Free heater for coop.

[Nicole01]

My in laws just brought us a heater for our coop! How very kind of them! It's a radiator heater with a dial from 0-8. We are planning on raising the roost(12 inch shelf) and placing it underneath the roost for the winter. Next to the radiator will be the waterer. We are planning on keeping the heat on the lowest setting to keep the water from freezing. Our coop size is 12x4x8 for our 8 chickens.

We are also covering the sides of the run with plastic, so they will have access all winter long(our run has a steel corrugated roof). Hopefully the sun will heat up the plastic to keep it a little warmer. I'm debating whether or not to cover the run floor with hay or part. Right now it's full of construction sand, which is very easy to clean. Our temps get as low as -21F actual temps.

What do you think about the heater? Should I throw hay in the run? The coop will have wood chips inside.

 

[HEChicken]

Personally I don't heat my coop for fear that if the power ever goes out and the birds are too used to the heat, they won't tolerate the cold very well. We've had nights down to the negative teens and days on end where the high for the day is in the single digits and they coped just fine. When there's snow on the ground they prefer to stay in the coop during the day but as long as they can walk without touching snow, they'll even be outside in the cold most of the day.

I could think of other uses for that heater though!

 

[Godsgrl]

What if your chickens jump onto the heater? Those get really hot to the touch. Plus I'd worry about the risk of fire with it outside, and around shavings,etc. Good luck whatever you decide.

 

[Nicole01]

Quote:
There are settings and won't get too hot. We are putting a barrier on the side(welded wire), so they won't be able to touch it just in case.

They can not jump on it either. It will be under their roost. Their coop is inside our garage, so it won't be anywhere near outside.