The first WINTER - ventilation, heating?

[Ol Grey Mare]

I know this question has been asked before, so bear with me. With no heat in the coop, do people use heated water bowls in the winter or just remove the ice everyday and add fresh water? We give them fresh water everyday, but not always in the morning. My son does it after school.

If you do not invest in and use heated waterers, you will need to step up your watering routine and offer fresh water at least twice a day (more if possible) during freezing temperatures. Chickens do not eat or drink in the night hours, so they wake up ready to have a good drink and fill their crops with food. You will need to start watering in the mornings in addition to the watering done by your son in the afternoon.
We do not have electric, so we do not use heated waterers. Now that winter is upon us we simply take a gallon jug of warm water with us when we go to open the coop for the day - poor water in the various waterers and go about our day, adds all of about two minutes to our morning routine. In the afternoon my son is the first one home so he does the same thing in the afternoon with taking a jug of water out.

 

[Brennigan]

I know this question has been asked before, so bear with me. With no heat in the coop, do people use heated water bowls in the winter or just remove the ice everyday and add fresh water? We give them fresh water everyday, but not always in the morning. My son does it after school.

Quote:
DH made our water heater out of a cookie tin! Only 11 BUCKS!

http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2011/11/make-cookie-tin-waterer-heater-under-10.html

But, yes, I read that if chickens don't drink, they won't eat, so having water accessible is very important! I keep ours in their run area to make them go outside. I always think, agh its too cold! but with my snow pants and being all bundled up (like they are with feathers!), I'm really not that cold. Its gotten to about 27* during the day here.

 

[CandylandRanch]

All of this information has been so helpful and much appreciated. I thought I would bring my last thought forward, which was initially my first thought as to why I thought to heat the coop to begin with- I bought and read front to back "raising chickens for dummies", which I know was largely written by owner of BYC and it advised keeping the coop above freezing through winter by heating. It also further explained how if the hens environment is below freezing they will stop laying. Any thoughts on that?

 

[Rani]

this is our first winter wth our 10 hens and rooster (easter eggers and buff orps). And today is our first snow!! Here in good ol' Michigan. We have planned for winter , but there are so many things I have read that say one thing and then other articles or opinions that say another..

Our coops is a large shed 12x16) converted. It's insulated, has two home Style windows that can be opend or closed tightly. We had two vents at the top where the roof meets the walls And two other passive vents in the roof but my husband thought they needed closed in the winter. The coop door (12x16 in) is left open all day to their enclosed run. We have two heating lamps going all the time also. The temp near the lamps (but not under them) is keeping above freezing. (For now)

My concerns are the ventilation, which I know is important in the winter. If I open the ones at the top won't the heat escape?? Making it below freezing? Should I crack the windows instead? Or is that too drafty?

Of course I'm concerned about a fire.. Two heat lamps running all the time.. Scary!! But how else do u keep above freezing temps?

I don't want sick or cold chickens, and I don't want a fire or frostbite.. What's the best plan for us?
Thanks in advance!

First, I'm apologizing because I didn't read all the responses, but I'm sure you're hearing the same thing. No heat. It's my first winter too and it is hard for me to wrap my head around until one person pointed out that if a chickadee, no bigger than a child's fist, can survive a Minnesota winter with temps dipping below 0 F for many weeks, then a chicken can handle it, too. So I have my four out in their hen house - uninsulated BTW and so far, so good. When I've checked on them at 14 F, they aren't even fluffed up. Just happy and sound asleep. No frost bite. We have an open roof (with hard cloth to keep predators out) and I slid a piece of foam insulation over the top. I lifted up the end that is furthest form the roost for ventilation. Really, honestly, they are doing fine.

Also, my new chicken-keeping friend @Alaskan told me that three of his/her chickens live under a picnic table with a tarp thrown over it and are doing quite well. That's in Alaska.

We'll take the plunge together, my friend. (I do have a heated waterer because I am lazy and don't want to go out with hot water in the mornings to thaw it out.)

oh and one more thing - if you loose power - you loose heat. If you''re like me, you'll worry, you won't sleep, you'll get sick, you'll miss work, you won't get paid and when the power comes back on, you won't be able to pay your heating bill.

 

[Rani]

All of this information has been so helpful and much appreciated. I thought I would bring my last thought forward, which was initially my first thought as to why I thought to heat the coop to begin with- I bought and read front to back "raising chickens for dummies", which I know was largely written by owner of BYC and it advised keeping the coop above freezing through winter by heating. It also further explained how if the hens environment is below freezing they will stop laying. Any thoughts on that?

My eggs production is down, but that's natural. You'll still get a few here and there. I suppose if you really want, you can add a regular old light and put it on a time to extend the day. But here are my thoughts on that. (And again, this is my first winter and I have NO experience with chickens). Right now, my hens come out around 7:30 am (when I get my lazy butt out of bed to open their hen house door). They spend their entire day in a run that we've wrapped in plastic (construction section: vapor barrier) almost to the top. It's draft and snow free in the run, but light. They spend the day scratching around in the straw and dirt. At 4:30, just after the sun goes down, they head up and go to bed.

I thought about adding a light to the run so they would stay up longer and maybe make more eggs, but then it's getting colder because the sun has set - usually 10 degrees colder or so - and that means they have a colder hen house to roost in. So I opted to let it go and let them roost early and then the hen house is a wee bit warmer for them.

Their body heat is not keeping the coop warm, as some have suggested. When they head up, it can be as warm as 26 F. By morning - 14 F. But again. They seem fine. The highest the humidity has been is about 76%. I don't think it should go any higher. No frost bite yet. I'm getting rid of the deep litter method because it's way too poopy and that means wet. I'm opting to lay a piece of foam insulation down and then aspen shavings and I'll clean it every week or so to keep the moisture out of there. On this, I'm not sure what is the right thing to do, but my gut is telling met that all that straw mixed with wet poop is just adding to the humidity.

Good luck!!!! And keep us posted.

 

[CloeyCoraCamila]

Why I heat – the human body can survive 40 degree temps without going into hyperthermia – but at 39 degrees we will go in to hyperthermia within 24hrs. And we know if we keep our homes at 40 degrees not only is it miserably cold but we will get sick. Most chickens will SURVIVE cold temps just as we can at 40 degrees. When it is miserably cold they can’t get rest because they are constantly shuffling and squirming trying to get warm/comfortable, like we would do. And like us lack of rest weakens the immune system. Then they usually wind up developing respiratory issues/pneumonia – like we would at 40 degrees. Then just like we do when we get sick – they have to have antibiotics.And also if the comb starts getting frost bit – it’s because the system is cutting off the blood supply there, so it can “attend to” more important parts of the body for survival – like our systems do when our fingers and toes start getting frost’ bite. I personally like to go to bed at night knowing my girls are comfortable and not at risk of getting sick. Besides that, there’s usually that “outcast” hen that the others reject and she can’t “cuddle” with anyone to stay warm.
We keep the heat between 35 and 40 degrees. We clean poo out every other day, to keep ammonia/moisture issues under control. And didn’t build the house “air tight” so they would have air circulation even if we need to close vents when it is real windy. We also cover the walls only around the roost with old paneling in winter(we remove it in summer) to prevent “extreme drafts” where they sleep,And we make sure they get lots of scratch feed at night before bed – it has lots of carbs which encourages the system to produce heat. Everyone has their own preferences , this is ours.

 

[CloeyCoraCamila]

You have your reasons as to why you don't heat - that's fine - but in my opinion frost bite is painful for ANYTHING to endure - so I do what I can to prevent it from becoming an issue - we all do what we think is best for our girls/roos - no reason to get snotty

 

[Rani]

I think it's fine to not heat your coops. There seems to be too much risk of fire with heating. I am not "really" heating my coop. Disclaimer - this is my first winter and I'm new to all of this.

When I think about the pioneers, or my grandfather and his family on the frigid prairie of North Dakota, there are two things I consider. The chickens were often in the barn with other animals which helped to keep things warm. Also, they did not own 3 or 4 chickens but dozens of chickens. That many chickens would probably put out a bit of heat when clustered together. Losing one or two through the winter would not be felt as hard was losing one of four.

That being said - the chickadees and the juncos do just fine as long as they have a food source.

THAT being said - it doesn't mean that when the temps get very very low for their particular region - that this doesn't stress the birds. And stressing an animal can lead to sickness, weakness and death. That has also been scientifically proven.

I only have four hens. If I loose one to illness, I loose a quarter of my tiny flock. In my little hen house, when it's -6 F outside, it's about 0-3 F inside the house. They are not producing a lot of heat. If I filled that house to capacity (8 I think), I imagine there would be no problem with heat. (humidity, yes) I have straw bales around the coop and a 10 inch layer of straw in the hen house. They are sluggish and quiet on those extremely chilly mornings.

Will they be fine? Sure. Probably. People have had chickens for centuries. But I broke and jerry-rigged a heat lamp in the corner of the coop. When it drops to sub-zero - I switch it on and the house stays in the teens. (I have one of those remote temp gauge thingies) The hens seem very happy in those temps. At 12 F - they are happy and making healthy noises, eating and ranging out of the run as far as I've spread straw for their feet. At 6 F. They are moving little - fluffed and quiet.

One more thought - there may also be a big difference (when we are all talking about cold) when we throw in humidity. I can't speak for other regions, but here in Minnesota, it can be very cold with humidity in the 70-80% range. What do you think?

I do think there are valid arguments to support both sides.

Word,
Rani

 

[EagleEyes]

I agree, there are valid arguments to support each side, but I'm a KISS kind of guy. so I'm supplying no heat to my chickens, but do heat the water, in keeping with the KISS theory. I'm a retired guy and have time on my side. MNy girls LOVE me, well at least my treats. hahaha.
As far as cold, they love to come out no matter how cold, as long as they don't have to walk on snow.

 

[rannug]

Apples to Oranges......
......chickens aren't humans....and humans don't wear custom grown down coats 24/7.
But every keeper must do what ever makes them feel comfortable in their minds.

x2 I considered the heat/no heat situation quite seriously. The deciding factor for me was that chickens have been arround 5, 10, 30, whatever, thousand years without any
external heat source. They are doing better than me. And who hasn't jumped a grouse or pheasant @ 0 degrees?