Supplemental heat?

[wamtazlady]

Is the general consensus that I should not need supplemental heat even if it’s below 0 degrees F?

Yes. I live in MW Montana where it gets into the -20s F on a regular basis. Have never lost a chicken to cold. At -20 my chickens are out in their run, eating and drinking and pecking as if nothing is wrong. Of course I have a covered run that is winterized by having plastic up on 3 sides to block the wind. They do wear those lovely down coats to keep them warm. Also, wind chill only counts if the wind is blowing on the chickens. In a well designed coop and run there should be no wind blowing on the birds.

Think about all those little wild birds out in the winter. Most do just fine. They find a nice place to sleep that is out of the wind and they keep themselves warm with their down and feathers.

 

[suburbanfarmermi]

Thank you for your replies. Here are some pics of the coop in various stages of the build. I’ll run out in a moment and take some other pics. I’ve added a roof to the 10’x10’ run. The windows in the front have plexi. The side windows I made some wooden shutters for and covered the windows in hardware cloth. I planned to leave the venting open in the eves.

Nice coop.... only been keeping chickens since last march so I don't have any experience to share, but every time this topic comes up the veteran chicken keepers always seem to discourage supplemental heat. I live in sw michigan and am not planning to provide any extra heat..