Heating the coop in severe cold weather climates?

[emvickrey]

Quote:
Mine head to bed near dark so they are in their favorite spots by the time it is dark. Their coop is covered now for winter so it's darker in there than it normally would be in summer. WE don't have a light out there yet but will before long. I have smaller birds this year then last year. Bantam breeds. I only have 2 large birds and the smaller ones usually hover around one of them. The other prefers to sleep alone.

 

[annie3001]

hello,
this is my first year in the winter with chickens, so i understand, all that i have read tells me when its in the - degrees i will no doubt will be using a heat lamp for extra.

good luck!

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
In a pinch, hefty bags stuffed full of shredded paper or tightly-crumpled newspaper would do. Or bags full of styrofoam packing peanuts *except* that at least down here you would have a high chance of rodents getting into them over the winter and leaving you with little white styrofoam particles strewn all over creation with no way of ever cleaning them up.

But bales of straw might still be an option. I don't really need straw for anything other than insulation, though, so is there a good use for it in the spring/summer?

Put it in the run. Then if/when it starts to get Nasty, compost it and use it for the garden

BTW I am skeptical whether you're going to be able to get away without *any* electric heating -- but the more you insulate, the fewer days you will have to heat and the less wattage you will need, so it will still save you money

If I set the timer for the light to turn off, can the chickens then find their way to the roost when it suddenly goes pitch black?? I picture them out there flapping and stumbling around or just sitting down on the floor in defeat.

There have been some Heated Debates about this in past threads. What you describe is in fact what normally happens -- however, enough people set their lights to turn off suddenly and report that after a while the chickens learn to get onto the roost *before* lights out (in anticipation) that I am willing to believe it happens. Basically your choices are something like these:

1) put all of your added light in the morning, even if that means lights come on at 2 a.m., then turn off after sunrise (or, I forget what latitude the arctic circle is, *do* you even *have* sun on every day?) so the chickens experience natural dusk. This has the advantage of adding heat (from light) to the coop when temps are coldest.

2) put some or all of your timered light in the evening, and wait for them to learn to deal with it.

3) put some or all of your timered light in the evening, but add a second much-dimmer bulb on its own timer to go off 30 min later. (much more complexity is a downside)

4) put some or all of your timered light in the evening, but leave a dim 'night light' on 24/7 so it is never pitch dark in the coop.

5) run a red lamp for heat all night anyhow, which kind of renders the rest of the question moot (and if it is bright enough, may be sufficient for egglaying stimulation too)

I have also seen a lightbulb (plain ol 60w type) for sale, a bit expensively, that claims to dim itself slowly on its own for, I forget, 30-60 min after being turned off. Designed for use in bedrooms. I have wondered sometimes about its applicability to this situation in a coop but have not tried it.

Good luck (brrrr!), have fun,

Pat​

 

[HensAK]

Quote:
No, but she can see my chickens from her front porch!

Thanks for the responses regarding sudden darkness in the chicken coop. I'm glad to hear there are others thinking about this issue and that I'm not just dreaming up things to worry about. You've listed some great options there, patandchickens. I may opt for a small wattage bulb to just dim things down during the night. Before long the amount of sun we have will be almost null - even though it rises it doesn't get far above the horizon and dusk comes way too early. I'll have to have some light on out there even during daylight hours.

And I think you are right - without insulation I'm going to have to heat with at least the heat bulbs. They seem to be doing the trick. Now that I've got the remote thermometer installed out there I've got greater peace of mind and I know when it's time to start making adjustments.

I don't think I can stack up bags of lightweight stuff - the wind blows HARD out here in the Valley. The temps climbed up to 30 degrees, but now the wind is blowing 50 mph!! I would take zero degrees over that blasted wind. I'm going to try stacking bales of straw on the two windward sides.

 

[Coopa Cabana]

Quote:
No, but she can see my chickens from her front porch!

 

[vtswampwitch1]

hey vt swampwitch, iam green as in grass need help.i .have 4girls 6months ana getting 3eggs a day by who, who knows. i have a rubber water bucket up off floor.vermont,temp is20 out side ,thermometer in reads30. 75wattbulb.drop ceiling and after reading will insulate above it. temps will be worse as time goes by, i will isulate out side walls and again after reading will wrap a tarp around. i know after placing hay around the coop BIIIG mistake.mice were keeping house also.stinkey mice PEE and,mice,POOP AND MICE DISEASES. NEVER AGAIN.I WILL INSULATE FLOOR AND RAISE IT ABOUT 2,INC. WITH SOMETHING. WHAT IS GOOD HIGH PROTEIM? WHAT TEMP IS GOOD WITH WHAT TYPE HEAT LITE?I AM LOOKING FOR 1 BARRED ROCK HEN FOR VT TO MIX WITH MY 6 MONTH RED HEADS.DO U FEED ALL DAY ?HOW MUCH U FIGURE THESE HOT GIRLS EAT IN A DAY? I LUV ALL YOUR HELP VTSWAMPWITCH

 

[upthecreek]

Yes you are doing the right thing for your chickens , it made me feel good when you said it was -45 degees outside and +45 degrees inside w/the chickens , GOOD FOR YOU !!!!
I know the chickens love you for taking care of them in this way !!!
If it makes me feel good i know you also are happy to know the chickens are not freezing .
On another thread about this same subject i had one person that really got on my case when i said chickens needed heat in very cold weather , that they could get cold just like we do . She was very negative about what i said , i just ignored her - which is best rather than argue which is what i think these type people are wanting .

But A Big Congrats To YOU !!!! I nominate you for the "Best Chicken Keeper of the Month" lol .
Keep us updated on them ,
Shannon



Quote:

 

[LynneP]

It's been three weeks since your first post, any changes? I know you folks came through a terrible cold spell before the first snows- it must have been wicked hard on people and animals alike. Do you ever use wild birds suet to boost the caloric intake? My hens love theirs...

 

[purpletree23]

I didn't know that chickens can eat wild bird suet to boost their body temp. Doesn't the fat 'gum' up their crop or gizzard?

I keep my coop warm by using a heater called a sweeter heater. It doesn't emit any light just a gentle heat and there is little possibility of anything catching fire because of the way it is designed. I have mine connected to a thermostat that is attached to an electrical cord. They thermostat cords are very hard to find but you can set the temp that you want the heater to turn on and off at. It saves on electricity and the heater if it stays on for a long period of time in an insulated coop will actually make it too warm for the chickens.

The heater I purchased can be found at sweeterheater.com and I purchased the court at Country Store in Milford, New Hampshire. If you do order a heater tell them that it's for poultry and you should get free shipping. I think that deal is still available.

Good luck.

 

[RlgNorth]

This is my first winter with chickens and I live in north pole alaska. It gets soo cold here down to -50 but most of the time is not colder then -30 I built a insulated coop and so far soo good i also bought a radiant light bulb it dont give off light but gives off heat it only a 100w. We have already gotten down to -30 for a week sraight and the chickens did awsome!! some frost bite but not much at all. And they even layed during that cold snap I have added light of course cause well you know it is dark here. I have no heated water for them i just go out there every coupld of hours and give them hot water (stay at home mom) I have noticed on the really cold day the temps stays above 0 .