My First Winter with Chickens

[aart]

saw a few bursts of below freezing temperatures

You don't need to heat the coop....probably not even your waterer.

 

[Beer can]

I just don't want anyone to get frostbite Do you know at what temperature chickens would get frostbite?

Like some others have said frostbite comes more from the humidity in a buttoned up coop without good ventilation. I'm in upstate NY winters typically below freezing with many weeks subzero negatives -20 wind chill. I keep pretty open coops and only see slight frostbite on the tips of roosters combs that heals up fine come spring. Nothing on the hens not even on leghorns with their floppy combs. I even kept naked necks in a makeshift dog kennel coop with a tarp top and one completely open side and had zero frostbite even on the rooster. Keep in mind the relative outside humidity can be high also, ours usually is with the snow, so keeping the coop well ventilated is super important.
I don't bother with heated water just use big rubber bowls I have to knock the ice out a couple times a day, few if I have time. Heated water would be nice though less work for you.
Good luck!

 

[Folly's place]

Here it's much colder than your winter temps, and I do use heated waterers, rather than three trips daily with fresh water. otherwise, no heat out there. It's about having a roof and protection from wind, rain, and snow, and good ventilation. The coop should never be damper than ambient, and heaters aren't useful.
Mary

 

[RumneyRoost]

I’m up in Canada.
I use a heated dog bowl, it lives outside in the covered run. Never in the coop, that will just add moisture.
I have a panel heater that I hang along one of the roosts. It only gets turned on at night when the temps are below -20C. You can’t feel the heat unless you’re within a couple inches, I find they like to sleep with their heads in front of it, instead of tucked under a wing. In the mornings they still want to come outside though. I know they don’t need it, but it’s a happy medium of keeping them comfortable without introducing a huge fire risk.

I end up with someone with frostbite every year. It happens in the spring and fall when the temps hover around freezing and it’s damp, raining, or we get wet snow. And during the day, not at night. I keep a thermometer that also has a humidity reading on the window up above their roost. It should never be more humid inside than outside. I close the coop windows in the winter, but there are openings under the eaves.
If it’s raining in your coop, you need more ventilation.

 

[Acre4Me]

Hey all! As the title says, this is my first winter with chickens and I'm starting to get a game plan together so I don't wait until the last minute and find out supplies are sold out or hard to get.
I have four coops and will be doing my best to "winterize" them. Half of my flock are bantams, the other half are LF. I'm more focused on keeping the bantams safe and warm this winter than the big girls, and have been looking at heat plates to put in the bantam coops.
I live in Kentucky and while we don't have crazy, long winters, we do get snow usually after the new year and saw a few bursts of below freezing temperatures.
What do you all recommend as far as when to use a heater in the coops? Currently, I intend to utilize straw for bedding, tarps to wrap the coops/runs in and feeding corn to help generate body heat, in addition to hate plates if/when necessary.
What temperature/situation would a heater be necessary? Is there a certain temperature that chickens are in danger of frost bite?

Thanks bunches!

Good luck! You won’t need heat at all. Your girls will be happier in the winter, than they are in the heat of the summer. Of course, as long as they have a nice draft free place to go.

We used a heated dog bowl in the coop. We tried bucket heaters (2 brands, three styles) and all three were failures, so heated dog bowl for the win. This year we bought a 5 gallon metal waterer and we plan to keep it outside on a heated base that they sell for this exact purpose. Hopefully it works.

We do have electric in the coop. Since we do get pretty cold here, and a good bit of wind, we also added a heat lamp positioned above the middle of the roosts (it is doubly secured). It is connected to a thermostat and programmed to only come on when temps fall below 15F. Interestingly, no one was huddled under the lamp. We had that polar vortex last year and got to approx -18F (around -36F with windchill) and still no huddling under the lamp. Of course, the temp inside the coop hovered around 0F while the lamp was being used. Also the lamp was not really that close to the roosts as we didn’t want it to get knocked around unnecessarily. So, we might not use the lamp this year, as it wasn’t adding much value.

The main change for us might be that we add some plastic to the run to shield some of the wind, As that was a bigger challenge than the temperatures.

 

[sumi]

No message

 

[N F C]

We have really long, snowy winters here in Wyoming. I've never heated the coop but do use a heated waterer.

So far, I've never had a problem with frostbite (knock on wood).

 

[sorce]

I'm no expert but I know I have winter Hardy chickens....
That must mean there are chickens meant for tropical situations, if you own those, you may need supplemental heat.

What Breeds?

I've read of folks taking the water out at night.
Ping pong balls on top the dish to keep it from freezing.

Maybe you have to just ....

Buy more chickens! And let them self regulate!

Sorce

 

[aart]

No message

Shameless bump?

 

[Chelsa'sChicks]

I personally do not use heat plates for fear of a fire, and also if the electric went out I don't want them to be used to heat then have no heat. My Coop has hay in the nests and Cedar chips on the floor (Red Eastern Cedar). I do have some insulation on the roof of the coop, but they mostly huddle and keep warm and are fine every year. 2 Years ago we had -20 degrees F with wind chill and everyone lived and was without frostbite. They are smart and will stay out of the wind and any other dangers. I do find my chickens will go outside in the winter when the sun is fully out and very little wind, but they never go far from the barn or coop either.
* I edit to say too that I specifically chose breeds that would be winter hardy *
Also don't forget to check for eggs more often! They will freeze and crack if you wait to long, if your birds will still lay eggs.. some do and some don't.