How do you keep your chickens warm?

[Avonlea22]

They should be all feathered out at 8 weeks, so you should be fine without extra heat. 40 at night for seven week old chicks is fine.

 

[carladababe]

In regards to the heat lamp, I would be concerned that your chickens get use to the supplemental heat. If for some reason the electric goes out, your chickens may not be acclimated to the colder temperatures. I'm a big believer in the deep litter method, it's actually pretty comfortable inside the coop. I still fret though, the Mom in me wants to take sweaters out to them. I can only imagine the stink eye I'd get.

 

[LauraG]

I see that you are in Florida. You shouldn't need to worry about keeping them warm with supplemental heat until the next ice age comes. You are good to go for the next millenium!

This is pretty much what I was thinking......I almost bust a gut----- someone in FL using heat lamp???
My chickens are doing fine with no heat here in the Northeast. I wouldnt say they love it, but they are well fed, sheltered and watered properly.

 

[5chicks4us]

As long as they are free from drafts, they'll be just fine. It recently got down to the -2*F here overnight and we just closed their door to their run. They were okay.

 

[teach1rusl]

Okay, 2 week old post, but since it's running again...
OP - I use a clay pot heater (which was actually built to set my waterer on) in my bantam coop and a contained oil heater (one of those radiator looking things) in my main coop. I know that all of my animals (incuding dogs and cats) could survive without the added warmth, but I like making things a bit more comfortable for them. I try to keep the coops above freezing at night (sometimes drops a little below that), but their pop doors are opened each morning.

 

[amberflea]

I agree, you don't need a heat lamp Chickadee. I live in WI and last week in was -26F. My birds are in a nice draft free coop, with thick shavings on the floor. They have never froze... I do turn a heat lamp on, (maybe a couple times a year, but only if it gets sub zero like last week). I wish we had 17degrees, that would be a heat wave! lol
I'd be more afraid of the dangers of a heat lamp, I am always nervous when mine is on, and I take every precaution...

 

[mstricer]

I have 4 bantams in an uninsulated coop and no one has died yet and our temps dipped to 2 degrees with wind chill below 0. You don't need heat in Florida. My birds would think they died and went to heaven with heat. Even my babies at 9 weeks don't have heat.

 

[Mattemma]

I added some bales of straw inside the coop. Outside would be better.I give hot water in the am.You could put jugs of hot water in the coop. I did that when I had just 3 hens,They also get some scratch mix in the afternoon. I open the coop door daily,but they either stay in the shed,or just outside the door. I added a rubber mat over the entry to keep out wind,but they can get out under it. I was shoveling the snow today,and coaxed a few out with some BOSS. Sometimes I see them eating the snow!

I recall it going down to 8 Friday this week.So far they are all ok. Same week Tuesday we hit 58 and had 60 mph winds. I think that rain and wind was worse on them than the cold! Crazy weather we are having.

Moisture inside the coop is the big problem more than the cold temps. I sometimes get moisture on the metal walls/ceiling. With good ventilation they will cope well with the cold in your area.

 

[featherz]

I love it, heat lamps in FL. I'm in upstate NY and I don't use heat lamps. I might consider it if it was going to be minus 30 for a week or something ridiculous, but we've gotten to minus 9 so far this year and no problems. -26 last year, also no heat lamps. at +15 my chickens are clamoring to go out and run around.

 

[Yashar]

Haven't turned on a heat lamp yet this year. I think I might not at all.
I just read a book from 1925 or so called "Fresh Air Poultry Houses".
Thought it was pretty interesting.