Duct Taped Heating pad on roost & Cozy Coop heater

[MIchickenlady]

Hello everyone!

Just thought I's share about adding heating options to our coop, even though I had decided I wasnt going to have heat.
My husband got 'me' a Cozy Coop flat panel heater for a christmas gift. Then temps where we live in mid MI went down to double digit below 0 temps at night! This heater on high just barely raises the temp maybe 10 degrees, it dosent *warm* the coop. Mostly I think it just gives me peace of mind that they have *something* to keep them from turning into chicken popsicles when it gets SO cold.

I also have a heating pad that has a power option to stay on continually (most shut off after 20 min).
I used it to make a mama brooder cave when my chicks were tiny. I got that pad out and put an old dish towel over it and duct taped it to the 2x4 roost. My girls LOVE this!! I only turn it on 1, just when its near 0 at night. Its not major heat, just enough to give me a lil peace of mind when its very cold, which to me is near and below 0.

 

[MIchickenlady]

I hafto add, three years ago I used a heat lamp my first winter. One night I came home from an errand to see SMOKE swirling out of my coop! The lamp had somehow fallen and was laying on the floor smoldering, with my then hens clumped together at the other end of the coop.
Just awful. So thankful I caught it in time. I'll not use a heat lamp like that again!

 

[The Phantom]

I hate using any kind of heat elements. I just don’t want the risk of a fire. I bring them in on cold spells rather than heating. I’m in Wi so our winters are cold

 

[CapricornFarm]

Heat lamps can be very dangerous. I have one in a cage made of wood, closed in by hardware cloth. It is screwed to the wall. I use it when it gets very cold because i believe my chickens have contrated Mereks disease and i lost 25% of my flock already. They just hatched mid August. The minimal heat makes me feel like i am doing the best i can for them. I am also medicating them and adding vitamins to their water.
We all try to do the best we can for our animals.