Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[RoyalChick]

The words space heater and cardboard together scare me a little.

I like the idea of heating the coop directly but it must be done safely.

Maybe I am using the wrong terminology. I mean those oil-filled mini-radiators.
Like this.

I think those are pretty safe.

A plan is forming in my mind. A day-time warming station using a small oil filled radiator under the overhang of the hospital bay which will trap the heat and they can cuddle up there if they choose to.
Then I am going to hang a couple of big umbrellas (need to see what I have) from the rafters to trap the heat lower down and hopefully just above the roosts to keep them cozy at night.
Slight issue is that they have taken to roosting randomly all over the place but hopefully they will have the sense to roost in a warm spot when it is that cold, but no accounting for chickens!

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Leghorns are born leaders. Would you not follow this lady anywhere?

View attachment 4027560

Something about her is indeed inspiring!

A quick search…

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Maybe I am using the wrong terminology. I mean those oil-filled mini-radiators.
Like this.
View attachment 4027638

I think those are pretty safe.

A plan is forming in my mind. A day-time warming station using a small oil filled radiator under the overhang of the hospital bay which will trap the heat and they can cuddle up there if they choose to.
Then I am going to hang a couple of big umbrellas (need to see what I have) from the rafters to trap the heat lower down and hopefully just above the roosts to keep them cozy at night.
Slight issue is that they have taken to roosting randomly all over the place but hopefully they will have the sense to roost in a warm spot when it is that cold, but no accounting for chickens!

The oil filled ones are what I had in mind for @Ponypoor s place. Why don’t you just place this under the roost, with a piece of cardboard tied on the top, only as big as the heater? Lots of heat will rise up to the crew above it.

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Advice needed from my friends here.
Next week I have a 3 day spell of very cold weather forecast.
Lows forecast at 6°F/minus14.4°C and highs at 18°F/minus7.8°C.
I am worried. Particularly about Pooh and Calypso who are still molting.
Those of you used to those temperatures: @rural mouse, @Ponypoor you both must have experience, any advice?
My options are leave them be, they will be fine. Bring the molting ones in to the garage overnight and release them back out at dawn. In the garage they would be in a dog crate with a 2x4.
Put a space heater in a room in the barn and keep them there day and night. There are some roosting spots and the carpet there needs to be thrown out anyway. It is where I quarantined Eli and Babs when they first came here.
Any thoughts?

With a radiant heater below the roost I think they’ll be okay as long as there is no or minimal draft. You could also stick the two moulters into the broody jail cage, put a floor in and put deep shavings there, and put a covered heating pad to sit on there too, not over the whole floor, but half of it. I’ve done that for 6 week old pullets when they roosted outside in the Omlet coop, they loved it, and I noticed they would sit with just their breasts on the pad once they warmed up enough. Surround three sides of the cage with a blanket, and on top too, with maybe just the top side edges uncovered for ventilation. Have the open fourth side face the others on the roost bar.

Best to keep them all together as a group, whatever / wherever they are, in my opinion. That’s been my guess, when they are all together going to the vets for instance, that’s better to have them all, even when I was going there for one or two of them. So if you have to put two in the barn there might as well put them all with the heater, and move the coop panel in there too, so there’s a couple options. But: Your barn is predator, like weasel-predator proof?

 

[RoyalChick]

Why don’t you just place this under the roost, with a piece of cardboard tied on the top, only as big as the heater? Lots of heat will rise up to the crew above it.

With a radiant heater below the roost I think they’ll be okay as long as there is no or minimal draft. You could also stick the two moulters into the broody jail cage, put a floor in and put deep shavings there, and put a covered heating pad to sit on there too, not over the whole floor, but half of it. I’ve done that for 6 week old pullets when they roosted outside in the Omlet coop, they loved it, and I noticed they would sit with just their breasts on the pad once they warmed up enough. Surround three sides of the cage with a blanket, and on top too, with maybe just the top side edges uncovered for ventilation. Have the open fourth side face the others on the roost bar.

Appreciate the thoughts on this. To put an oil filled radiator under the roost I would need to rig up a flat platform (the coop is on quite a steep hill). Not impossible and I can do that with some plywood and some bricks. I can also stop the radiator from rolling by blocking it with bricks. My slight worry would be that they would fly up on top of it and knock it over. Don't think that is a fire hazard with those oil filled heaters, but it would shut off.
Maybe I only set it up after dark and go out before dawn and remove it.
That with the umbrellas would create a nice warm roosting area and I can then move the oil filled radiator to underneath the brooder to create a day-time warming station.

Three ladies roosting near the heating panels.

 

[rural mouse]

Maybe I am using the wrong terminology. I mean those oil-filled mini-radiators.
Like this.
View attachment 4027638

I think those are pretty safe.

A plan is forming in my mind. A day-time warming station using a small oil filled radiator under the overhang of the hospital bay which will trap the heat and they can cuddle up there if they choose to.
Then I am going to hang a couple of big umbrellas (need to see what I have) from the rafters to trap the heat lower down and hopefully just above the roosts to keep them cozy at night.
Slight issue is that they have taken to roosting randomly all over the place but hopefully they will have the sense to roost in a warm spot when it is that cold, but no accounting for chickens!

They will move to the warm spots as they need to. My warm spot has moved to the opposite end of the coop. Which birds are closest varies every night. Most of the upper ranked birds are NOT huddled in front. Where those choose to roost is very much decided by THEM and they get there first.

Now it's entirely possible they spend time in the warm spots before moving to their desired sleep spots, leaving the warming spots available for others as they need. I don't usually see that as I try to stay out of the coop during the majority of the roosting process so as to let them work it out.

The heater looks good. I like the umbrella idea. They will use (or not) as they choose. I prefer letting them decide what they need. I'm not feathered so have NO practical knowledge of how warm or cold a bird is.

 

[Marie2020]

Our winter house heating bills $$$ have surpassed our summer air conditioning bills. If our no-snow moderate climate zone costs this much to heat I can't imagine the struggle to heatup snowbound places! Plz be safe w/electricity !!!

My gass bill has never been so high. Everything is charged over the top

 

[featherhead007]

My gass bill has never been so high. Everything is charged over the top

I heard that about British. Taxation without representation! Do you want to borrow my Indian costume?

 

[RoyalChick]

They will move to the warm spots as they need to. My warm spot has moved to the opposite end of the coop. Which birds are closest varies every night. Most of the upper ranked birds are NOT huddled in front. Where those choose to roost is very much decided by THEM and they get there first.

Now it's entirely possible they spend time in the warm spots before moving to their desired sleep spots, leaving the warming spots available for others as they need. I don't usually see that as I try to stay out of the coop during the majority of the roosting process so as to let them work it out.

The heater looks good. I like the umbrella idea. They will use (or not) as they choose. I prefer letting them decide what they need. I'm not feathered so have NO practical knowledge of how warm or cold a bird is.

I like your thinking.
Sylvie has stoppped sleeping in the nest box - I am guessing because she now has her feathers - and is choosing to roost on a metal bracket that supports a wood roost.
Crazy bird!

 

[Sylvester017]

Coco ate a half a baby aspirin and I didn’t even have to hide it in her feed

That's cuz the taste is sweet. Animals quickly adapt to ingesting sweet. So happy it was easy to administer.