How do you heat your coops

[OldGuy43]

My chicks are 4 weeks old. I'm waiting for then to fully feather to go outside but they're outgrowing their brooder. I live in vancouver where it doesn't get very cold. I'm really struggling to decide when to send them out and whether we should start with a heat lamp and put it on a timer to start acclimatiZing them? Thoughts?

My personal preference would be, considering the temps in your area to keep them indoors until they reach adolescence.

 

[myladies2013]

I have 6 girls...live in east Tennessee and it's been 14 degrees all day. I prepared the coop, put cream on the combs of the Leghorns...and my one girl looked like she has frostbite on her comb. The coop is pretty well built, but I do leave the front door open so they can go out to the enclosed run.

 

[Gargoyle]

I have 6 girls...live in east Tennessee and it's been 14 degrees all day. I prepared the coop, put cream on the combs of the Leghorns...and my one girl looked like she has frostbite on her comb. The coop is pretty well built, but I do leave the front door open so they can go out to the enclosed run.

At 14 degrees it shouldn't be humid, so the only other concern would be drafts- are the subject to drafts while sleeping at night?
Also, how secure is the run? Night predators will go right through the open coop door if they can get in the run.

 

[myladies2013]

No drafts! I made the coop and the run myself. I checked the coop, and the only place a draft can come in is the front door. The run is enclosed so nothing can get into the coop day or night. Maybe my girl was just unlucky. This particular chicken is very stubborn and has a chicken mind all her own. I have saved her life twice already and she isn't even a year old!

 

[Cass]

Have any of the coop heating folks seen wild birds drop dead during the winter months in their area? Cuz it's cold where I live (currently -1 air/-15 wind chill) and I have NEVER seen a wild bird drop into the snow below the open-air tree they live in. I don't heat my coop. I don't air condition it either. I have never lost a chicken to the cold and I have ducks that think 0 is a wonderful temp to go outside and walk through the snow.

 

[Bert2368]

No- Not in the country. It takes something very unusual to kill the local birds in noticeable number.

In the city of Minneapolis, while I was doing property management years back:

My heating and plumbing contractor came to do some work during an unusual cold snap similar to the one we're experiencing now. They were late and looked very tired and run down, so I asked what was going on. Lots and lots of heating system failures of buildings with natural gas fired steam or hot water systems was the answer.

Birds (pigeons mainly) were standing around the tops of old brick chimneys in large numbers to warm themselves with the stack gasses. As these heating systems were running pretty much full time the birds were succumbing to either oxygen deprivation or carbon monoxide poisoning. A percentage fell down those chimneys that were missing grates or screens... When enough had fallen down to block the chimney, the heating systems went down. And Pete & Larry had to go clean out the piles of bodies...

 

[Cass]

No- Not in the country. It takes something very unusual to kill the local birds in noticeable number.

In the city of Minneapolis, while I was doing property management years back:

My heating and plumbing contractor came to do some work during an unusual cold snap similar to the one we're experiencing now. They were late and looked very tired and run down, so I asked what was going on. Lots and lots of hearing system failures of buildings with natural gas fired steam or hot water systems was the answer.

Birds (pigeons mainly) were standing around the tops of old brick chimneys in large numbers to warm themselves with the stack gasses. As these heating systems were running pretty much full time the birds were succumbing to either oxygen deprivation or carbon monoxide poisoning. A percentage fell down those chimneys that were missing grates or screens... When enough had fallen down to block the chimney, the heating systems went down. And Pete & Larry had to go clean out the piles of bodies...

Ewww...those poor contractors. And lesson learned. Heat can be deadly for birds. LOL

 

[maryhysong]

I would probably keep them in until they are pretty well feathered. In an outdoor brooder give them an enclosed area with a heat lamp, but where there is enough space to get away from it if they get too warm. But also some outside space to play in during the day. How low are your night temps? Recommended temps for chicks are like 95 the first week, then reduce 5 degrees each week, usually done by raising the heat lamp or changing the bulb wattage. When your day temps are close to the recommended temp for the age of your chicks then you could put it on a timer to just come on in the afternoon/early evening and turn off in the morning once the sun is up.

 

[wolfandfinch]

Thanks. It's about 3-12C here. They should be at 75 right now. In theory I would have to wait another 6 weeks. How many weeks is adolescence? How do you know they're there?

 

[Bogtown Chick]

When there is no more fuzz feathers and they are fully feathered...you can put them out to cooler temps. About 6-8 weeks old I would guess....