Do I need heat lamp in coop with the cold weather???

[CedarCrestFarm]

I am with you sister! Ohio weather can get miserably cold. My girls produce and seem active. I would caution anyone using a heat lamp to be EXTRA cautious with hanging. Premiere sheep supply carries a heat lamp that is durable plastic with a cage front and a fool proof hanger. This particular lamp lets me breath easy knowing there is no way my girls can knock it down. Also, the lamp does not seem to get as hot as the older metal lamps. My takeaway is that if you use a safer lamp and really, really keep it secure, your ladies and gentlemen will be more comfortable.

 

[rfreedlund]

I currently have a broody that was so insistent I finally let her have some eggs despite being winter. I did breakdown and put a heat lamp over her maternity pen this morning though as highs tomorrow are only supposed to reach -5 F (with a low of -15 F). I worked on putting the lamp up high enough to give some additional warmth, but not too much. Maybe the lamp was still more for me than her. Her hatch date should be around Saturday. Highs are still only expected around 14 F. She has been a trooper, so I am anxious to see if she pulls it off.

 

[CedarCrestFarm]

You are a good mama hen! She will be fine and her babies will stay warm under her. I too have a broody chocolate who hatched a clutch same time last year! Keep us posted!

 

[Mrs. K]

I had a broody hatch out in October, two week nice, then bitter cold as in way below zero, and they did fine. I would really want to watch them at the hatch time.

MK

 

[zeis]

I have 7 hens that just started laying in late December. I leave the poop door open during the daytime and close it at dark. I recently installed a 75watt ceramic infrared heater in a ceiling fixture. It keeps the coop about 10-15 degrees warmer than exterior. last night the temp. outside was 16 and the coop was about 28. My hens are golden comets, and don't have very large combs, but the single roo has a rather large comb and wattles. This is my first winter with a flock, check them about 4 times each day. I built an insulated coop 5x6x8'tall space with floor covered with lots of straw and wood chips. My wall vent is above where they roost and vent on opposite side at soffit (under roof). So, there is ventilation with no draft where the chickens roost. I like the ceramic heaters, they put out no light, but add a little heat to the area. My girls are laying almost every day. I turn the heater off when the temperature gets up to near freezing. Also have a 60 watt light on a timer to add 2 hours of light to each morning 6am to 8am. They seem to enjoy the out doors, even when it's raining, cold, and windy. Tough little birds. Should I be concerned to shut off the heater at a lower temperature? Don't want to acclimatize my girls wrongly and cause them problems. I live in north-central Ohio. Our weather this week has been teens and single digits at night with below zero temps coming for several more days this week.

 

[CrispyBiskit]

Good grief! The chickens had frostbite! That means the "tools" that nature gave them were not adequate for the temperatures. So to insist that any animal exist on their God-given "tools" when the "tools" are clearly not enough and when we have the ability to assist them is crazy. Dogs and cats get winter coats, but when the temperature gets below a certain point, experts tell you to bring them inside so they don't freeze to death. Cows die when temperatures get lower than they can withstand, yet they were equipped with a winter coat. To allow animals to suffer hardship and injury when we have the power to alleviate it is unconscionable. Call the people at places like McMurray Hatcheries. These people do chickens for a living and can give good advice. Here is a link to their site- https://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/index.html .

 

[bobbi-j]

Good grief! The chickens had frostbite! That means the "tools" that nature gave them were not adequate for the temperatures. So to insist that any animal exist on their God-given "tools" when the "tools" are clearly not enough and when we have the ability to assist them is crazy. Dogs and cats get winter coats, but when the temperature gets below a certain point, experts tell you to bring them inside so they don't freeze to death. Cows die when temperatures get lower than they can withstand, yet they were equipped with a winter coat. To allow animals to suffer hardship and injury when we have the power to alleviate it is unconscionable. Call the people at places like McMurray Hatcheries. These people do chickens for a living and can give good advice. Here is a link to their site- https://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/index.html .

This is an old thread, so I'm not sure to which post you are referring. But I can say that quite often, frostbite is caused by inadequate ventilation, resulting in too much humidity in the coop. Chickens have gotten frostbite in temperatures as warm as the 20s and 30s because of that. Also, there is a HUGE difference in how places like McMurray Hatcheries house and handle their chickens than your average backyard hobbyist or someone like me who has a few around for eggs and meat.

 

[tjabbie]

Im going to add my 2 cents. Im frustrated. I read 6 of 1 and half dozen of another regarding what is safe/healthy winter temps in a coop. This is of course our first chickens with zone 7 temps. We purchased an 8x12 amish built shed installed 2 additional windows for a total of 4 windows accross the front. We have nice vents in the peaks of the roof. Installed 2 lofts on each side filled it with a foot of compacted straw on the floor. Straw bales up the walls in front ,and 1side. Recycled commercial plastic coated 4x8 board on the studs. Converted antique oak chest of drawers into nest boxes. perch with attached poop box on top of dresser for bantams and long perch with poop box on the floor for 2 silkies. I have a heat lamp high on the wall where the wall meets the bottom of the roof line anchored in 2 places secured. Ive been keeping their water in the coop at night until 2nite. Temps dropping in mid 20's. We have 5 bantams 2 d uccles 2 seabrights and an oeg hen. 3 silkies 1 with 2 chicks that are 3.5 weeks old. I normally have the lamp on till bout 7pm then shut it off. Its 39 degrees inside the coop now,.. i believe they are fine. The momma and babies are in a long metal puppy playpen with ability to move freely in and out of the entire coop. With their own food n water setup. Perch etc. I did not insulate our shed. I hope that wasnt a mistake. I did speak at length with an amish farmer that we purchase supplies from who advised the straw was excellent as an insulator. They love climbing around on the bails. The r provided with a huge garden area during the day with a smaller closed in run with roof for inclement weather. Approx. 500 square feet total. I want to put a thick layer of straw on both lofts to help hold some warmth in and wonder if anyones done that ? I would feel more confident if the chicks were older and if we had a larger flock...for natural heat in numbers.. Thanks for letting me spout. Just a little worried..

 

[buckabucka]

I think most of us worry. Mine are at single digits as I write this and have very few feathers due to the molt. Birds are tough though. Mine were at -30 one night last year. They do not like those temperatures, but everyone survived.

 

[Rainbow Acres]

No heat lamps in my coops for anything, wether its the peafowl, chickens or waterfowl, they simply dont need it and if heated too much will actually be bad for them if you do let them out of the coop once in a while.
A friend of mine made their hens a super duper insolated house, during the extreme cold spells(-30C aka -22F) she wouldnt let her hens out for days and heat the coop with 3 heatlamps to about +20C(70F I think), then when its -20C(-4F) she decided her hens were cooped up long enough and let them out(since it had warmed up), you could watch their combs and wattles freeze just by stepping outside cause they were so use to the semi-tropical temps. She lost over half of the hens because being outside for half an hour got them hypothermic...... at the end of the winter she was from 40 chickens down to 7 due to them getting severe temp shock when she would let them out once in a while.

A dry draft free coop does just fine, even at -30C, only ones who have problems are big comb breeds, but even they do fine if its nice and dry, my leghorns might get frosty comb tips but not complete freeze off as I have noticed chickens get that are use to a warm coop.
My Peafowl and Chickens spend all day outside in the -20 right now and no one even looks cold playing in the snow.

I live in Prince George, BC and have Orpingtons, Marans, Legbars and one Rhodebar. I have a small, insulated coop for the Roos and a hoop house filled with hay for them to venture out in. I have one 115 w heated mat behind them on their roost that I've been using for when the outside temp was 0 to -10C (14-32F). It kept them a nice temp of 2-10C (35-50F) in their coop at night. Yesterday, it got down to -18C (0F) and I noticed my Rhodebar, who has the biggest comb had the beginnings of frostbite on his comb and one wattle was swollen and starting to turn purplish black on the edges. I brought him in to warm him up, applied balm to his parts and then put him in the coop for night time. I added a second radiant heater, which brought the temp up to around 2 - 3C, just above freezing. The humidity was around 65%. They weren't all huddling together, so it seemed they weren't too cold. Today, I went to check on them an hour after they'd been out and noticed one Orpington had a swollen wattle and the Legbar had blackened skin below the point on his comb (not at the tips). Am I keeping them too warm or is it just the sudden temperature change that they are not use to causing this? I've tried not to baby them, just giving them a warmish spot for night. I realize my Rhodebar is probably not best suited for our climate. I got him by accident, but he's such a nice fellow, I hate to part with him, if I can help it. Is there some kind of mitten one could put on his comb? lol Should I lessen or increase the heat? Should I make them stay in the coop? Why don't they go in if they are cold or at least huddle together? I'll add more hay to the coop and try to dry it out a bit more but it doesn't seem that humid at 65%, does it? Thoughts, Fancyfowl4ever, anyone? What happens when it gets down to -30C (-22F) or -40C/F?