Heating the coop?

[kenturb]

I have a fairly small coop (4x4), but have a run attached (12x4, fully roofed) that I am working on blocking the wind from for the winter. So my question is, once the temps really start getting down there...(we are in the Northern part of Illinois by the Iowa border)...20's and lower....should I be leaving the light on in the coop 24 x 7 to help keep things warm or will that cause our birds other issues if they don't get some good hours of full darkness each night?

My father-in-law is an electrician and wired up a good secure light fixture in the coop for me. Right now we have a CFL bulb in there that doesn't generate any noticeable heat, but I was planning on putting in a 75 or 100w bulb as the temps started dropping.

If I don't leave the light on at night, will the birds stay warm enough during the night, or do I need another heat source in there?

The coop is not insulated, but is draft free with plenty of ventilation up high, I just installed a thermometer to start keeping an eye on how warm/cold it is in there on a regular basis...(and am putting in a network camera so that I can monitor it all from inside the house this winter!)

We have 6 birds in there (I know...a little tight, but if I block the wind in the run they will have some space to get away from each other during the day)

Thanks!

2 Ameraucana, 2 Black sex-link, 2 Rhode Island Red.

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
You can do it but it is not necessarily a good idea, and IMO should be avoided unless really NECESSARY, which it most likely will not be in your area (at least not except on the coldest nights maybe). Particularly with your having six birds in a 4x4 coop in a bad-and-long winter area. It's just a big kick-me sign for pecking and cannibalism to get started.

Check out my cold coop page for my thoughts about winter cold and chickens and coop design/management (link in .sig below).

A larger coop, though, would give you much better odds of success overwinter.

Do make sure the light is REALLY safely mounted -- that's awfully hard to achieve in a 4x4 coop full o' hens, especially if yours is reach-in rather than full height. Remember you need to arrange things so that they cannot accidentally lean their comb against the bulb and get burnt (yes, this happens on a fairly regular basis, when lightbulbs are chicken-accessible) nor hit the bulb and break it (causing loss of heat and potentially also causing a fire)... yet any guard you place in front of the bulb needs not to catch cobwebs or bedding or feathers that may get kicked up and hold 'em so close to the bulb that a fire can start. This can be a real challenge (or impossible) in small coops.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[woodmort]

Quote:
Do make sure the light is REALLY safely mounted -- that's awfully hard to achieve in a 4x4 coop full o' hens, especially if yours is reach-in rather than full height. Remember you need to arrange things so that they cannot accidentally lean their comb against the bulb and get burnt (yes, this happens on a fairly regular basis, when lightbulbs are chicken-accessible) nor hit the bulb and break it (causing loss of heat and potentially also causing a fire)... yet any guard you place in front of the bulb needs not to catch cobwebs or bedding or feathers that may get kicked up and hold 'em so close to the bulb that a fire can start. This can be a real challenge (or impossible) in small coops.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

Another idea for a light source is a LED bulb that is not only cheaper to run but does not give off heat so won't burn your birds should they get close to it. They are more expensive but last a longer time than incandescent bulbs. Right now Lowe's has a 40w bulb on sale for around $25.

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
But that also won't keep the birds *warm*, which was the original poster's intent.

You can btw use those ceramic heat emitters they sell for reptile pets (they screw into a regular light socket but it had better be a CERAMIC socket of heat-lamp type) in a coop if you want heat without light. Avoids the 24-hrs-a-day light thing, but carries pretty much all the same hazards otherwise as using a lightbulb.

Pat

 

[kenturb]

Thanks for the responses! I would have loved to build a bigger coop, but this was all I could pull off with the materials and money I had. That is why I am going to "winterize" the run portion of the coop....to give them a little more room during the day so they don't have to be stuck in the coop the whole time this winter.

They free range most days on our land (3.5 acres) and just head back to the coop and run in the evenings....we'll keep that option for them this winter and just keep the run portion as a nice out of the wind place for them to hunker down.

Thanks for the thoughts on the bulb. It is securly installed and is up high enough that they haven't hit it yet (they've been in there for about 3 months now). So I don't think they will....but I will take a look at putting some sort of protection around it.

Maybe another year or two and I can build a bigger coop, money and materials permitting....or maybe find an interesting way to add on to this one!

 

[un-named]

I'm from Minnesota and I don't have insulation in my barn. I have a couple of heat lamps hanging if they want to sit under them, but I rarely see them under them, even in 0 degree weather. Never have had frostbite yet.
If dad is INSISTING, maybe hang a heat lamp in there, but don't turn it on?

 

[teach1rusl]

Your dad might want to check out the various flat panel heaters available. They're pretty daggone safe. Several folks on BYC spoke highly of them last winter. They're quite a bit $$ compared to a heat lamp though (but mostly likely safer).