Safe coop heating options during winter

[FluffyBottomBantams]

So I’ll keep it short and sweet here lol...Does anyone have any suggestions about what I can heat my coop with this winter besides heating lamps? Thanks in advance y’all

 

[Emmey]

I have heard of people using heating plates and most hatcheries I know about recommended this over heat lamps. I have never used them since my father is a electrician. So I have been show how to safely use a heat lamp.

 

[FluffyBottomBantams]

And the adults just sleep under it too...??I’ve heard of chicks using them though. Really My main worry is frostbite, we’ve got show birds , and the rooster’s huge combs get frozen every year.

 

[Emmey]

And the adults just sleep under it too...??I’ve heard of chicks using them though. Really My main worry is frostbite, we’ve got show birds , and the rooster’s huge combs get frozen every year.

I have seen some huge pads for adults, but most cost around $100. I have never had to deal with frost bite since I live in Louisiana. Sorry hopefully some else can help that has better experience with snow than I.

 

[NatJ]

How cold does it get? Chickens are usually fine far below the point where people shiver and worry.

 

[FluffyBottomBantams]

Well I’ve seen it hit about -11 before I think. We live in NH. We’ve had frost bite before on wattles before and one of my d’Uccle’s combs because his is enormous.

 

[NatJ]

Well I’ve seen it hit about -11 before I think. We live in NH. We’ve had frost bite before on wattles before and one of my d’Uccle’s combs because his is enormous.

I just wanted to check, because "no heat" is certainly easiest and does not start fires. It looks like you probably do need something.

How's the ventilation and humidity? Humid cold is worse than dry cold. Sometimes, making it drier can avoid frostbite, even if that means it's also colder. Yes, cold air is naturally dry--until a chicken breathes out a bunch of moisture. So, strange as it may seem, some people have less frostbite in their chickens if they open more windows in the winter!

 

[Ridgerunner]

You have show chickens so you have concerns most of us don't need to worry about. You don't want to take any chances.

I don't know what the coop looks like, how big it is, what kind of ventilation you have, how many chickens you have, anything like that. Frostbite at those temperatures generally means too much moisture in there so mainly a question of ventilation, but you are getting close to risky temperatures since you can't take chances. The coldest I've ever dealt with is around -4 F.

One thing I'd suggest you consider is a hover. Warm air rises. Think of a shallow box turned upside down so it holds heat in. Put that over the roosts so their body heat is getting trapped and keeps them warm. If they can they will probably try to sleep on top of the hover instead of under it so you will probably need to block access to the top. Since the heat source is their body heat this works even when your power is out.

I don't heat my coop so I have no direct experience on how to do that safely and effectively. I'd think the best way to do that will depend some on what your coop looks like. I've seen different things people use to heat their coops but I don't know enough about them to make a suggestion.

I don't now if you can edit your thread title but I'd change it if I could. When people see that they immediately think about brooding baby chicks. That's not what you are talking about, totally different. You'll attract the kind of people you want to with a better thread title.

 

[FluffyBottomBantams]

You all make very good points, thank you. I might start a new thread and put the link to it on here, because I can’t figure out how to edit the title. We’ve tried to block out the draft we have coming in from the summer vents and it seemed to help a bit.
Never mind, I found out how to change the title. Lol

 

[Alaskan]

We’ve tried to block out the draft we have coming in from the summer vents and it seemed to help a bit.

Helped what? The amount of frostbite?

So you blocked the vents summer 2019?

Sorry, unclear to me.

I have a cold weather coop article, it goes over various ways to heat.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/cold-weather-poultry-housing-and-care.72010/