Keeping the coop warm in the winter, HOW?

[MrShax]

am new to this so am not too sure what to do, i live in UK and it can get cold here at night, would a heat lamp help? i have a normal chicken coop fits about 10 hens i got 10 in there. i am going to be changing this coop and getting a 6x4 shed so i can walk in and have easy access to the coop.

what would be the best way to keep them warm.


This is my coop.

 

[JackE]

Here's a pic of my coop. It has no added heat. Heatlamps are a fire hazard, but they are real good at running up your electric bill. No insulation. None needed, as the chickens already come with perfect insulation of their own. Notice, the front is wide open, at chicken level. And look at where the birds are, right up front, not hiding in a heap, back in the coop. We can get winter temps into the low single digits, and the chickens have no problems at all. Even with the open front, the temp inside is usually 10 higher than the outside, and this coop is not even filled to capacity. It's kinda obvious in the winter, when you don't have enough ventilation. You will see frost forming inside, and the coop will stink of ammonia. If that's the case, you better open up/increase ventilation fast. Or you may end up with frostbit birds, and possible respiratory problems.

 

[cafarmgirl]

A larger coop will definitely be a very good idea! The one in the picture also needs some ventilation. I know it sounds counter productive but they do need good ventilation even in cold weather. Some vents near the peak, maybe front and back would help allow moisture and any ammonia fumes to escape. I would definitely NOT use a heat lamp, especially in such a small coop as they will overheat quickly and fires are always a danger. Chickens handle cold weather extremely well as long as they have protection from wind/rain/snow.

 

[Coldjensens]

We had a heat lamp disaster other newbies should be warned of. We had a nice light with a metal grid in front of it designed for a chicken coop. It was our first winter with chickens. It was -20 f one night and my daughter came to me and said the light was not working. I brought it in to test it and it crumbled to pieces. After searching for an hour for a replacement, all I could find was a 1500 watt halogen work light. Well - that certainly will keep them warm. I rigged it up at the top of the coop so it would not be too close to the roosts and overheat the chickens. I put insulation and sheet metal above it to avoid the possibility of the plywood roof catching on fire.

In the morning we found a disaster. Playing forensic scientists, we pieced together what happened.

The work light had a handle on it that serves as a stand when it sits on the ground. That handle hung slightly below the light. Apparently the rooster got up on that handle and pressed himself right against the light. The heat from the light set his feathers on fire. The rooster jumped down into the straw at the bottom of the coop and set the straw on fire. At some point some of the hens also caught on fire.

Somehow all of the chickens escaped from the raccoon proof* coop that was now full of burning straw. The rooster and two or three hens ran out into the woods and something killed them and ate part of them (probably a fox enjoying a nice roasted chicken dinner). The other five hens ran into the carriage house next to the coop. There was a door that had broken and could not be closed. Just inside that door was a large metal shelf where we store several cans of gasoline, kerosene, paint thinner, starter fluid etcetera. At least one of the hens was still on fire when they ran by that shelf** but luckily it did not blow up the carriage house.

The five hens survived and the coop was repairable, but we were lucky. Looking back that was a really stupid idea, but at 11 p.m. and -20 degrees it seemed like a good solution at the time. I knew the light got hot and thought that was a good thing for keeping chickens warm. I had accidentally dropped paper on similar lights in the past and it had not burned. It never occurred to me a light could set feathers on fire, or that a Chicken would press themselves right against a super hot light for a long enough time to catch on fire. I felt terrible about it for a long time.

We learned and we still use a light to keep them warm, but we use a light designed for the purpose and keep two back ups in the carriage house so we do not have to improvise. Even with the light working, if it gets that cold now, we just bring the chickens inside and put them in the bathroom for the night (which is what we should have done, but bringing chickens into the house never even occurred to us).


* Raccoon proofing the coop and eagle/hawk proofing the run was the result of other disasters in our initial chicken keeping learning experience. I wish the people who gave my daughter 12 chickens had also given us a good book on how to keep them safe. For some reason Raccoons love to pull the heads off of chickens. They will go to great lengths to do so. They do not eat them, just pull off their heads and leave them. Raccoons are very very clever about getting into things.


** We know a hen was still on fire because we found burn marks on the floor by the shelf and also further into the carriage house. There were also a trail of burned feathers leading past the shelf.

 

[MrShax]

Thank you guys.

i will bare that in mind am still new to all this so i thought i would ask on here, as everyone on here is very friendly and helpful.

thanks guys.

 

[Mrs. K]

Think dry, not warm. One needs ventilation to let moist air out, and dry, moisture absorbing bedding to dry up the droppings. Lower the roosts so that there is ample room above their heads, and position the roosts so that the bird is not close to the wall. These will keep your birds drier.

Dry birds are warm birds, damp or wet birds are cold birds.

Mrs K

 

[bobbi-j]

A larger coop will definitely be a very good idea! The one in the picture also needs some ventilation. I know it sounds counter productive but they do need good ventilation even in cold weather. Some vents near the peak, maybe front and back would help allow moisture and any ammonia fumes to escape. I would definitely NOT use a heat lamp, especially in such a small coop as they will overheat quickly and fires are always a danger. Chickens handle cold weather extremely well as long as they have protection from wind/rain/snow.

x2 I live where it gets very cold in the winter and don't heat my coop. Your chickens will grow more feathers and acclimate just fine to the cold. They do need ventilation. Humidity is what causes cold chickens and frostbite, and at higher temperatures than a well ventilated, unheated coop. Cold and dry is much better than warm and humid.

 

[Kusanar]

I was just winter using my coop, and put duct tape and cardboard over the vents. I guess that was the wrong thing to do. I did notice it was really humid inside yesterday. I might drill some smaller vents, since my vents are big doors at the top on each side. I would think bottom venting would keep the heat from rising out. Or should I just not insulate the existing vents at the top, and keep them closed?

Actually, you WANT the hot air to leave, the warm air is the wet air, it's better for that hot wet air to get out so that drier (and yes, cooler) air can come in. Chickens are well equipped for cold, but not cold and wet. Moist air will just get them cold faster, like stepping out of the shower into a cold room what felt just fine and warm enough before you got yourself wet.

 

[Mrs. K]

Think dry not warm to prevent frostbite.

Lower your roosts so that there is considerable space above their heads...... and so that they are not close to the wall. Dry air, a space for their breath and poop moisture to escape will prevent frostbite. Good moisture absorbing material on the floor, these will keep your birds more comfortable and healthier. More important than insulation, or heat lamp.

 

[CountryFlock]

Do you have cold hardy chickens? I hope you do..

You can put a ceramic heat bulb 250w in their coop house. It gives no light or UV but it does give heat.