heating hens in eastern Ontario during fall/winter

[Lupine hens]

We've had a really nasty rainy day here and all the hens chose to stay outside in the rain.They look like drowned hens. The temp is suppose to go to -2 Celsius tonight so I put the heat lamp on very low.Is this a good idea or should I just turn off the lamp and let them toughen up?

 

[Dar]

i already have my oil heater in my coop to take the chill off at night

(its one of the sealed oil heaters so that there is very little risk of a fire, canadian tire has them on sale this week 29.99 i think the sale may end today or tomorrow)

 

[YeOleBroodie]

Quote:
I don't give heat, only a heater under their waterers for many years.
The main reason being, if the power ever goes out they are not used to that cold. Then they are in big trouble. I am not about to bring them all inside with me.

The temps here have gone to -14C so far for several days then warmed up again. They are molting also and they are doing fine.

Other reason is I don't have to worry about fire in their houses.

Thats just my 2 cents worth, but its up to you.

Welcome to BYC!

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
Wow, if you start heating them *now* (I assume these are full-grown?) then what on earth are you going to do for the next six months???

Assuming they're not young chicks and your coop is well-ventilated (dry) without drafts blowing at the chickens, they will be FINE. Honest.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[PortageGirl]

Don’t forget they're wearing little down jackets all the time... they can brood eggs and keep them as warm as an incubator! That's 100 degrees Fahrenheit people (38C)! Maybe brooding is more specialized than day to day life, but they CAN DO IT! Even in the winter and in freezing temperaturs! If you keep them too warm, you diminish their ability to handle bad weather, LET THEM BE CHICKENS! They need good food, clean (thawed out) water, a draft free place to sleep that also has good ventilation, protection from predators, and enough room to move around comfortably… other than that, they are FINE!

I'm saving this to copy and paste in every 'should I run the heater' thread on the forum.

 

[Dar]

sorry i have bad memories of hauling frozen water in -40 (with wind chill) weather last year i dont want freezing water this year

 

[PortageGirl]

I agree, I do not have water lines out to my coop either, and it IS a pain, but heat the waterer, not the whole coop.

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
You're not seriously going to try to keep the coop warm enough, in Canada, to prevent the water from freezing just from ambient air temperature, are you???!!! The hydro bill will be a MONSTER!

Get a heated waterer or heated waterer base! Or make one (the latter). Then the coop can be cold *and* the water liquid, problem solved.

Pat

 

[Dar]

Quote:
You're not seriously going to try to keep the coop warm enough, in Canada, to prevent the water from freezing just from ambient air temperature, are you???!!! The hydro bill will be a MONSTER!

Get a heated waterer or heated waterer base! Or make one (the latter). Then the coop can be cold *and* the water liquid, problem solved.

Pat

I dont pay hydro

we also re-built the coop this year and made sure it was insulated really well with good ventilation and no drafts, but the coop is also shielded by a lot of trees so it should not be hard to keep it just above freezing.

I cant use the heated waterier cause i have a plastic waterier and i really dont want to dump a wad of cash on a metal feeder. If i paid for hydro it would be wayyyyy different

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
Someone does. And everyone downwind of the coal-fired plants that still supply a large fraction of Ontario's electricity BREATHES your hydro bill ;>

Really, there are FAR more practical ways of keeping water liquid than to try to keep the whole darn coop that temperature, up here.

Pat