Heating the coop

[Reedo5]

Looking for imput on coop heating how much, what styles an how nessassary?

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Very little or you will send the birds into shock if something goes wrong and they will refuse to go out ever. Just enough to keep the temps above 0-10F.

Sweeter heaters or other safe radiant heat sources. Don't use heat lamps, they burn down coops, break easy, etc.

Only heat if your winter temperatures regularly hit below 0 for more than a few days each winter or you have very delicate breeds. We do not need heated coops where I live and we tend to get about a week at 0 thru -10F each winter. The rest of the time it's usually around 10-25F. The worst we've seen from this is some dehydration and the tippy tips of frostbite on bigger single combs.

 

[DobieLover]

Looking for imput on coop heating how much, what styles an how nessassary?

Where are you located?
Unless you get get truly bitterly cold weather, you should not need heat in a properly ventilated DRY coop.
My flock experienced -21F last winter and I did not add supplemental heat. I had the mildest of frostbite on the very tips of the rooster's comb. That's it.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

To be fair, we get a TON of snow. Keeping the coop dry is herculean. If it were drier it would probably hold up better even lower.

 

[aart]

Looking for imput on coop heating how much, what styles an how nessassary?

There's a good chance the only thing you may need to heat is the waterer.

Post some pics of your coop and run, inside and out.
What are the dimensions, in feet by feet.
How many birds do you have?
...and most important...
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, (laptop version shown), then it's always there!

 

[Reedo5]

Coop is 8x8 and 9fthigh, and 10 birds, it gets pretty cold defiantly few weeks in the single digits and the occasional below zero.

 

[trumpeting_angel]

The advice is clear - don’t heat your coop. Protect the birds from wind (and even breezes when it’s cold). Make sure it’s dry inside. Don’t let ammonia build up. Ventilation is the key. The risks to the birds in winter are humidity (from poop, breathing, water getting in, or spilled water) ammonia (from poop), and inadequate ventilation to vent the ammonia and humidity.

Look outside. Plenty of birds stay through the winter with no heat source. They fluff up their feathers, sit close to each other, and seek shelter from the wind. Your chickens are the same. It’s best if you chose cold-hardy breeds. They have smaller combs and are good at fluffing up!

 

[Alaskan]

Coop is 8x8 and 9fthigh, and 10 birds, it gets pretty cold defiantly few weeks in the single digits and the occasional below zero.

Those temps aren't too bad... as long as you don't have special needs birds, or super tiny tight feathered bantams, etc. The birds should be fine.

My article goes into detail with some cold weather tips. https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/cold-weather-poultry-housing-and-care.72010/

 

[Reedo5]

Thank you all

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

Definitely don't provide supplemental heat for your birds. Power outages can be more stressful to birds accustomed to artificial heating. They have their feathers to keep them warm.