Heat lamp or no heat lamp for cold weather?

[Nicole01]

Quote:

Are these wide boards what you use for perches? I would bet your girls love them.

Yes! I'm actually changing it this fall. Going to put 2x4's above the shelves. I couldn't get my flock to roost and I gave up and used shelving. They prefer to pile under each other.

 

[Nicole01]

no heat is required, chickens are hardy animals.As long as they have a draft free,dry shelter theyill be fine. By adding heat you only increase your fire risk, the chance of attracting pests and it is also a big headache. Also DO NOT wrap up your run in plastic, this will hold in the moisture and possibly cause frostbite, and can be deadly because the pen will get quite warm during the day, but cool off drasticly at night, and this is very bad for your birds.However, very small bantams may need some heat, thier bodies just arn't large enough to hold in the warmth. For this you can use "heat tape", made for keeping pipes from freezing. you put this on the roost and it will keep them warm during the night.

We never had any moisture issues. Even with wrapping with the plastic. On both ends, we left the top sides open. Its extremely dry in there. I also clean the poop a minimum 2 times daily.

 

[Nicole01]

QUOTE: By keeping the heater on a low setting, it does not get hot to the touch. We can easily put our hands on the heater. I keep it behind a cage and I vacuum one a week to keep the dust out. Plus, the dial does not get bumped either. This type of heater has worked great for us. If I did decided to provide ANY heat now, I would use something like that, protected, but also on a timer, because when it would get that cold (REALLY cold) that I would want to use heat I don't think there's a low enough heat-setting on those ceramic heaters. Maybe a utility one (those all-metal ones that shut off if they're tipped) Semi-new issue though and one I have strong concern about is the fact that the day is coming that we may not have the luxury of electricity and will have to trust our Maker for the care of much more that the birds. We had a huge storm this summer that cut out electricity in our area for thousands for almost a week. We still had electric and people streamed to our house for drinking water, showers and relief from the oppressive heat. Maybe we need to start thinking about doing without some of the benefits of electricity (like heating our chicken coops and drying clothes in a dryer, overuse of AC, etc.) to acclimate us to future probabilities) I guess this is a subject for the 'sufficient-self" thread but one that will impact our chicken coop design-plan and care and what we do in the winter.

I'm also in MN. I knew heat wasn't necessary, but I wanted it myself, so I could spend hours with them. I broke my neck a few years ago and the birds help me deal with the constant neck pain. Plus I'm physically limited to my daily activity and I have a lot of time on my hands.

 

[Missa Chickabee]

Oh Niclole, that must be so hard. The birds are my great escape for worrying too much about stuff. Got them for eggs but they give us so much more than eggs.

Where are you from in MN? I'm in the Bemidji area. You could send a PM if you don't like to make your location public.

Enjoy your flock! For sure they think you're their mom.

 

[G-Dekeyser]

We never had any moisture issues. Even with wrapping with the plastic. On both ends, we left the top sides open. Its extremely dry in there. I also clean the poop a minimum 2 times daily.

ok well i was thinking it was completely closed in

 

[Ridgerunner]

I may not have been clear, but I tried to say that insulation can be helpful in certain circumstances in dealing with cold. It can slow the rate of cooling. Od course, a lot of that depends on how your specific coop is built and your climate. The effects are much more readily apparent in hot weather in keeping the coop cooler but it can be valuable in slowing the cooling rate.

I'll also mention that mine go out and forage in zero Fahrenheit weather as long as a cold wind is not blowing. They don't like a cold wind in the winter but zero degrees Fahrenheit does not bother them. I don't know if they will go out in colder temperatures to forage because daytime temperatures here are not below zero degrees Fahrenheit. Mine don't get the chance.

Mine usually avoid the snow when they first see it. But on the rare occasions it sticks on the ground a few days here, they will go out and walk barefoot in the snow once they get used to it being around. If the snow is only a couple of inches deep, they are out eating grass and weed seeds that stick up above the snow. I've had them wade through 9" of snow to go check out the compost heap because they are used to finding good stuff there.

There feet, combs, and wattles do not get frostbite when they are out wading through snow or foraging in the wide open spaces in zero degrees fahrenheit. The danger from frostbite is when they are locked in a small tight coop with high humidity.

You can do whatever you want. They are your chickens. But realize a lot of what you are doing is for you, not the chickens. There is nothing wrong with doing something for yourself. But your chickens don't need it or really care.

 

[maidenwolfx80]

That is what I am getting at....

 

[Aschenfire]

You do not need heat in a coop...no matter how cold it gets. Seramas cannot tolerate extremely cold temperatures, but other breeds are more hardy than people give them credit for. Just because people are cold outside does not mean chickens are. They have those nice down coats for winter. Light might be fine, simply for convenience's sake. NOT to leave on all night as a nightlight for chickens. LOL

Just make sure it's not drafty and not wet, and they'll be fine

 

[Aschenfire]

I may not have been clear, but I tried to say that insulation can be helpful in certain circumstances in dealing with cold. It can slow the rate of cooling. Od course, a lot of that depends on how your specific coop is built and your climate. The effects are much more readily apparent in hot weather in keeping the coop cooler but it can be valuable in slowing the cooling rate.
I'll also mention that mine go out and forage in zero Fahrenheit weather as long as a cold wind is not blowing. They don't like a cold wind in the winter but zero degrees Fahrenheit does not bother them. I don't know if they will go out in colder temperatures to forage because daytime temperatures here are not below zero degrees Fahrenheit. Mine don't get the chance.
Mine usually avoid the snow when they first see it. But on the rare occasions it sticks on the ground a few days here, they will go out and walk barefoot in the snow once they get used to it being around. If the snow is only a couple of inches deep, they are out eating grass and weed seeds that stick up above the snow. I've had them wade through 9" of snow to go check out the compost heap because they are used to finding good stuff there.
There feet, combs, and wattles do not get frostbite when they are out wading through snow or foraging in the wide open spaces in zero degrees fahrenheit. The danger from frostbite is when they are locked in a small tight coop with high humidity.
You can do whatever you want. They are your chickens. But realize a lot of what you are doing is for you, not the chickens. There is nothing wrong with doing something for yourself. But your chickens don't need it or really care.

 

[EMcD]

Thank you all for this good information. I'm going to read up on the articles linked above.

I need to sort out balancing the no drafts with needed ventilation. Here in NJ we can get quite cold, and have several snow storms a year. But of course it's no where near MN temps! But we can have a week or more with single digit temps.

This will be our first winter and we have just 3 hens. We have a small coop -- 4 x 4 and maybe about 4.5' high in the front (here's a picture before the run was added to the front).




There's ventilation under the eaves where it's not sealed tight. Would that be enough ventilation? With the heat this summer, we added some extra ventilation by popping out the plastic in the small window near the top, and adding hardware cloth over it. But I'm afraid it might be too close to the height of the roost, which would seem to be a risk of drafts. So, how do I balance it? Is the "eave" space enough ventilation for the winter? If so, should we block the "window" in the winter? I'm just afraid it may blow on them on the roost (which is above the height of the little side door.

For a small coop (with a small flock), any suggestions on how to ensure enough ventilation while also minimizing drafts?