Heating the coop

[songbirdfarms]

I run a rooster rescue Up in mid/northern Michigan and I have boys that need heat this winter. Anyone out here with thoughts? We are 100% off grid. Has anyone used a Propane camper heater? How did you House it so it vents outside? Thank you for weighing in.
This is whitey one of my bantams

 

[Kusanar]

I would be VERY careful with heat and ever more so with propane... Why are you thinking they need heat this winter? I know you get cold, but there are people in Alaska that don't heat coops and they are fine.

 

[aart]

You don't need heat in Saginaw.
Lots of space and good ventilation up high is what you need.
...and since you don't have power,
you'll need a good plan for swapping out waterers as frequently as necessary.
Is this your first winter with chickens?

 

[50-45-1]

No heat needed.
As long as your coop is draft free your chickens will be fine.
Chickens can addapt to cold, they have been doing that for thousands of years.
However your particular situation i am wondering about your set up and plan for all these roosters.
Are they in a communal coop or separated in individual pens?
A group of chickens in a draft free coop can build body heat and stay warm, where as a single chicken in a pen, not so good.
Also something to watch for would be your roosters with large single combs, which may frostbite in some situations.
Still, no to the heater idea.
Off the grid? How do you stay warm? Sounds intersting...just curious.

 

[songbirdfarms]

No heat needed.
As long as your coop is draft free your chickens will be fine.
Chickens can addapt to cold, they have been doing that for thousands of years.
However your particular situation i am wondering about your set up and plan for all these roosters.
Are they in a communal coop or separated in individual pens?
A group of chickens in a draft free coop can build body heat and stay warm, where as a single chicken in a pen, not so good.
Also something to watch for would be your roosters with large single combs, which may frostbite in some situations.
Still, no to the heater idea.
Off the grid? How do you stay warm? Sounds intersting...just curious.

That’s the thing, they are separated by fencing in the coop so no shared body heat. People can easily use wood burning stoves and solar powered (With inverter and deep cycle battery) propane heaters. Some do have very large combs so yes frostbite is a concern. This is my second year with them and we did have a frostbite incident last year from a large wattle falling into drinking water. The coop is ventilated and draft free but it is not appropriate to have them without heat because they do not sleep together.

 

[Flockincrazy]

That’s the thing, they are separated by fencing in the coop so no shared body heat. People can easily use wood burning stoves and solar powered (With inverter and deep cycle battery) propane heaters. Some do have very large combs so yes frostbite is a concern. This is my second year with them and we did have a frostbite incident last year from a large wattle falling into drinking water. The coop is ventilated and draft free but it is not appropriate to have them without heat because they do not sleep together.

Is it just roosters why no hens if your off the grid why not give each rooster 3-4hens to keep warm then you get eggs and you will get chicks in the spring and you can still keep them separated but warm if thats not possible heat is still not needed just make sure they have plenty of straw in there house's and rewater regularly can you take pics of your coops im in Northern Ohio so I know the winter annoyance I might be able to give you some better ideas

 

[aart]

they are separated by fencing in the coop so no shared body heat.

They each keep their own heat close to body with feathers.

This is my second year with them and we did have a frostbite incident last year from a large wattle falling into drinking water.

No comb damage?

Wattles here protected with heated horizontal nipples,
until they wet their wattles while noshing off the snow banks

 

[Flockincrazy]

They each keep their own heat close to body with feathers.

No comb damage?

Wattles here protected with heated horizontal nipples,
until they wet their wattles while noshing off the snow banks

I keep Vaseline on my big combed roosters all winter long I have rescued roo's too and some are big

 

[aart]

I keep Vaseline on my big combed roosters all winter long

I've read several times where that doesn't work.
So I leave hands off.