Freezing Eggs

[Beekissed]

It has been below zero here lately and I keep a radiator heater in the coop. What are the Pros and Cons of heating?

Pros....

The obvious....warmth in the coop. This does not, however, translate into more comfort for the flock....they have developed winter coats for cold weather, so heating them can possibly cause them to discomfort from becoming too warm. Try wearing your winter gear as you sit in a warm room and see how uncomfortable you soon become...you start to sweat, then that sweat will make you colder once you go outside.

Can keep water from freezing


Cons~

Potential coop fire
The birds have difficulty adjusting to the heated environment of the coop as they move in and out of it, causing them to become more chilled than normal when going outside
Increased humidity in the coop due to overheating of the chickens, causing them to throw off humidity.....the heat of the heater may or may not dispel this humidity...usually people who install heat also will close off any ventilation in an attempt to conserve the heat in the coop.
Increased utility bill

 

[ChickChic45]

Thank you Beekissed. It still gets below freezing in there but I always thought the goal was to keep it above freezing....especially when it is below zero outside. No? It is a radiator type heater that circulates oil...recommended as being pretty safe. I keep it by the food and water...one water container is on a heater base but the other two depend on the heater. When it is not below zero, I keep some "open" areas of this re-purposed building uncovered. When it is really cold, I cover the nooks and crannies with plastic. So, you are suggesting NO heat?

 

[Beekissed]

Thank you Beekissed. It still gets below freezing in there but I always thought the goal was to keep it above freezing....especially when it is below zero outside. No? It is a radiator type heater that circulates oil...recommended as being pretty safe. I keep it by the food and water...one water container is on a heater base but the other two depend on the heater. When it is not below zero, I keep some "open" areas of this re-purposed building uncovered. When it is really cold, I cover the nooks and crannies with plastic. So, you are suggesting NO heat?

No heat is best. Especially just for freezing or zero degree weather. I don't know what folks feel about when it gets to -45 but I've heard that even most of those people don't heat the coop either. I've never heard of any goal of keeping a coop above freezing before, so not sure from whence that may come....was that to keep the water freezing, perhaps?

I don't know how many chickens you are providing water for, but usually one waterer will do for an average flock, particularly in the winter months. Been hearing about too many coop fires this season, so I'm leery about recommending any heat in the coops at all right now unless it would be a heated water bowl or bucket of some sort.

 

[ChickChic45]

@Beekissed
To tell you the truth, I played a lot of my chicken-keeping by ear when I started 5 years ago. My husband built my first chicken coop in Milton Freewater and it was WELL INSULATED! Then we moved to Hermiston and re-purposed an old building that has plenty of ventilation. I went from a flock of 17 to my current flock of 45 and yes, they drink a lot of water. Perhaps I could 86 the heater and replace it with another heated base.