We have insulated part of our shed so we could keep our chicken inside through the winter. I live in Canada so temps can (and will)) go down to -30 C this winter. We bought
this heater thinking it will be enough, but now I'm not sure. Temp in the coop is barely above zero today with the heater and a halogen light we have going during the daylight hours.
This will be my first winter with laying hens here in northern Minnesota. I bought the exact same Cozy Coop heater for my chicken coop. As mentioned, this is a radiant heater which will heat up a chicken standing in front of the heater. The Cozy Coop heater is not designed to heat the chicken coop itself.
I have dual purpose breed chickens, that are supposed to be cold tolerant. I don't plan on turning on my Cozy Coop heater until it gets down to about -20F (-30C). If I lose birds before it gets that cold, then I will turn on the heater as necessary. In theory, my chickens should not need extra heat in the winter. Last winter we had a 2 week stretch of -45F (-43C) without a break. Many people lost birds during that extreme cold spell. So, theory or not, people around here had a run on the local farm store and bought out all their Cozy Coop heaters.
The water won't freeze since it's next to the heater. There is only one electric plug in the coop so it's not feasible to add another heater.
I have the old fashioned metal waterer with the
Little Giant metal base heater.
That heater is only 125 watts, combined with the 200 watt Cozy Coop heater, you should not overload your electric power line. I have my metal base heater and waterer in my coop, so it does provide a small amount of heat to the coop as it warms the water above freezing.
What temperatures can chicken reasonably tolerate during winter? Also they don't roost despite several perchs installed in the coop for them, they sleep on the litter (if that makes a difference for the cold tolerance) Should I maybe replace the bulb with a brooding for more heat?
Again, in theory, a cold tolerant chicken should be able to survive extreme cold winter temps, provided they have access to fresh water and feed. As long as you keep them dry, they can fluff up their feathers to trap in warm air to their bodies.
If your chickens don't use their roosts, I would wonder why as most chickens naturally prefer to roost higher above the ground. At least all 10 of my chickens do. Is there a draft under their roosts that may be blowing on them at night? Ventilation should be above their heads as they roost for the night. If there is a draft below them, it messes up with their feathers and causes them to lose heat.
I use a dry deep litter bedding in the coop. It is about 8 inches of wood chips. If my chickens, for some reason, start to sleep on the floor, I at least know they have 8 inches of insulation underneath them.
Some people use brooding lamps in their coops to heat the chickens and raise the temp in the coop. One always has to worry about that lamp being knocked down into the litter and causing a fire. I think your Cozy Coop heater provides good heat directly to the chickens and you would not need a brooding lamp. As this is also my first winter with laying hens, and I have the same concerns as you, I'll wish both of us good luck.
In any case, most people recommend air vents installed on opposite sides, or ends, of the coop so the air can move through from one end to the other naturally. That helps keep the moisture down and the coop drier. Again, the ventilation should be above the heads of roosting chickens from everything I have read.
