How do you heat your coops

[BigBadRooster]

Coops should not be heated in the winter in my opinion, I've raised chicken last year in my coop and didn't heat I live in Canada and it gets very cold. The problem with heating is that if you run out of heat for any reason example: bulb runs out or electricty goes out, your chickens will not be use to the cold and you will have fatalities most likely. It is better never to heat them, in the fall they will gradually get use to the cold and survive just fine. You only have to watch for frost bite on breeds with long combs example leghorns. You can use Vasoline to prevent frost bite on really cold nights. Also using a large roost so theyre feathers completly cover they're toes so that they don't freeze there toes. I use a 2x4 wide side up for winter they sit on there toes. Also eggs need to be collected frequently because they will freeze and break open, also water becomes an issue I change there water as many times a day as I can because it freezes quite fast but they will break through the ice to drink use a large bowl vice a small waterer.

 

[aoxa]

Coops should not be heated in the winter in my opinion, I've raised chicken last year in my coop and didn't heat I live in Canada and it gets very cold.  The problem with heating is that if you run out of heat for any reason example: bulb runs out or electricty goes out, your chickens will not be use to the cold and you will have fatalities most likely.  It is better never to heat them, in the fall they will gradually get use to the cold and survive just fine.  You only have to watch for frost bite on breeds with long combs example leghorns.  You can use Vasoline to prevent frost bite on really cold nights.  Also using a large roost so theyre feathers completly cover they're toes so that they don't freeze there toes. I use a 2x4 wide side up for winter they sit on there toes.  Also eggs need to be collected frequently because they will freeze and break open, also water becomes an issue I change there water as many times a day as I can because it freezes quite fast but they will break through the ice to drink use a large bowl vice a small waterer. 

I am always suggested heated waterers because they will save you so much time and effort.

We have the same outlook on heating, and also live in Canada

 

[vwgurl2]

What if your rooster is pretty rough on a hen and she has a bare spot on her neck and back... will she still be ok for the winter??

 

[bruceha2000]

Yes, they used coops like that 50 or 100 years ago. But keep in mind, there isn't a single chicken that was alive back then which has survived to today, so that proves that the old system didn't provide sufficient protection.

Alright! Finally scientific proof that chickens *do* need heat!

Back in the day, coops like mine were used up through Maine and Canada. Notice where the winter ventilation is, right at chicken level. BUT, it is still a draft free coop.

OK, that is full front open to the weather? With open windows on the side and up top?
How is it NOT drafty? I would think the wind would rip right through.

Or are the side and top windows closed so the wind can blow in but not out, therefore windchill if they are too close to the front but not draft?? I guess I can see that IF the coop is totally airtight other than the front windows.

Bruce

 

[Our Roost]

Since you have electric in your coop, it might not be a bad idea to think about and look at an automatic door opener. The timer can be set to regulate when you open and close it during the day. I'm looking into it myself. Winters here in Michigan can change daily. Somewhat warm and sunny one day and fridgid cold the next. January and February can be terrible and usually are our coldest months. The birds venture out into the run with the good and bad weather. The coop is their shelter during the extreme cold and they mostly coop up to stay warm. I have 2 exit and entry doors with slides to leave open or keep shut for the chickens that are 11 x 14 inches and of couse a main entry door. They face north and are sheltered by the garage. If its too cold out, I keep them shut and let them coop up. Besides the 2 heat lamps I have in my 8 x 16 foot coop, I keep the floor piled with plenty of straw. Hay is for horses! Ventilation is necessary but not needed as much as in summer months. I purchased eave vents from home depot and cut attach holes near the top outside of the coop walls. They work fine and have screen mesh to keep the bugs out mostly. Good luck and I hope these few tips might help.

 

[Our Roost]

Bruce, Its winter time! Do you leave the windows open in your house? Ventilation isnt nearly as necessary in the winter as it is in the summer when the chicken poo is formenting with the heat from the summer sun. Hot air rises so insulate the roof of your coop to keep it from escaping. Use your head and not his! You dont sit in a draft and neither should your chickens.

 

[Missa Chickabee]

Bruce, Its winter time! Do you leave the windows open in your house? Ventilation isnt nearly as necessary in the winter as it is in the summer when the chicken poo is formenting with the heat from the summer sun. Hot air rises so insulate the roof of your coop to keep it from escaping. Use your head and not his! You dont sit in a draft and neither should your chickens.

My understanding is that good ventilation is necessary in winter, too. And (from what I have read in the forum) this is because of the high humidity produced by the birds from their lungs in the closed coop as well as the ammonia build-up from the increased amount of 'in-house' poop.

This is a very good writing from one of BYC's educators on the issue of ventilation. Very good article.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/...-go-out-there-and-cut-more-holes-in-your-coop

Chickens need fresh air.

 

[Missa Chickabee]

Here is a quote specifically about winter ventilation from the article by PatandChickens:

What about winter? Don't I need to close the vents to keep the chickens warm?
NO. Well ok, yeah, you will close some of them down, relative to summer conditions; but you still need a goodly amount of air exchange going on, so you cannot shut your ventilation off.
In some ways ventilation is actually more important in winter because cold air can't hold nearly so much water vapor before it gets saturated i.e. really damp and humid and clammy, i.e. you're trolling for frostbite and respiratory disease.
So yes, your vents will be letting in cold air, but you know what, that's OK as long as it is not breezing down directly at your chickens. If you're concerned about the chickens getting too cold -- although most standard-sized breeds are fine down to freezing and significantly below, as long as the air is dry and relatively still and they have an appropriate-width roost and plenty of food -- then insulate your coop. And yes, insulation is quite useful even with vents open (for some reason this issue comes up often); would you think it pointless to wear a winter coat just 'cuz you had no hat on? What insulation does is reduce heat loss from the coop so that you can afford to admit more cold air without making the place too cold.
In a super-cold climate, and let me say that I do not consider southern Ontario Canada where I live to fall into this category (!), you may want to think about arranging for your vents to be taking air in from a somewhat thermally-buffered source... a predatorproofed flue run along the ground a ways and covered in insulation, or a translucently-enclosed space that the sun warms, or the building's attic, or a larger barn, or like that.

 

[blondiebee181]

I do have a 75 watt light bulb going to extend the daylight but I only plan on running a red heat bulb on the nights when the temps are going to be teens and below, just enough heat to take the edge off. I do have a question for anyone who wants to respond. I keep hearing everyone talking about keeping the coop draft free in the winter, how do I do that when the door from the coop to the run needs to be open?

Tarp the run.

 

[blondiebee181]

Coops should not be heated in the winter in my opinion, I've raised chicken last year in my coop and didn't heat I live in Canada and it gets very cold. The problem with heating is that if you run out of heat for any reason example: bulb runs out or electricty goes out, your chickens will not be use to the cold and you will have fatalities most likely. It is better never to heat them, in the fall they will gradually get use to the cold and survive just fine. You only have to watch for frost bite on breeds with long combs example leghorns. You can use Vasoline to prevent frost bite on really cold nights. Also using a large roost so theyre feathers completly cover they're toes so that they don't freeze there toes. I use a 2x4 wide side up for winter they sit on there toes. Also eggs need to be collected frequently because they will freeze and break open, also water becomes an issue I change there water as many times a day as I can because it freezes quite fast but they will break through the ice to drink use a large bowl vice a small waterer.

Almost exactly what I said earlier, I heartilly agree.