Heating the chicken coop

[goose321]

I know that most people don’t recommend heating the chicken coop however I have a coop that is 8 ft by 12 ft and 6ft tall and there are only 2 ducks living in it so this winter heat is most definitely needed. We live in an area that gets extremely cold. I have been looking at a few different heating options however wanted to get your opinion on which one is safest. I was looking at oil heaters, flat panel heaters, or possibly a natural gas furnace outside of the coop in an insulated box. If I got the flat panel heater it would need to be at least 400 watts. The natural gas furnace would be a lot of work to get set up however I think the safest option. Any ideas on how to heat a large coop like this safely.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Animals don't heat each other, nor do they heat their coop. What's extremely cold? If you provide your ducks with a draft free coop or shed and thick bedding they will be fine. Here in Wisconsin I don't even close up my large shed. My birds do fine.

Hopefully someone else will give heating advice.

 

[aart]

Flat panel might work best for just 2 birds.
But good ventilation is also needed, so you're not going to want to heat the whole coop.

Where in this world are you located?
Climate is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, then it's always there!

 

[Howard E]

"Extremely cold" is not definitive enough to be of any help with advice. Someone from south Florida once described that as +40 F. To others, extreme cold is -40F.

USDA zone is better.

 

[PirateGirl]

Heating is personal choice. Perhaps think about it a little differently and you may find a better solution. Maybe you don't need to heat the whole space. Maybe you just need to create a warm nesting/sleeping spot within the space. It might be more efficient and warmer for them overall since you have a small number of birds in a large space.

 

[PirateGirl]

As others said, draft free, deep bedding, and I'll add DRY (which is challenging with ducks), and you will be on the right track.

 

[ellenscoop]

PoultryDVM did an entire infographic on that topic....here is a link to it - http://www.poultrydvm.com/featured-infographic/dangers-of-heat-lamps-in-chicken-coops

 

[goose321]

Winter where I live means -20 Celsius below without the wind chill.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Winter where I live means -20 Celsius below without the wind chill.

That's about -4 Fahrenheit. That's not bad. I wouldn't add extra heat. We get much colder here and my birds are fine, and my ducks still take baths all winter.

 

[PirateGirl]

And remember wind chill only counts if the chickens are actually out in the wind if they are tucked in a draft free coop they just feel the air temp