Heater or no heater?

[SaraJean0989]

Ok, so going into winter I read some articles and posts on here and decided not to heat my coop this winter. The coop is in half of an old garage out at the farm. We have cornstalk bales blocking the NW to keep the cold wind out, we also put plywood up inside the garage as an extra barrier from too much draft and it acts as an insulator keeping their body heat IN their coop rather that spread throughout the entire garage- it’s not much but so far we’ve done pretty good (lowest temp recorded inside the coop is 10 degrees). We’ve also had a very mild winter. My fiancé has me worried about this next week tho. I posted the expected forecast above and while we’ve dipped below zero a couple of nights, air temp has never been below zero for an entire day let alone 3 days plus wind. We’re putting extra sawdust and straw down in the coop but he’s convinced we need to put some heat out there.

What do you all think? Should I put a heater out there for the next week? It would not go in with the chickens as there’s no safe place for it inside the coop, but we’d put it on a table just outside the coop to try and keep the entire building at least a little above zero. I just don’t want them to get used to warmer temps and then God forbid lose power and have them go into shock and die.

 

[BYCforlife]

If your chickens have large combs, it might be a good idea to put a heater out there. Besides risk of frostbite on combs, chickens can take very cold temperatures. It's been down to almost -40 Celsius here and my chickens have been fine.

 

[wamtazlady]

AT -22 my girls were outside in their run, eating and drinking, and pecking, and scratching. They were not bothered at all. Of course my run has 3 sides covered in clear vinyl to keep the drafts off them. I was also getting 8-10 eggs a day from 12 birds that year so I would say the cold was not stressing them at all.

A warm chicken is a dry chicken. Their own body heat and downy coat keep them warm, not the air. Just make sure that they are in a well ventilated area so the moisture from the pooping and breathing doesn't stay with them.

Chickens are not like we are and do not feel the cold like we do. That down coat they have on makes a huge difference. Think about all those little sparrows and wrens during the winter. They are flitting around on all but the blizzard type days. They are happy and apparently warm enough.

 

[timewaster]

AT -22 my girls were outside in their run, eating and drinking, and pecking, and scratching. They were not bothered at all. Of course my run has 3 sides covered in clear vinyl to keep the drafts off them. I was also getting 8-10 eggs a day from 12 birds that year so I would say the cold was not stressing them at all.

A warm chicken is a dry chicken. Their own body heat and downy coat keep them warm, not the air. Just make sure that they are in a well ventilated area so the moisture from the pooping and breathing doesn't stay with them.

Chickens are not like we are and do not feel the cold like we do. That down coat they have on makes a huge difference. Think about all those little sparrows and wrens during the winter. They are flitting around on all but the blizzard type days. They are happy and apparently warm enough.

So very true. I never actually thought about all of the birds that survive the winter. Now I feel better about our non-heated coop.

 

[Melky]

View attachment 1651675 Ok, so going into winter I read some articles and posts on here and decided not to heat my coop this winter. The coop is in half of an old garage out at the farm. We have cornstalk bales blocking the NW to keep the cold wind out, we also put plywood up inside the garage as an extra barrier from too much draft and it acts as an insulator keeping their body heat IN their coop rather that spread throughout the entire garage- it’s not much but so far we’ve done pretty good (lowest temp recorded inside the coop is 10 degrees). We’ve also had a very mild winter. My fiancé has me worried about this next week tho. I posted the expected forecast above and while we’ve dipped below zero a couple of nights, air temp has never been below zero for an entire day let alone 3 days plus wind. We’re putting extra sawdust and straw down in the coop but he’s convinced we need to put some heat out there.

What do you all think? Should I put a heater out there for the next week? It would not go in with the chickens as there’s no safe place for it inside the coop, but we’d put it on a table just outside the coop to try and keep the entire building at least a little above zero. I just don’t want them to get used to warmer temps and then God forbid lose power and have them go into shock and die.

I guess it depends. Each owner handles this differently with heaters. Depends on age and breed of bird along with location and type of housing. I winterized my coop/run this winter and added a K and H heating pad for temps below 30 degrees in the coop. I have a BR with large comb and worry about frostbite. I look forward to more sturdy housing next year where this may not be a need. We shall see.

 

[wamtazlady]

So very true. I never actually thought about all of the birds that survive the winter. Now I feel better about our non-heated coop.

Before my grandmother passed away she gave me all her books and articles on raising canaries. It mentioned that you must get out to the birds first thing in the morning to break the ice on the water dishes so the birds could get a drink. Who would ever imagine that canaries that so many people think are so delicate, could deal with below freezing temperatures? The articles did insist that the birds be kept in a draft free well ventilated area.

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

For me, I wouldn't do it. Ventilate, keep them dry and draft free. Make sure when they roost they can cover their feet with their feathers. Good luck.

 

[Wendy Case]

AT -22 my girls were outside in their run, eating and drinking, and pecking, and scratching. They were not bothered at all. Of course my run has 3 sides covered in clear vinyl to keep the drafts off them. I was also getting 8-10 eggs a day from 12 birds that year so I would say the cold was not stressing them at all.

A warm chicken is a dry chicken. Their own body heat and downy coat keep them warm, not the air. Just make sure that they are in a well ventilated area so the moisture from the pooping and breathing doesn't stay with them.

Chickens are not like we are and do not feel the cold like we do. That down coat they have on makes a huge difference. Think about all those little sparrows and wrens during the winter. They are flitting around on all but the blizzard type days. They are happy and apparently warm enough.

I made the mistake last Fall of adding a heat lamp. I swapped that out for a wall mount tv style. Then I read that the average chicken puts out the equivalent heat of a 60w bulb.... And pulled that heater too! Thankfully they were all new hens and pullets and two hens had never known heat in a coop. I only started last Fall and thus heat thing was a huge learning curve.
I have a temp and humidity gauge in the coop and the temp has never got below 20° in there, although the humidity has been as high as 99% so on those high humidity days, in order to keep the air moving on windless days I have a fan hanging from a rafter pointed away from the roosts. The fan doesn't make the temp drop and it keeps the air moving out of the air vents in the roof. I also keep the chickens wet waste picked up and don't have a heated water container in the coop either!
Learned all this on BYC in a short period of time and I'm paying it forward as my flock are very happy and healthy, not sure if that would have been the case if not for the wonderful members!!

 

[SaraJean0989]

AT -22 my girls were outside in their run, eating and drinking, and pecking, and scratching. They were not bothered at all. Of course my run has 3 sides covered in clear vinyl to keep the drafts off them. I was also getting 8-10 eggs a day from 12 birds that year so I would say the cold was not stressing them at all.

A warm chicken is a dry chicken. Their own body heat and downy coat keep them warm, not the air. Just make sure that they are in a well ventilated area so the moisture from the pooping and breathing doesn't stay with them.

Chickens are not like we are and do not feel the cold like we do. That down coat they have on makes a huge difference. Think about all those little sparrows and wrens during the winter. They are flitting around on all but the blizzard type days. They are happy and apparently warm enough.

At -22 Fahrenheit or Celsius?

 

[wamtazlady]

At -22 Fahrenheit or Celsius?

F