How to keep chickens warm without using a heat lamp??

[katelk]

Your shed should be just fine. Frostbite is most often caused by cold and humidity, so don't button your coop up too tight! My coop is wood, but I have one window tilted open about 2" at the top and that has seemed to help keep the humidity down in the coop. If your walls are frosty on the inside, you have too much humidity in your coop. Remember, humidity is the enemy - not the cold. 

Thanks! I have never seen frost on the inside of the coop thank goodness. His comb is so perfect -looking my main concern has been the frost ruining it lol. I suppose worst case scenario I can bring him indoors (which he loves anyway)

 

[millivanilli]

and if your golden retrievers are anything like mine, than having them together will be a nightmare.

Yes! Nightmare comes to mind. 2 bitches trying to outdo each other and deliver to hand. LOL
Outside seems safer. Down coat. Hardy.

 

[millivanilli]

Thanks to everyone in this post, we all survived, the news showed -24 in our town!
Fortunately this is highly unusual and not sustained long term.

After reading more around the forum, I understand my Rhode Island reds and one cross link are right in their element here in New England, and I have a clear understanding of ventilation yes, wind no.

Thank you all again for the support and advice. So much appreciated.

 

[katelk]

Thank you for the answers

Thanks to everyone in this post, we all survived, the news showed -24 in our town!
Fortunately this is highly unusual and not sustained long term.

After reading more around the forum, I understand my Rhode Island reds and one cross link are right in their element here in New England, and I have a clear understanding of ventilation yes, wind no.

Thank you all again for the support and advice. So much appreciated.

And thank you for post-jacking! Remember, you can always start your own thread.

 

[millivanilli]

And thank you for post-jacking! Remember, you can always start your own thread.

I'm sorry. I thought it made sense to look through existing posts and have a group discussion of a common thread.
I sincerely apologize, it was not my intention to hijack your personal thread.

 

[chicknmania]

My husband is just freaking out. WE're just supposed to get to minus 13 here, but we have a broody who just hatched 7 chicks today!

She's in an enclosed elevated wooden hospital pen with deep shavings for bedding, and I'm sure she can keep her babies warm, But he's freaking out about the flock overall. They're in a large pole barn which is closed on all sides, but there's not much insulation. They've never seen cold like this. he wants to go buy one of those construction heaters that force heat....propane I think. We will have to wait til tomorrow anyway and I just can't see the point, as we can't run it at night, and that's when temps will be the coldest. We have a heatlight on mom and babies during the day, and there are two other heat lights on during the day in the deep freeze weather that our flock can get under. Our neighbor's chickens are in a coop that just has a tarp for protection on the open side. Any thoughts? Should we buy the heater? Most of our chooks are pretty cold hardy but I'm worried about some of the new ones we have. ArenT we all worried....siggh...

 

[san415]

Katelk are you serious? Or was that a poor joke.

 

[katelk]

My husband is just freaking out.  WE're just supposed to get to minus 13 here, but we have a broody who just hatched 7 chicks today!   She's in an enclosed elevated wooden hospital pen with deep shavings for bedding, and I'm sure she can keep her babies warm, But he's freaking out about the flock overall.  They're in a large pole barn which is closed on all sides, but there's not much insulation.  They've never seen cold like this.  he wants to go buy one of those construction heaters that force heat....propane I think.  We will have to wait til tomorrow anyway and I just can't see the point, as we can't run it at night, and that's when temps will be the coldest. We have a heatlight on mom and babies during the day, and there are two other heat lights on during the day in the deep freeze weather that our flock can get under.  Our neighbor's chickens are in a coop that just has a tarp for protection on  the open side. Any thoughts?  Should we buy the heater?  Most of our chooks are pretty cold hardy but I'm worried about some of the new ones we have. ArenT we all worried....siggh...

I did read in several places that using a heat source can make them less tolerant of cold; however, that was not talking about when chicks are involved. Would you be able to brings them indoors temporarily? We rarely get really cold weather, but when we have young birds in such a case we bring them indoors to a dog crate we have set up with a roost.

 

[katelk]

I'm sorry. I thought it made sense to look through existing posts and have a group discussion of a common thread.
I sincerely apologize, it was not my intention to hijack your personal thread.

It's no big deal. I wasn't trying to be a b*tch. It is easier to get answers for personal situations if you use a personal thread. I apologize if I came across as harsh. I just tend to tell it straight lol. My bad.

 

[chicknmania]

I did read in several places that using a heat source can make them less tolerant of cold; however, that was not talking about when chicks are involved. Would you be able to brings them indoors temporarily? We rarely get really cold weather, but when we have young birds in such a case we bring them indoors to a dog crate we have set up with a roost.

Normally, probably. But the mother hen , Myrtle, is a real witch and I do mean really. I don't think I can handle her by myself, I caught her by surprise when I grabbed her off the nest and moved
her into the pen. I'm not so much worried about her and the babies, they are in a warm pen, and she will keep them warm, even when the heat light is not on. (It is on during the day) After all, she did a heck of a good job of keeping the eggs warm, and incubated them through all this cold weather we've had...weeks of very cold weather. Mostlly worried about the rest of the flock.