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I live up in Winnipeg, Manitoba, where temperatures in the winter go down to -40°C. (No, I'm not kidding. ) Typically, I only keep my hens in the spring through fall and give them back to my uncle in the winter to live in his heated, insulated and very large coop. This year, I'm considering keeping them through the winter. To do this, I am aware I will need to take several steps to keep them cozy and have already started a few as the weather is averaging at roughly 4°C this week. (insulating with thick layers of straw for bedding and foam inside the walls, blocking out large drafts, etc)
But now I'm turning to the next obvious step: a heat source.
I know many people like to avoid electrical heat and are very against it, and that's a lovely thought and I wish I could avoid it too.
I have a slight fear of heat lamps. I own one but have always feared turning it on. I dont think I need to explain why. Especially since my coop is not very tall (3 feet or so) and a feather could easily catch fire. Has anyone ever used a heat mat? What are your thoughts? How did you use it?(against a wall, on the floor?) This seems like the safest option to me. I've been looking at one by K&H pets that I would likely place on the floor where they like to cuddle and cover it with some straw. Do you think there's a risk of straw catching fire? How warm to they get? We get plenty of snow here, enough that I can actually shovel it onto of the coop to create some good old fashion Canadian insulation, so I'm not insanely worried about generating massive amounts of warmth. Just wanting to hear others experiences before I order something that I may regret.
Thank you to everyone.
But now I'm turning to the next obvious step: a heat source.
I know many people like to avoid electrical heat and are very against it, and that's a lovely thought and I wish I could avoid it too.
I have a slight fear of heat lamps. I own one but have always feared turning it on. I dont think I need to explain why. Especially since my coop is not very tall (3 feet or so) and a feather could easily catch fire. Has anyone ever used a heat mat? What are your thoughts? How did you use it?(against a wall, on the floor?) This seems like the safest option to me. I've been looking at one by K&H pets that I would likely place on the floor where they like to cuddle and cover it with some straw. Do you think there's a risk of straw catching fire? How warm to they get? We get plenty of snow here, enough that I can actually shovel it onto of the coop to create some good old fashion Canadian insulation, so I'm not insanely worried about generating massive amounts of warmth. Just wanting to hear others experiences before I order something that I may regret.
Thank you to everyone.
