Keeping Chickens Warm In Winter

[AnimalGeek23]

Hey guys!
I read a lot of threads about chickens being cool in the summer, but what about WARM in the winter? Any suggestions? Does a heat lamp work well? I'm a little scared... I'm getting 2-3 buff orpingtons, btw. I heard they were good with the cold, but here in NYS, it can get COLD. And the SNOW! What do I do?
Thanks!

 

[arion]

Two options, heat or no heat. If you use heat and have a power failure then they are not acclimatized to the cold and might die. Birds have been surviving for millennia in the winter without heat and they are still with us. I'm doing an open front coop and not thinking of using heat and I live in the U.P. of Michigan. They do just fine without it from what I've read. As long as they are adults and have their feathers and have a place well ventilated but have a wind break in the coop they do fine. The feathers cover their feet when they are on the roost, they tuck their heads under a wing to keep the head warm and with good ventilation the air isn't humid in the coop and the humidity is what causes the frost bite.

 

[JDN]

Just keep the coop as draft free and well ventilated as possible. If the wind isn't getting to them, they have a down coat to keep them warm.

The ventilation will keep frostbite at bay.

 

[lazy gardener]

I'm in zone 4B with frequent temps 20* below 0. No heat provided. However, I do keep a heated dog bowl for water in the winter.

It's imperative that your coop be big enough, have enough ventilation (1 s.f./bird or = to 10% of floor space, which ever number is bigger), and be tall enough so the birds are not roosting near the ceiling.

 

[PirateGirl]

I would say my birds in general are more bothered by the wind than the actual cold. As others have mentioned, provided a draft free coop. Also provide some sort of wind break outdoors. I choose not to ever lock them up due to bad weather and let them make their own choice whether to venture outdoors. They virtually always go out at least for a few minutes before they decide it's terrible. Also, I feel that encouraging movement, having the feed and water far from the roost, is good, it will increase blood flow and raise body temps.

 

[aart]

Draft free ventilation is key.
Good discussion thread here:
http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1048597/ventilated-but-free-of-drafts

You'll need to heat the waterer, unless you want to change it out multiple times a day.
This has worked well for me for 3 years now.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/aarts-heated-waterer-with-horizontal-nipples.67256/


And more for your perusal:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/search/25368709/?q=cold+chickens&t=post&o=relevance&c[title_only]=1

https://www.backyardchickens.com/search/25368692/?q=cold+weather&t=post&o=relevance&c[title_only]=1

 

[Howard E]

"Cold" is a relative thing. We asked a poster once and they said 45F. But they were in Georgia or somewhere. That was "cold" to them, but would be balmy sunbathing weather in a lot of places.

There are a few key issues with the cold, which chickens can handle really well. When they get into trouble, it is due to frostbite, and that comes from an excessive amount of moisture / humidity inside the house. The solution to that is to open up the house....provide ventilation...... to let the moisture escape. That runs counter to most folks logic, so they don't do it and the birds get in trouble because of it. BTW, source of the moisture is the birds themselves. Mostly their breath but also their droppings.

So there is well ventilated, then there are drafts. Drafts appear as an excessive amount of air movement inside the coop that ruffles the feathers. So the goal is well ventilated, but free of drafts. Excessive drafts work like wind chill. We feel that too. On a cold windy day, things improve a lot if you can get out of the wind.

Lastly, once temps drop much below -10F, birds with large combs and waddles, will get into trouble due to the large exposed area. Birds like leghorns, etc. So in USDA zones 4A and colder, it may be a good idea to keep cold tolerate birds.

BO's may be that.

 

[Howard E]

BTW, it seems pretty rare for most folks to actually need to provide supplemental heat. A lot of folks do it, but very few need to. Mostly uninformed softies who care deeply about their birds, so provide heat, but again, most don't need to.

 

[trista85]

I live in central VT, so winters are similar to Upstate NY. We did insulate the walls of the coop and made sure that windows were tight, but we got through this most recent endless, miserable winter. To keep water from freezing I used an electric dog water bowl, and on the super cold below 0 days/nights I put bag balm on the combs and waddles to prevent frostbite. Also read into the deep litter method, that helps create some heat as well. Some mornings I made them warm oatmeal (again, when it was really cold) but I think that was more of a treat than anything. No toes or anything were lost to frostbite, and I didn't use a heat lamp because I was worried about fire, etc. Chickens, especially if you opt for cold hardy breeds, are pretty hardy creatures

 

[VTChicky]

Some mornings I made them warm oatmeal (again, when it was really cold) but I think that was more of a treat than anything.

This is a great idea! I live in Colchester, VT (hey neighbor!) and will definitely try this.