of a difference. Maybe.... I guess you won't know until you try it. Of course, when I think "coop", I think of my coops. The one they're in this winter is an 8x16' shed, with an 8' roof. It would not be practical in my coop. The chickens all roost in the rafters, so the heat would never reach them. If you have a small coop where they're all smooshed in together, you really shouldn't need to add supplemental heat because they keep each other warm. My chickens have been handling - very well - the double-digit sub-zero temps we've been having for the past few weeks. They are all cold-hardy breeds living in a coop that keeps them dry and out of the wind. I'm not a big fan of heating because I think they can regulate much better with consistent temps.

 

[leahdenver]

4 of my 5 hens choose to roost on top of the coop verses inside where there's a heat lamp and a roost bar and protection from draft. Tonight it's 30 degrees outside and I'm worried about the hens. But when I put them in the coop they protested. They want to be on the roof. The one hen who is inside the coop pecks at the others and I wonder if that's why or if they just prefer the extra space. Even in the cold!? It concerns me. Any suggestions?

 

[bobbi-j]

4 of my 5 hens choose to roost on top of the coop verses inside where there's a heat lamp and a roost bar and protection from draft. Tonight it's 30 degrees outside and I'm worried about the hens. But when I put them in the coop they protested. They want to be on the roof. The one hen who is inside the coop pecks at the others and I wonder if that's why or if they just prefer the extra space. Even in the cold!? It concerns me. Any suggestions?

Could be the heat lamp is too warm for them. Could be a pecking order issue. Could be a space thing. As was asked in your post in another thread, how big is your coop in feet by feet?

 

[leahdenver]

Could be the heat lamp is too warm for them.

Could be a pecking order issue. Could be a space thing. As was asked in your post in another thread, how big is your coop in feet by feet?

 

[leahdenver]

Thanks for this reply. I'm new to this website. I just uploaded a picture of the coop. The upstairs area is pretty small. But 5 can roost or lay down in the nest boxes.

 

[leahdenver]

Thanks for this reply. I'm new to this website. I just uploaded a picture of the coop. The upstairs area is pretty small. But 5 can roost or lay down in the nest boxes.

 

[bobbi-j]

This could be part of the problem. That coop doesn't look big enough for 5 full-grown chickens. You don't want your chickens getting in the habit of sleeping in the nest boxes. That will result in dirty, poop covered eggs. Recommended roost space is 1 ft. per bird, recommended coop space is 4 sq. feet per bird. What are the dimensions of your coop? What kind of winter climate do you have? I would definitely take out the heat lamp. I'm sure it's making it way too warm in there. Also, it doesn't look like there's much ventilation in that coop. Very essential for happy, healthy chickens in the winter.