Cozy Coop Heater

[Jmdragon08]

Does anyone have any opinions on this heater?

I have read that chickens can do pretty well in the cold but I am a first time chicken owner and I worry about them. Any advice would be appreciated!

 

[sourland]

With heaters what happens when power is lost - not good.

 

[Mrs. K]

Do not think warm, think DRY. Dry chickens with wind protection, are warm chickens. It is not about the air temperature, it IS about dry feathers and no drafts blowing those feathers. Then they are warm, 30 degrees below zero.

Often times, new people try and keep chickens warm, so they seal up the coop...and that makes for damp wet chickens, and they are cold and very prone to frost bite. It is not the cold, it is the moisture from their breath, and from manure. Ventilate to keep that leaving the coop.

Mrs K

 

[Jmdragon08]

With heaters what happens when power is lost - not good.

Very good point! Thank you

 

[Jmdragon08]

Do not think warm, think DRY. Dry chickens with wind protection, are warm chickens. It is not about the air temperature, it IS about dry feathers and no drafts blowing those feathers. Then they are warm, 30 degrees below zero.

Often times, new people try and keep chickens warm, so they seal up the coop...and that makes for damp wet chickens, and they are cold and very prone to frost bite. It is not the cold, it is the moisture from their breath, and from manure. Ventilate to keep that leaving the coop.

Mrs K

Thank you for the advice and easing my mind about the the temperature. I am confident that they will be able to keep dry!

 

[MamaRaych]

I'm a first timer too, I only have three and they have a small coop. I want to heat it bc it gets in the teens here, but I went with tough love and they are doing just fine. They are dry and don't have any drafts in the coop. I put in extra bedding, but I really think they acclimated and grew some extra down and the blood thickens like ours does. They really seem to be adjusting nicely. I covered their run with a canopy so they have dry grass when it snows and if they really don't like the wind and rain they go in the coop. on a side note, I felt so bad those mornings that I made them warm oatmeal to get them going, lol but truly, heating the coop is a personal choice, do your research. cheers

 

[ShannonsChimkens]

I just purchased a heat plate similar to that brand. Think it was from TSC. I got mine for chicks though. Even the “brooder” temp was too low and had to turn it on the “heater” setting for them. The low setting as a brooder won’t do you any good, but possibly setting up one or two as heaters will do the trick to keep you comfortable. Fully feathered chickens really don’t need a heat source though. All of mine (50+ birds) do fine in below freezing temps.

The other topic of power loss is a real struggle with chicken keeping. Unless you have a generator, heaters will do you no good.

 

[aart]

Do not think warm, think DRY. Dry chickens with wind protection, are warm chickens. It is not about the air temperature, it IS about dry feathers and no drafts blowing those feathers. Then they are warm, 30 degrees below zero.

Often times, new people try and keep chickens warm, so they seal up the coop...and that makes for damp wet chickens, and they are cold and very prone to frost bite. It is not the cold, it is the moisture from their breath, and from manure. Ventilate to keep that leaving the coop.

Mrs K

Ditto Dat!!!

Ventilation is key!
Lots of top hinged windows for summer.
Large roof overhangs with open soffits for winter.

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[Jmdragon08]

I just purchased a heat plate similar to that brand. Think it was from TSC. I got mine for chicks though. Even the “brooder” temp was too low and had to turn it on the “heater” setting for them. The low setting as a brooder won’t do you any good, but possibly setting up one or two as heaters will do the trick to keep you comfortable. Fully feathered chickens really don’t need a heat source though. All of mine (50+ birds) do fine in below freezing temps.

The other topic of power loss is a real struggle with chicken keeping. Unless you have a generator, heaters will do you no good.

Thank you ! I’m glad to know that they are a lot better off in the cold than I think. This heater was good for about 4 days then it completely just lost power and would not heat up anymore so they sent me another one and I’m worried that it may just break again. But now I’m not as worried. Thank you

 

[Jmdragon08]

I'm a first timer too, I only have three and they have a small coop. I want to heat it bc it gets in the teens here, but I went with tough love and they are doing just fine. They are dry and don't have any drafts in the coop. I put in extra bedding, but I really think they acclimated and grew some extra down and the blood thickens like ours does. They really seem to be adjusting nicely. I covered their run with a canopy so they have dry grass when it snows and if they really don't like the wind and rain they go in the coop. on a side note, I felt so bad those mornings that I made them warm oatmeal to get them going, lol but truly, heating the coop is a personal choice, do your research. cheers

Tough love is a great way to explain it! I worried about my poor girls but I’m starting to feel better with everyone saying that they are fine in the cold. Their coop is pretty well built so I’m not worried about any drafts so that’s good. They experienced their first foot of snow last week and they were not thrilled about it!