heat source for inside a coop? need ideas please

[Darklingstorm]

I need some ideas on what kind of safe heat source I can put in my coop. The coop is not air tight but not drafty either. Tomorrow is going to be our first freeze here and I'm worried about them. I have 9 hens currently living in it. I've got a light in there now but its only a 75 watt bulb and it doesn't heat things up to much.

 

[SteveBaz]

It is extremely hard to offer advise without the information. You said some draft. So that I would get the caulking gun out. You say 9 hens but we need an age? Are they feathered?

 

[JerseyFresh]

They should be just fine without any heat. As long as you have proper ventilation and no drafts you have nothing to worry about.

 

[JerseyFresh]

As long as there is the proper ventilation and no drafts, your chickens will be just fine without heat. If you've already got a bulb in there I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

Chickens are all wearing down jackets.

They don't need extra heat if it's above 0

 

[rjlanger2]

Please read some the entries in the link below from people that live in some of the colder climates.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=421122

I found it very enlightening.

 

[al6517]

I don't see that you need a heat source at all, chickens can be very cold hardy but if you provide heat even just to take the chill out of the air, it's doing more harm than good. Chickens will acclimate and they go through physical changes when the weather changes and if you prevent them from doing that naturaly they will not acclimate or be as hardy.

 

[pharmchickrnmom]

Your coop looks fine and your hens should be fine in it in the cold weather. I have 8 hens that live in a tractor and I leave the doors open all winter long unless its blowing snow. They get nice heavy feathering and so have no problem with the cold. Ventilation is key because any buildup of ammonia or humidity is what really can hurt your birds.

 

[Steadfast]

Hens generate heat....

 

[wyododge]

I think your coop looks just fine as it is. I would concentrate on getting a nice chair, and a good hot cocoa recipe for when you sit and watch them. All those 'cracks and crevices provide ventilation. If you are worried about predator intrusion cover them with hardware cloth, but I would not seal them up. The only place I used caulking is on the floor so if need be I could wash the floor and not have it get the ground underneath wet. You really can not have to much ventilation, I personally do not worry about the whole 'draft' thing either, kinda silly in my opinion. But to each their own, not right or wrong, just different.

I personally don't believe you need heat, When we had horses that were in trouble during the winter, we used I.R. (red) heat bulbs that had hardware wire 'tubes' around them to keep them from being knocked around and broken. Never had a knocked out bulb. You can see what I mean about the 'tubes' on my page. Easy to change the bulb and if the birds hit them the bulb will not break. In my opinion, those new ecobulb things should never be allowed in your coop. They have mercury in them, which if broken and released into your coop, goes straight into the eggs. Break one of those in the coop and you have contamination at a level that the EPA considers to be hazardous enough to require special 'protected' cleaning procedures. I hate those darn things...

FWIW- it is 12 degrees at our house, no heat in the coop and snow outside. When they get let out, they run out, eat snow and play. Soon it will be well below 0, and we still wont add heat. This is just how we raise our birds, not right or wrong. I just think it is important to point out that they do not need supplemental heat even in temps as low as -30, and I believe they are better off if you don't.