Do You Heat Your Coop? (Poll) LATEST UPDATE PG 15

[nightshade]

growing up at home it went out all the time summer, winter didn't matter still was usually out for atleast a day. Moved 12 miles when I got married, still live in the woods but it has been out maybe twice in 6 years.I don't get it.

Granit last time was a few years ago while we were away for Cristmas holiday, came home and there was 3 inches of ice in m y 55gal fish tank

 

[Reinbeau]

Quote:
Never say never.....it most definitely can happen no matter where you are. I live on a main trunk line, I rarely have power outages, but they do happen. Being on that line I'm one of the first to get it back, they never last more than a few hours, but they can and do happen.

But more to the point, why heat when you don't have to? Do you have wild birds near you? Is anyone heating a coop for them? Plus what is their thermal mass compared to that of your chickens? Let them grow the coat that will protect them best by not heating, but just providing a draft-free (yet well ventilated, there's the rub!) area for them to roost in.

 

[luvmygirlsinAK]

Quote:
Never say never.....it most definitely can happen no matter where you are. I live on a main trunk line, I rarely have power outages, but they do happen. Being on that line I'm one of the first to get it back, they never last more than a few hours, but they can and do happen.



But more to the point, why heat when you don't have to? Do you have wild birds near you? Is anyone heating a coop for them? Plus what is their thermal mass compared to that of your chickens? Let them grow the coat that will protect them best by not heating, but just providing a draft-free (yet well ventilated, there's the rub!) area for them to roost in.

Well, since the wild birds here dive into the snow and cover themselves with snow for insulation, I highly doubt that I'm ever going to see a chicken do that to keep warm. When it is 50 to 60 below F. here, and colder you don't hear any sounds of wildlife here. (or wild people, for that matter!)

And since it can drop as much as 80 degrees in a 24 hr. period, (or more, I've seen it drop 100 degrees before) there would be no time for acclimation-sorry-won't kill my chickies, love them too much to kill them, yeah, you do what you need to do for your area, but I prefer to keep my chickens for many years!! When it get's 80 below zero here, I'd like to see you and your chickens divin' into the snow!!

Maybe the acrobatics might keep you warm, but I doubt it!

You won't find any humans or vehicles that even run in that temperature-some chicken's people just don't have a clue!

You have my open invitation to come visit if and or when it gets that cold, particularly if it is an overnight drop in temperatures and see whether you change your mind!

"why heat when you don't have to" indeed!

You're funny! Thought ya were makin' a joke!!

People like to make it sound like I'm nuts for having heat in my coop! Well people, I think your nuts for thinkin' I'm nuts!!!

O.k, now I guess I'll go hide!

Does everybody think I'm nuts to have a heater in my coop given the fact that the electricity hasn't gone out in the winter for I don't know how many years, and the extreme temperatures we endure here, which could drop 80 degrees in a 24 hour period?

Help! I feel like I'm being chased by predators!

People predators!!

Tori-Help!

 

[luvmygirlsinAK]

Quote:
Never say never.....it most definitely can happen no matter where you are. I live on a main trunk line, I rarely have power outages, but they do happen. Being on that line I'm one of the first to get it back, they never last more than a few hours, but they can and do happen.

But more to the point, why heat when you don't have to? Do you have wild birds near you? Is anyone heating a coop for them? Plus what is their thermal mass compared to that of your chickens? Let them grow the coat that will protect them best by not heating, but just providing a draft-free (yet well ventilated, there's the rub!) area for them to roost in.

Now I know where you're comin' from! You think you live in a cold climate! I fully understand now!

Here's a quote about Boston Massachusetts winter weather averages:


Boston, MA climate is warm during summer when temperatures tend to be in the 70's and very cold during winter when temperatures tend to be in the 30's.
The warmest month of the year is July with an average maximum temperature of 82.20 degrees Fahrenheit, while the coldest month of the year is January with an average minimum temperature of 22.10 degrees Fahrenheit.
Temperature variations between night and day tend to be fairly limited during summer with a difference that can reach 16 degrees Fahrenheit, and fairly limited during winter with an average difference of 14 degrees Fahrenheit. Now I know where you're comin' from.

I'm thinkin' you've never experienced 80 below zero F. before-and I certainly hope you don't ever have to!!

 

[babsh]

Quote:
Never say never.....it most definitely can happen no matter where you are. I live on a main trunk line, I rarely have power outages, but they do happen. Being on that line I'm one of the first to get it back, they never last more than a few hours, but they can and do happen.

But more to the point, why heat when you don't have to? Do you have wild birds near you? Is anyone heating a coop for them? Plus what is their thermal mass compared to that of your chickens? Let them grow the coat that will protect them best by not heating, but just providing a draft-free (yet well ventilated, there's the rub!) area for them to roost in.

But don't a certain amount of wild birds die each winter? Survival of the fittest and I would assume winter would be a great way of thinning the herd. So x percentage of chickadees are not going to survive. Certainly there must be a point where that percentage goes up, based on the actual temperature. It seems logical that more birds die at -30 F than at 30 F.

 

[Mrs MIA]

Interior Alaska, where Luv lives, is brutal in the winter. I love Alaska and the cold, but there is NO WAY I would live up there. Near the Arctic Circle, and regular temps in the winter well below 0F. True, she may not have to give heat to her birds (especially if she has a lot), but I think given the temps they endure up there then heating is definitely an option.

I've seen ptarmigan foraging at -55°F on the North Slope in February, so I know they can endure the cold for a time, but they do have burrows to return to when they've had enough. And all jesting aside, at those temps I'd be worried about my birds (which is an investment) too.
The weather conditions and terrain on the Peninsula are just different enough that we have issues with trees and cars taking out power-poles all the time. Because we're warmer (relatively speaking

) we get heavier snow, which causes branches to break, sometimes taking out lines. The roads get icier more often, and there's always 2-3 car accidents each winter that leave large parts of our area in the dark for many hours. But, this morning it dipped unexpectedly to -10F at 3:30am. My five 16-week old orpingtons were caught outside with shelter, but no access to the coop, and they are just fine this morning. There is no wind chill, though that doesn't affect them as much. My goal this winter is to see just how cold it can get before it's too cold for them to want to venture out of the coop. -10F is not too cold, apparently, because there were at least 10 birds outside already roaming around in the dark and cold.
Heating or not heating is going to be a personal choice. But in these tough times, every penny helps and if they don't need it, why do it? Granted, there are places in the lower 48 that get colder than us... Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, and probably many others in the mid-west that see those hellacious temps in the winter. And I know that Florida freezes from time to time, too. Just don't do it because YOU'RE cold. Really look at your birds to determine if they're uncomfortable. If you've provided them a solid coop and they have ready access, and still choose to stay outside... do you really need to turn on the heat yet?

I know, I know... it took 2 years for me to realize that I didn't need to have heat on the adult birds. If you have a few birds, or very young birds, yes! Heat! And if you can't collect eggs more than once a day, then by all means try to keep the coop at 35°F. That's more than comfortable to a chicken.

 

[babsh]

Mrs. AK-Bird-Brain :

My goal this winter is to see just how cold it can get before it's too cold for them to want to venture out of the coop. -10F is not too cold, apparently, because there were at least 10 birds outside already roaming around in the dark and cold.

I wonder why there seems to be such variance with this as well? My birds spend the entire day in their coop once it has gone below 25 F. I coax them out with treats and they will come out just long enough to eat them and then it's back in. Big babies. I have seen you say that your birds even choose to sleep outside in single digits (and less) and it baffles me. Your birds could probably kick my birds' butts. : )

I have noticed that they are MUCH more likely to come out if there is sun. We have so many sunless days. Do you have a lot of sun where you are?

Barb​

 

[Mrs MIA]

Quote:
I wonder why there seems to be such variance with this as well? My birds spend the entire day in their coop once it has gone below 25 F. I coax them out with treats and they will come out just long enough to eat them and then it's back in. Big babies. I have seen you say that your birds even choose to sleep outside in single digits (and less) and it baffles me. Your birds could probably kick my birds' butts. : )

I have noticed that they are MUCH more likely to come out if there is sun. We have so many sunless days. Do you have a lot of sun where you are?

Barb

Maybe I DO have kick-butt chickens!

We don't have a lot of sun right now, and when it does grace us with its presence, it doesn't pack much of a punch at all. It's so low on the horizon. We only have 5.5 hours of daylight right now; North Pole has even less. I have a 40w bulb on a timer that goes on for a couple of hours in the morning, but it seems like the majority of the eggs are laid before noon now. And they're starting to tuck in about 2:30-3pm as it starts to get dark. I haven't noticed a decrease in egg production, but a good portion of my layers are pullets.
One thought is that the feed bin is NOT inside the coop. If they're hungry first thing in the morning, they are obligated to go outside to eat. So maybe that's it. But they don't go back in... they tend to sit around outside in the dusting pit and chatter like girlfriends over coffee.

 

[Reinbeau]

Quote:
Yea, sometimes. Other times it stays in the teens, it can go much lower, we've had stretches where it hovers at zero or below. Seriously. I understand that isn't near as cold as you, but it's cold enough for me. You can't use Boston for statistics throughout Massachusetts, my temps down here can be 20 to 30 degrees below - or above - Boston, which is on the coast and influenced by the water temperatures. Believe me, February around here is much lower than 30. The interior of Mass is even colder, they're in the snow belt, their temps regularly are 10-20 degrees lower than mine down here.

I understand it gets much colder there, but I also know there are other people up in Alaska who are keeping their chickens with no heat at all - it's all good for wherever you are. I'll take Mrs. AK-Bird-Brain's opinion and leave it at that.

 

[luvmygirlsinAK]

We have 8 chickens, 20 quail and 7 doves in the coop. It is 8 x 8 on the inside. The doves are actually supposed to be kept at a warmer temperature than what we keep our coop. My biggest concern when people tell me that I shouldn't heat the coop on this thread is that we have to deal with the inconsistencies in temperatures. If it can fall 80 degrees in temperature all in the span of 24 hours, there is no acclimation period whatsoever, so how in the world would they be able to survive? It takes time to build up additional down feathers, there is no time to build up the feathers in 24 hours! Personally I feel it is totally reprehensible for someone to think that I would ever even consider to not heat my coop given the variables here! (not to even mention that we also keep doves in the coop as well, which I have mentioned before) Like I said, until someone actually experiences what we live in, they have no idea of what they are asking when they say "why heat the coop when you don't have to" My birds are happy, I'm happy, and I will not subject them to the severity of the weather here. That's that!