How do you heat your coops

[dolittle7]

What are the tin can water heaters?

 

[The Hen]

Carpet on the roosts, I don't even want to think about cleaning that mess after a couple of weeks. What good does insulation do in the winter, if the coop is properly ventilated? And by ventilation, I'm not talking about a couple of 2X6" floor grates. The chickens have perfectly good insulation of their own. It's really funny to me, that people put their own limitation of handling cold weather, on their chickens. When in reality land, the chickens are well suited (Literally) for the cold.
How many tales of woe will we read about this year, about burned down coops, and all the chickens in it, due to a stupid and unnecessary heatlamp. Or about some poor frosted up birds, due to being kept in a near airtight box in some misguided attempt to "Keep them warm". Bottom line, they don't need any added heat from us, And they don't want some well insulated, poorly ventilated box to live in.
Jack

I live near the lansing, michigan area. winters aren't extremely cold, but can get too cold for me. I have read some about chickens being ok in the winter, but was still wondering about my coop. It was an old shed turned chicken coop. My husband put in two double-hung windows, a doggie door that slides up & down & locks for night time, plus it has a ppl door, it has metal siding over plywood and roof however, it is not insulated and has no heat. It does not have vents and it is not built/sealed tight. Hearing everyone talk about drafts and moisture i worry about them getting sick. Their pen is fenced in, but is not free from wind & snow. I guess the birds live in the trees w/ no walls or roof the chickens will be good.

 

[Kim95037]

You need to heat in California?
I've never seen heaters like this. How expensive? I'd like something this small for my bedroom.

Oh and I would love to have a portable heater for the barn when I go out to hang out with my chickens - I like to take pictures of them, and the temperatures really make this not as fun.

We typically stay colder than freezing at all times in the winter (except for last winter - it was very nice and warm right up until mid January). Our temperatures range from -5 to -40 with windchill. They all survived it no problem. Even my fancy breeds (silkies and polish

Yeah hard to believe it does get cold here. Im in Northern California or I guess more towards the middle. Morgan Hill is about 15 miles south of San Jose. I moved here from Montana and threw away my ice scraper for my windshield thinking I wouldnt need it. WRONG! Tho it doesnt get anywhere near as cold here as it does in Montana we've had some surprisingly cold winters. I lost my lime tree to frost a couple of years ago. We've gotten down in the 20s quite a few times and once in a while we get a light dusting of snow in the hills. I lived in Wyoming too- we had a 60 below winter one year and 8 feet of snow. I dont miss it at all.
The flat panel heater was about a 100 bucks when I bought it. I see now that they have a lot more available that are different sizes and or cheaper. Ive actually been thinking about installing one in my living room. I built the Holday Inn for my chickens, meanwhile I live in a 100 year old house with a leaky roof and thats really hard to warm up in the winter and really hard to keep cool in the summer. My chickens would probably be fine without a heater, but I take everything to the extreme. And when you're an electrician everything has to have lights and plugs and every other electrical gadget you can think of wether it needs it or not. The only thing my coop doesnt have is MUZAK
Check out this link.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=flat+panel+heater

 

[The Hen]

oops

 

[The Hen]

No heat, no insulation. My walls actually have cracks in between every board. Here is a pic



Last winter was mild, but I bought a tarp to cover the North and West wall. If ever we anticipate super cool/windy weather I'm prepared to put that up to block the wind. The way my coop is built makes for excellent ventilation, especially in the summer months.

Glad to see your coop. Was worried about mine with everyone talking about ventilating and draft free coops. New this winter to having chickens and if i had to tell my husband we needed to do more work on the coop i think he would make me into a grand gourmet chicken meal for them. We have an old shed turned coop that has no vents in the top and may have some drafts. it just dawned on me too that the birds would get in before it was a coop (they actually still do) and nest on the inside where the bottom of the roof meets the top of the sides. I guess if they made it through the winter the chickens will make it. Thanks again.

kellie

 

[PartyOnARoost]

First, I think it needs to be pointed out that I doubt any of us that are 'pro-heating" are talking about keeping the coops at a toasty 65o or some such nonsense.  Many of us on here aren't blessed to live south of about anywhere  so at least some heating becomes necessary for part of the worst days/nights when temps get down well below freezing, or even -0.  I am going to be heating my coop to keep it just above freezing on the worst nights.  Don't remember who said what but one of you said our flocks would get sick if we heated.  sorry, but that has no basis in fact unless you were assuming we were going to really "heat" the coop like our homes!  We northern folks fully understand the meaning of 'adapting".  The statement about losing power killing our flocks?  Come on, really????  Our toes may get frozen up here but not our brains!     

Seriously, if you maintain proper ventilation (which is done differently in the north than in the south), keep your coop draft free, dry and CLEAN, doing the best you can to provide a safe and reasonably protected outside access (and for you southern folks, trust me, up here where we can get 5 ft drifts on a regular basis is no easy feat) there is nothing wrong with preventing your birds from freezing to death or losing combs, wattles or toes by providing a moderate heat source when needed.  

Ok, got to go now.  Speaking of bad weather, I am watching it sleet/rain out my window and there is a call for snow flurries tonight so I have to get outside and harvest the last of my herbs.  Hope you southern folks are having a longer autumn than mother nature is giving us!!!

Wow, your already getting snow flurries? I live in Northern Illinois and last night it was 35 degrees out, pretty cold on em. I have a small coop for two chickens so all I'm doing is DLM and adding Christmas lights on their run with a timer for daylight. Also I will add heavy duty plastic on their run to keep out snow and drafts. I gotta feeling this winter is gonna be a white a cold one! Better start workin on coop from now

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

I over-wintered ducks with my chickens so far. This is my first year with the geese, and by the looks of them - they will have no issues with the cold.
Only thing I will say - they make a mess of the bedding if the water is in there. The water all froze, and I slipped inside the coop a few times - and was covered in straw with poo mixed in. I am going to create something to catch the water that they spill. The ducks are the issue here, not the geese. My geese are very clean in comparison.

Here is my flock last February. They stayed almost exclusively in the barn from January - March. You can see that they've already mixed in straw with their morning oatmeal

Not going out.. Just thinking about it.

I was surprised enough to take a picture. Someone must have been daring that day!

LOL sounds like ours!! my ducks just eat, and eat, and eat... they are just a barnyard mix...
i have to make Stanley stop! the other 3 will stop when full.
I must admit they do make more mess. This is the first year for ducks.
(youngest daughter HAD to have them, lol)
I was up in the snow belt, and the geese were always fine..
Geese are very clean birds usually unless crowded.
Your Pictures are just wonderful!!! remind me of my flock.
Everyone just piles up together

and eats together.

 

[RedStarLady1207]

I have an ark style coop and run so the sides are open and the actual roost and nest box is on the top of the ark and enclosed. I am putting plywood on the bottom of the coop on hinges so I can raise it in summer for shade and ventilation, but button it down in winter. For the run, I will cover with heavy clear plastic so the sun can come in. I am raising it all up on a platform (I've yet to build) made of pallets, plywood and hardware cloth. I clean my coop and run every day so far but this winter I am not going to do that.

My plan is to leave a small area open on the run (at the top edge) for ventilation. I do have to watch for updrafts as my ladder and access to the roost and nest box area is via a bottom opening. My nest box door and ventilation holes in the upper area are across from each other so I am concerned about draft there, so I am thinking about some type of wind baffle, but not closing it off obviously.

Both run and coop have a rubber roll out floor and I am going to put about 8 to 10 inches of litter down on top of that and also a bit of straw in the run part they can dig around in. The 'open style' ark coop and run will now become their entire home for winter (total of 40 square feet), all off the ground. I intend to let them out each day (at least for 1 hour) to run around in their fenced chicken yard unless there is active rain or snow. I am not going to use any heat other than a heater base for my waterer. My goal is to block drafts as much as I can but still maintain ventilation. The roose and nest box area is not that large so they will be close to each other at night and can keep each other warm.

I have a hook on the ceiling of my run and will hang a new suet cage with various greens in there and toss some whole grains in the litter so they can scratch around. I hope when they are out in the yard (in the limited time they will get to do that (as I work and I am not sitting out with them for too long if it is very windy and cold), but hopefully they will take a dust bath.

Since I won't be cleaning out the coop (total litter change) but picking out visable poop, and topping off as needed, I do plan to lay down a good foundation under everything of DE and maybe some Sevin, and spray the entire interior of the coop and run with Poultry Protector (prior to winter). I've not taken any chickens through winter yet, so we will see what happens. I want them to toughen up though, and the nights are cool here already (but not freezing or below freezing) and each day it gets colder I believe conditions them slowly and naturally for when the real winter happens. Are winters in southern MD can be mild the whole winter or crazy snowy and sub-zero. One January I had daffodils and salamanders because it was 70 F out and two years back over 50 inches of snow. I am close to the Chesapeake Bay however, and the wind picks up in winter here, but my coop/run is sheltered by woods on one side, the house on another, and a fenced in yard and various trees and shrubs that act as a windbreak.

The coop is in the back yard which faces south/east which gets some pretty wicked winter sun (great for my cactus in the greenhouse window in the kitchen). The front yard is north and when it snow here I can have snow lingering for weeks in the front, but in the back the sun makes short work of it. Everyone has some type of micro-climates on their property they can take advantage of, if the coop/run is mobile.

 

[myyardgirls]

so do you close/cover the windows on your coop.. what do you use to extend their laying season?

 

[aoxa]

LOL sounds like ours!! my ducks just eat, and eat, and eat... they are just a barnyard mix...
i have to make Stanley stop! the other 3 will stop when full.
I must admit they do make more mess. This is the first year for ducks.
(youngest daughter HAD to have them, lol)
I was up in the snow belt, and the geese were always fine..
Geese are very clean birds usually unless crowded.
Your Pictures are just wonderful!!! remind me of my flock.
Everyone just piles up together  and eats together.

Thank you! I have to provide the ducks with a dishpan full of water or they drink/spill all of it from the waterer before I get back from work. Can't risk them going thirsty!

so do you close/cover the windows on your coop.. what do you use to extend their laying season?

I don't cover windows. I don't extend the laying season. The pullets in their first year usually continue to lay without any additional light.