Heating suggestions for small coop

[SuburbanChickFarmer]

I've read all about the pros and cons of heating or not heating the coop and I feel better if I know that my birds are not shivering. I have a large coop with 9 hens and 1 roo and I have put a 250 infared heater in there that provides just enough heat to keep them warm but not to keep their water from freezing, as I found out this morning. I do have an electric water fount, but used the extension cord for the light thinking that it would be warm enough to keep the water from freezing. I will buy another cord for the waterer. I have a 2nd coop which is only 4 x 4ish, about the size of a large doghouse. This is the one I am having trouble figuring out how to heat. It only has 2 birds, a roo and a hen. I can rig a heat lamp in there but know that a 250 watt is too much for such a small area. I can buy other infared lights in various wattages in the reptile section of the pet store. Does anybody have suggestions on what wattage would be best for such a small area? I think they come in 50, 75, 100 and 150 watts. I'm hoping that I can heat this small coop and keep the water from freezing without purchasing another electric waterer. Does anyone heat a small coop that could give me some insight? Thanks.

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
Please be aware that it is a bad idea to put a 250W heatlamp on an extension cord. Fire prevention organizations and heatlamp fixture manufacturers pretty universally recommend against it. You can overheat your cord and cause a fire. That it hasn't happened yet doesn't mean it *won't*...

Also if you are running multiple cords please take a moment to figure out the capacity of the circuit they're on, again for fire safety reasons.

I have a 2nd coop which is only 4 x 4ish, about the size of a large doghouse. This is the one I am having trouble figuring out how to heat. <snip> I'm hoping that I can heat this small coop and keep the water from freezing without purchasing another electric waterer.

You could in principle run a very small bulb, like 25 watts -ish (you'd have to fiddle with sizes as it depends on insulation, airflow, and climate). You could use a red bulb if you wanted (they do come in very low wattages). However in a small coop like that, the chickens' own body heat will do a pretty decent job, as long as you keep the coop as dry and fully-cleaned-out as possible to hold your ventilation needs to a minimum. It would be simpler in the long run to just run a heated waterer (or base thereof) and NOT a lamp. You certainly don't need it. Or heck, just bring them fresh liquid water a couple times a day and skip the extension cord altogether, it's quite feasible for just a few birds.

Good luck, be safe,

Pat​