How do you heat your coops

[Minniechickmama]

Great question for us poultry newbs.

I am not planning to heat either...I am also not planning to provide supplemental light, so I expect fewer eggs in the wintertime anyway and possibly a period with none at all... But there is always that 4-6 week lag behind the shortest day of the year for the coldest days of the year... so surely egg production will begin to pick up again right at the depths of winter temps.

And as much as I'd like to think I'll be catching those eggs before they hit the hay, I doubt I'll be "that" vigilant. That said, my nest boxes are on the south side of the coop and do get the most sun... They are also the least insulated (the rest of the coop is "double walled") so maybe they'll stay warm long enough between coming out of and sat upon in turns by 100 degree chickens and the nest boxes being warmed by the sun...

I mean... chickens and eggs have been tended and collected for centuries... the majority of which did not know the modern luxuries of electric heat and light... So surely there's a low-tech answer (that doesn't involve a barefoot/pregnant woman in the kitchen)

I dunno... over think much, Gifa. Why yes, I think I will.

Awesome.

To keep eggs from freezing....
collect OFTEN.

 

[Gifa]

To keep eggs from freezing....
collect OFTEN.

So... I think what you are saying is... an egg won't freeze in the three to five hours between being laid and being collected. Amiright?

 

[aoxa]

Well I never thought that there would be so much back and forth discussion about heating a chicken coop. I personally have a small radiant electric heater in my coop with a thermastat that keeps the temp just above freezing so that the chickens have water to drink. I am a firefighter and i hate heaters, but you can touch this heater while it is on and it wont burn you. Trust me its not to heat the coop just keep the water from freezing after that there is no further heating done. I do have insulated walls but that is to keep the cool wind out. there is plenty of ventilation for the chickens. I cant wait to see what kinda debate this post starts.

I think a heated waterer would be better for your situation It's cheaper to operate.

So... I think what you are saying is... an egg won't freeze in the three to five hours between being laid and being collected.  Amiright?

I have seen an egg freeze within an hour on the coldest days (I'm not talking a little cold, I'm talking frozen solid and cracked).

Depends.. If just bellow freezing, I'd say your safe for 3-5 hours.

Did I mention that we've had temperatures where your SKIN would freeze in under 30 minutes? Where an intake of breath honestly hurts your lungs it's so cold.

 

[Minniechickmama]

So... I think what you are saying is... an egg won't freeze in the three to five hours between being laid and being collected. Amiright?

NOT what I am saying.
I go out every couple of hours at least during the cold months when I fear they might freeze. It all depends on how cold it is. I haven't installed a thermometer inside the house yet, but I will this year. It doesn't get any wind in it, so it isn't as cold as the wind chill gets here.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Maybe this helps.

Our flocks have always been morning layers. Don't know why, for sure, but they start laying around 7 am and are done by noon 95% of the time. Thus, a trip to feed or water at 8 or 9 am, collect eggs. Collect again just before noon. Eggs take a bit to freeze, even in zero weather. Hen after hen, using the same box over and over, keeps the clutch warm. Collecting around noon prevents gathering frozen eggs.

But.... if one has to leave for the day the eggs will surely freeze. I invite a good neighbor to collect the eggs and keep them, if they wish. I'd rather that than have frozen eggs. It doesn't happen often, but it's nice to have a back up plan.

 

[cathmor]

My coop has screen in the side door and a window above the nesting box. The door has a plexiglass insert and the other window has plexiglass that flips down and covers the screen. Are you saying that I should leave these screens open during the winter and not cover them with the plexiglass? I live the lower peninsula of Michigan. Glad to get advice from a Yooper. : )

 

[Lmoreau70]

http://pinterest.com/pin/104849497545816347/

 

[fuzzybutt love]

I've been thinking about making a "heated" roost by running some "heat tape" you get to keep your pipes from freezing, running it around a section of pipe and putting a wider section of pipe around that. If you capped both ends, drilled a hole to run the cord out of , and put it together with screws it would be cheep to run and easy to take apart if it needed a new tape.........The ones i saw had thermostats in them, and it would eliminate the issues of heating the air. This wouldn't HEAT them, but it would be just warm enough to take the chill off the perch.

Thoughts?

I thought to keep it from being slippery to stand on it could be coated with glue and rolled in sand, like a pet store bird perch, or sprayed with rubber.

 

[Gifa]

NOT what I am saying.
I go out every couple of hours at least during the cold months when I fear they might freeze. It all depends on how cold it is. I haven't installed a thermometer inside the house yet, but I will this year. It doesn't get any wind in it, so it isn't as cold as the wind chill gets here.

Ah... that is helpful information. Thank you.
I was thinking about installing a thermometer in my coop too... one that will read humidity as well. Funny how this hobby makes us all scientists, isn't it?

http://pinterest.com/pin/104849497545816347/

I was thinking about turning my entire run into a kind of solar heat collector. Since I have a coop window and door inside the run, and the roof is designed to draw warm air up and out the front, it would be easy to cover the west wall of the run with a dark tarp or two, and the rest with a clear plastic. Using a few bales of straw around the bottom perimeter to allow fresh, cool air to draw in as the warm air drafts up through the coop and out of the roof while still providing shelter from wind.

I'm going to think about this some more.

 

[ChickadeeRanch]

insulated and a red heat lamp since the hens need 16 hours of light for egg laying - we have it on a timer