Heating Coop for chicks in the winter...

[Cluckingitup]

I haven't read the whole thread yet, but have you thought about using a Wool Hen? I've raised lots of biddies without using any electricity in the winter (20s at night) by using a Wool Momma. If they get cold, they will move further back into the tunnel, if they get warm, they will move towards the front opening. And you don't have to worry about fires, or the electricity going out.
They also don't have the eye and mental problems associated with using heat lamps. They seem to develop more natural circadian rhythms without lights.

What eye/mental issues do you mean? I put a red light heat lamp to keep the water from freezing in the coop. My local store and believe it or not amazon didn't have the heated water I ordered, so I used the light, which kept it from freezing. I get the circadian rhythms, but they roost when it gets dark. I don't want to do them any harm, so curious about eye issues.

 

[NatJ]

I have 10 chicks that are 2.5 weeks old and 3 little pullets that are 9 weeks old today...I could of course put their heating plate in there, but I think they will have outgrown it by then.

Could you put them all out there now? (Heating plate, little chicks, and bigger chicks).

(Obviously depends on whether the heating plate puts out enough heat: if it can still be 80+ degrees underneath, and if they can all get under at once, they should be fine. A few hours and a thermometer can tell you the answer to that.)

You've already had the two groups looking but not touching, so they're not total strangers--and putting them in a coop that's strange to all of them should make them less likely to fight.

 

[BluebirdHomestead]

Could you put them all out there now? (Heating plate, little chicks, and bigger chicks).

(Obviously depends on whether the heating plate puts out enough heat: if it can still be 80+ degrees underneath, and if they can all get under at once, they should be fine. A few hours and a thermometer can tell you the answer to that.)

You've already had the two groups looking but not touching, so they're not total strangers--and putting them in a coop that's strange to all of them should make them less likely to fight.

I am definitely tempted to go this route. Especially if I can manage to keep them in the current set up for a couple more weeks. They’ll be even more feathered then.

 

[NatJ]

I am definitely tempted to go this route. Especially if I can manage to keep them in the current set up for a couple more weeks. They’ll be even more feathered then.

They'll have more feathers, but the weather will be colder too. Not sure which is better.

You could help by turning the workshop heat down as far as it can go--as long as they're warm enough under the heating plate, the rest of the area can be reduced a lot faster than 5 degrees per week.

 

[BluebirdHomestead]

They'll have more feathers, but the weather will be colder too. Not sure which is better.

You could help by turning the workshop heat down as far as it can go--as long as they're warm enough under the heating plate, the rest of the area can be reduced a lot faster than 5 degrees per week.

True. I hadn’t thought about the weather getting colder since it’s sort of all over the place here. We can be in the 50s one day and low teens the next all winter. And yep I actually turned the heat almost off in the workshop. I set it to 40 and the lowest it’s gotten in there so far was 45 and they didn’t seem to care at all.

 

[EggWalrus]

What eye/mental issues do you mean? I put a red light heat lamp to keep the water from freezing in the coop. My local store and believe it or not amazon didn't have the heated water I ordered, so I used the light, which kept it from freezing. I get the circadian rhythms, but they roost when it gets dark. I don't want to do them any harm, so curious about eye issues.

I've read studies about how some forms of light can cause hostility and aggression in young birds. I think they recommended using red instead of white lights to prevent this aggression problem. In another study I read that chicks raised by a broody usually have less sleep/eye problems than those raised under artificial light 24/7. It has been years since reading those studies I had bookmarked, but that computer pooped the nest and I can't remember who the studies were by. You could always Google it to get some useful info. Hell, my memory isn't what it used to be. Looking it up would be a good idea anyway.

 

[NatJ]

We can be in the 50s one day and low teens the next all winter. And yep I actually turned the heat almost off in the workshop. I set it to 40 and the lowest it’s gotten in there so far was 45 and they didn’t seem to care at all.

Sounds like they'll be ready to go out pretty soon, especially if outside gets a warm stretch!

 

[JoCoKS]

A few cozy coop panels would work well,if you have insulation on outside.200 watts each.ext.cords ok,by manufacturer.
My 3 small coops have some side insulation and 3-6 inches on roof,styrofoam.can stay 50 degrees at zero.i have 2 hanging in each coop.
For the 40 below and many 20 below we had last year,they weren't enough.dubuque area. moved to heated garage.
Normal cold,cozy coop works well,safely.being comfortable ,they lay eggs most of winter.

Since you probably have vents along the top like about of backyard chicken person to vent the coop putting the heating units high did not let the air below get heated. Heat rises so you probably blew all the heat out at the vents and did heat the air below at all. I keep my Cozy Coop Heater near the floor so the heat starts out low and since hot air rises it helps get the ammonia, etc. out of the coop from bottom to top to protect my girls. I have never had a problem keeping the girls warm even when I spilled water and it was so cold when I spilled the water I was using to get them fresh water it actually froze before it hit the ground. Now that is cold.