Heating the Coop???

[bnford]

I live in Kansas and have 3 hens. I'm worried they may be cold at night and not sure if I need to heat my coop or not??? I don't particularly want to put in a heat lamp because of fire hazard/danger. I've been looking into a heating pad/panel. Any other ideas or suggestions?

 

[bobbi-j]

Ditch the heat and make sure your coop is well ventilated and dry. Your chickens have their own built-in heaters - down coats that trap their body heat and keep it close to them. They can't take those down coats off. What they need from you is to be sure their coop doesn't trap moisture. Vents of some sort at the top will help that. My coops have windows that tip in from the top, vented soffits, and I leave the pop door open on all but the colder days (when it's in the teens below zero). I use straw for bedding so they can hunker down during the day. In using heat, if you keep them locked in all the time, they do not acclimate to the cold. What happens when they aren't properly equipped and your electricity goes off?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Please don't heat. Your birds will acclimate and be fine. We get colder than you, and my chickens go outside most days as well as having a east facing door that is always open for the donkeys to come and go. As bobbi-j said, ventilation is more important.

Block the prevailing winds, good air exchange, provide proper draft free roosts, fresh warm water twice a day at least, and something like hay to stand on outside instead of the snow. A south facing window is always welcome too.

 

[donrae]

Excellent advice above. I won't add to it, just say

 

[aart]

Welcome to BYC!

Agrees with the good advice already given above.

Would be good to see pics of your coop and run if you want suggestions on how to winterize.