Keeping chooks warm during night

[Romeo Flahoy]

Hi,
I have three ex battery girls and the weather in uk is now getting cold especially at night (3'c). I'm worried about them getting too cold during night. I look them in the wooden coop at night which is filled with woodchips and straw. I've had a thought and didn't know what others thought about it ..... I thought about getting 3 wheat heat bags which you put in microwave for aches and pains. I would put them on floor of wooden coop as they tend to sit down rather than roost at night. That way they could huddle on heat bags. I'd check the seams as obviously they'd eat them if got open. Anyone else tried this? Any potential problems? From experience they tend to be lavender scented. Not sure if this would be a problem?

What do others do to keep flock warm. I give a warm supper also. One little girl was under weather and appeared to have suffered with cold. Had to keep her indoors for two days then she picked up. I'm worried she'll get cold and ill again as she is thin and a bit bald in places. Thanks in advance.

 

[Pele]

This sounds reasonable, especially since they're ex-battery hens. Your average free-range backyard chicken is much more hardy than the poor souls that commercial hatcheries wring out and throw away. So it's entirely reasonable to provide them heat.

I would not use one of those bags, however, even if you do inspect the seams. If it's rippable in any way, your hens will rip it (I learned this at the expense of several plants and items).

Instead, you may want to get a brick and stick it into the oven on a low heat setting. It'll radiate heat for longer, and has the bonus of being cheap, replaceable, non-messy, and chicken-proof.