Prepping for my first winter

[Jenahleah]

Hello all, I have an elevated coop (I didn’t want them to lose yard space) and in the winter it doesn’t regularly snow, but there are below freezing nights and we get occasional snow with winds..... what temp should I put a heat lamp in the coop? Only the bottom is insulated....

 

[cavemanrich]

Hate to break the bubble, but I don't think you need a heat lamp by the way you describe things. What is your general location? Second question, and it is somewhat important, "what kind of chickens do you have???"
You can see my location, it is in my profile. I'm in Zone 5. I have Bantam Serama chickens besides my other LF chickens. They are somewhat not very cold hardy breed. I winter over the whole pet flock in my Garage loft. I only provide some heat if the temps get VERY LOW, like 0°F or colder outdoors. I only Heat to have in-garage temps to just above freezing then.
The problem with adding heat to a coop are these.::
Chickens do not grow/develop as much deep down feathers like they normally would.
Chickens get used to the heated area, and if you have a power failure, your chicken are in trouble then.
If you do live in an extreme cold climate, then some additional heat is needed. Usually during night time,
WISHING YOU BEST,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,and

 

[aart]

Hello all, I have an elevated coop (I didn’t want them to lose yard space) and in the winter it doesn’t regularly snow, but there are below freezing nights and we get occasional snow with winds..... what temp should I put a heat lamp in the coop? Only the bottom is insulated....

When it is consistently, day and night, below Zero F....so maybe never.
They need to be dry and out of strong(literally feather ruffling) drafts,
but good ventilation is a must and can be hard to balance out depending on your climate and coop configuration.

Dimensions and pics of your coop, in side and out, would help immensely.
Also how many birds do you have?

And last but not least....
Welcome to BYC! @Jenahleah
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!

 

[Jenahleah]

Hate to break the bubble, but I don't think you need a heat lamp by the way you describe things. What is your general location? Second question, and it is somewhat important, "what kind of chickens do you have???"
You can see my location, it is in my profile. I'm in Zone 5. I have Bantam Serama chickens besides my other LF chickens. They are somewhat not very cold hardy breed. I winter over the whole pet flock in my Garage loft. I only provide some heat if the temps get VERY LOW, like 0°F or colder outdoors. I only Heat to have in-garage temps to just above freezing then.

Alright, I won’t add heat as the lowest it get here is in the high teens to mis 20s. My USDA area is 7b.....
My chickens are Cornish Rock (meat in spring) Rockfords, and leghorns that ended up being roosters.... I have a total of 7 birds with 5 nesting boxes off of one end, as it’s elevated I only insulated the bottom... and I guess I won’t worry about a heat lamp! Thank you all

The problem with adding heat to a coop are these.::
Chickens do not grow/develop as much deep down feathers like they normally would.
Chickens get used to the heated area, and if you have a power failure, your chicken are in trouble then.

When it is consistently, day and night, below Zero F....so maybe never.
They need to be dry and out of strong(literally feather ruffling) drafts,
but good ventilation is a must and can be hard to balance out depending on your climate and coop configuration.

Dimensions and pics of your coop, in side and out, would help immensely.
Also how many birds do you have?

And last but not least....
Welcome to BYC! @Jenahleah
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!
View attachment 2359487

 

[CluckerFamily]

I have a heat lamp installed and ready to use for those -30F weeks. When I use the heat lamp it doesn't stay on all day or night, just for some time in the morning and some time at night.

 

[cavemanrich]

I have a heat lamp installed and ready to use for those -30F weeks.

Yes the extreme lows do need some heat added. Just wanted to suggest using this type of lamp. It is safe from breaking and setting coop on fire.

 

[Sablehaven]

I personally recommend feeding really warm cream of wheat, with some cayenne in it. People do it to help them lay, but I just like to spoil them. They enjoy the warmth and birds don't care about spice

Oh! And if you do go with a lamp, do your research so you don't accidentally make them molt