inside vs outside temps.. and how much heat do those chickens create?

[Hillsvale]

so it seems my simple request has brought up a debate which was not intended... nor was getting a degree in the mechanical engineering of a chicken, I only have so much time.

My chicken coop in my area as noted in my profile page is condensed such as this... I live in zone 4! It gets cold... darn cold. I was interested in the heat the chickens put out to determine what the temperature I can expect in my coop both for the safety of the birds and the viability of various watering techniques.

I am but a simpleton so keep it simple please.

 

[hensonly]

Dude, just get a heated base for your waterer (we plan to enclose our power cord in conduit to prevent pecking), make sure you have ventilation with no drafts, and stop worrying. I know, you aren't really worried, just wondering.

My 12 birds live in a 3 sided coop. The house part is 8 ft wide by 4 ft deep, and a run (8ft wide, of course) and 8 ft deep is attached to the open side of the house. The run is covered (but only this year, previously is wasn't). I put tarps up around the run for the winter, but they are down during the day so the birds can see the outside world. When I go out at 5 am to feed and water before work, the temp. difference is very noticeable. The birds are fine, and a couple still have patches of backs that are missing feathers from this fall's molt. The coop faces south, so the north winds are blocked by the chicken house. I live in zone 4/5 (depending on which ag. map you look at), and our winters are cold, too. Mid twenties down to teens below zero. THe birds seem healthy and content, and I am still getting some eggs. Last winter they slowed down for a week or two then went right back up to 8 -10 a day.

So I don't know how much heat a chicken produces, except that it's enough! Just make sure they are draft free at night, and have a draft free place to go in the daytime.

 

[meathook]

Kilowatts shmilowatts

I will spare you the math and just tell you my observations with my coop. My coop is insulated has a big roof vent it is approximately 5X6 on the inside. I have six chickens. It would seem that the comparison of a 100 watt light per chicken seems a little high to me based on my observations.

My coop when closed up typically stays between 10 and 15 degrees warmer in the coop than the outside temperature. If I run the heat lamp It will gain another 10 to 15. With 6 chickens that would tell me my chickens are about as effective at heating the place as a 250 watt bulb.

The outside temps here have been 10-15 at night. I generally turn on my heat lamp at dark when I put the chickens in to get the 14+ hours of light in. When I turn the light out at night the temperature goes up to about 38 or 40. I turn the light off around 11 and by 7 in the morning it is 25 or so degrees.

I have been thinking about just putting in a smaller light as I want the light but am not so concerned about the heat and don't like wasting the energy. I don't heat my water I have two waterers and just swap them a few times a day. I work close to home and am home everyday for lunch.

 

[Hillsvale]

Quote:
uhumm... delicately clearing throat. I'm a girl!

Thanks Hensonly.. I doubt I am brave enough to manage a three sided coop (we have everything from Bear on down!) but our climate is comparible to yours obviously.

Meathook... I have wired my coop for power it has one plug, and inside (will be on a timer to tempt everyone in when it gets dark in teh winter before we get home) and an outside light (or it will when I run the electrics underground in the spring) I would prefer not to use a heated dish... I am a bit crafty and was trying to come up with something that would keep water for a couple of days, preferable that could manage a five gallon jug of spring water or in the mild months feed from a collector from the roof.... (I can't fill from the outside tap as my water has arsenic ... we filter the tap at the kitchen sink with a reverse osmosis system).

We are up at 5am or so... leave at 6:45 am and return at anywhere from 6-7 or 8 pm, work about 45 minutes away so obviously running home at lunch isn't feasible.

I wish we lived closer but then we would have neighbours and I don't want any. lol

 

[meathook]

This is what my coop looks like:

the coop is insulated the windows are not here is a mid construction picture:

If you want to see more of how it was constructed you can find that here.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=226303&p=1

All that to say with our temperatures at 10-15F with the pop door open and with the 250 Watt bulb on with six chickens there is not enough heat to keep the water from freezing the temps only get to about 25F or so. My light is wired to the vent in the roof so it is pretty high but it is also away from the chickens. My ventilation is all at the top a four foot long by 6-8" wide opening covered in hardware cloth that vents out a roof vent and the gables. I crack the windows for additional ventilation if needed. I have a remote thermometer that also tells humidity although not sure how accurately. It is very convenient.

I just checked on them it is 5-6F right now and headed colder with the light on and the coop closed it is 25 degrees in there. The birds are fine but the water that was put out there a couple hours ago is getting slushy.

Hope that helps.

 

[Mahonri]

My chicks are outside for the first time...at 9 days old... they are all under the heat lamp, but not directly below where it's too hot.

there were too many inside, I'll be worried all night.

 

[chookchick]

Hillsvale--there are way too many variables for anyone to be able to say "here's what you need to do to heat your chicken coop", such as your climate, ventilation, coop construction, etc...as you see it could get very technical, very quickly. The best thing you to do is stick a thermometer out there with a maximum and minimum marking feature, and watch your coop closely at different temperatures. Then figure out what temperature you would like to achieve, and experiment until you reach that goal.

That said, a lot of us here think that chickens do just fine without heat, or minimal heat, or just a heated waterer. So that is going to affect the answer you get also....

 

[Mac in Wisco]

I keep hens for production. They produce best at temperatures in the 70's. Around 72 F at the beginning of production increasing to the higher 70's as they age. This is our first winter with this layer barn. Although the previous owner didn't heat it, we have added a propane heater and some circulation fans. The heat reduces feed consumption (as organic feed is quite expensive) and keeps the litter in better condition. Our feed supplier, who owns several layer barns himself, recommended 65 degs as he said that referencing the feed conversion charts that there is a lot to be gained by keeping the barn at 65. Above that point there is only a slight difference in consumption.

Are they more comfortable in warmer temperatures? I don't know. I have noticed that they will congregate in the warmest parts of the barn, even if it's just a few degrees warmer there. I don't know if they consider it more "comfortable" or if it's just their basic instinct to do so.

 

[MimiChick]

Hillsvale - As others have said, the chickens have nice warm down coats to keep them warm. I have 4 chickens in an uninsulated, unheated coop (see my BYC page). They sleep in a 2x4 roost box and I open their pop door in the morning for them to come out into their run whenever they want. For the winter I have plastic greenhouse panels on the outside of the covered run to block wind and snow. It was about 6 degrees F here this morning and the roost box was at 10 degrees F before I let the girls out. They roost on a 2x4 (on the 4" side) and when I put my hand under them their feet are nice and warm from sitting on them. I give them a warm mash of oatmeal, pellets, fruit, veggies, etc. (whatever I have on hand) in the morning and make sure they have fresh water. They are fine and healthy. Since you have electric to your coop, I would suggest a heated dog bowl. Mine holds about a gallon of water and stays unfrozen all nite in their run. I just take a gallon jug out in the morning and change it out to give them fresh water (I also add ACV to their water). The gallon is more than enough for my 4 girls, so I think you would do fine with that for 6.
There are a lot of different opinions on cold weather managment. Read and research, then do what you feel most comfortable with. But, remember, there are all kinds of wild birds living outside without any shelter whatsoever and they continue to flourish. Most of all, have fun with your new chickens. Good luck.

 

[Hillsvale]

I am not particularly concerned with chickens in down coats being cold as mentioned previously.... the 6 chickens was just an interesting number as I will have more than that, I am interested in how much heat they put out so I can judge water temperatures as keep it from freezing without the need for a heated bowl.