Heat in the coop advice

[Birdsong 82]

OK as I owned chickens for many many years I’ve never had to add heat to the coop. Living in Central Virginia we get some really low temperatures sometimes at night but never anything to seriously worry about. Recently moved a little bit further west in Virginia and the change has amazed me. Now I’m looking at temperatures at night in the single digits and not rising above the mid-20s for Several days straight. I’m just wondering how other people add heat to the coop without the worry of something catching on fire in the middle of the night or being too much heat. And I’m a very paranoid person about that kind of thing. My coop is a old wooden shed a “renovated” to a chicken coop It’s about 7 x 10. I’ve made covers for the two windows for night time but even though it stays warmer in there these temperatures are worrying me. Any advice? Thoughts?
Just want to keep my babies safe especially since two just started molting So they’re half bare which really isn’t helping
There’s no electric hook up in the chicken coop. But with 50-100 foot extension cord if needed that can work if electricity is needed

 

[Sammster]

At single digits, and mid-20's you should be ok, as long as the chickens acclimated gradually. If you feel they are struggling, go with a flat panel heater. No heat lamps.

 

[SueT]

You should be fine in Virginia. Chickens, like your wild birds, have down jackets.

 

[Shadrach]

How many chickens are in the 7 foot by 10 foot coop?

 

[Birdsong 82]

How many chickens are in the 7 foot by 10 foot coop?

Thank you for asking that because that’s really the main thing I also should’ve mentioned and really should have. I have six chickens that I recently got that are separated from the rooster in three hens I already had ( just separated with HC) . So in the coop I’m referring to there is only the rooster and three ladies. As far as the others I’m not too worried about as I am almost done adding to a second small coop in there that’s a 4 x 4 so I know those six will keep each other warm for now and soon they all will be together but the weather is coming waaaay sooner than I anticipated.
Last year wasn’t as much of a worry as I had 14 chickens sharing that coop until I found out really quick how screwed up predators really can be when you live right beside a 4400 acre wildlife conservation area

 

[aart]

Now I’m looking at temperatures at night in the single digits and not rising above the mid-20s for Several days straight.

I'd not worry about heat, but make sure they have liquid water every hour they are awake.
I don't worry until the temps stay in single digits 24/7 for several days.
Then I give some electrolytes.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/aarts-extreme-weather-spiel.75893/

As far as the others I’m not too worried about as I am almost done adding to a second small coop in there that’s a 4 x 4 so I know those six will keep each other warm for now and soon they all will be together but the weather is coming waaaay sooner than I anticipated.

More chickens in a coop do not keep it 'warmer'.
And crowding can cause more problems than cold due to more poop and more respiration.
Ventilation is key all year around.

 

[Shadrach]

Without knowing a lot more about the shed/coop it's difficult to give much in the way of usefull advice.
Your rooster and three hens produce about 50 watts of heat. That isn't a lot in a 7 by 10 coop.

It's interesting to note that the large commercial concerns keep their sheds at 21C to 25C.

I have little doubt your chickens can endure the cold but at those temperatures I doubt they will be comfortable.

 

[DickMidnight]

your job isn’t to keep them warm. they do that in their own. cold to you and cold to a chicken are two very different things.

what you should make sure you do is keep at least 1sqft of permanently open ventilation per bird up high near the roofline of your coop, and close off any openings that are at roost height.

the ventilation allows hot, wet air that’s produced by respiration and bird poop to escape the coop. this keeps unwanted moisture out of the coop and off your birds.

as long as they’re dry and nothing is blowing directly on them as they roost at night, your birds will be fine in temperatures well below 0 degrees.

 

[SandyRiverChick]

Insulation. Even though the coop is fine without it, it's your peace of mind and safer than a heat source. I used this stuff and my coop is warm in winter, cool in summer. I can feel and see the difference, it's amazing. I've been doing this a long time and initially I put a heat lamp in my coop and then worried about fire all night. This has been the solution between doing nothing and doing too much.

 

[Birdsong 82]

I guess fact that even since I moved to this area we’ve never had quite this kind of cold snap. And I know I’ve felt frozen for over a week now and it’s going to get worse. So it may be I’m over worried
And as far as adding heat I just made a small amount at night. Because too much heat creates moisture and that’s even worse. I made covers for the windows but opening them during the day for ventilation. And the Gables on the roof are open always. Of course with hardware cloth for protection