Think it's too cold for your chickens? Think again...

[PaulaJoAnne]

Quote:
We partially insulate. DH and I did add a wee bit of heat last year when it hit 30 below fpr 6 weeks straight , but that only brought the temp up 5 degrees maybe.
Going to try not doing it this year.

 

[Mrs MIA]

Bonnie up near you never added heat her first year, and it got down to -40F. I think she said the coop wasn't insulated, either. The biggest thing is keeping the moisture down, and the drafts away.

My two coops are somewhat insulated, too... R19 2" foamboard in the walls, and in the ceiling of the breeder coop. But I think the only time it matters is when it's REALLY cold... that -30 to -40 mark, again.

 

[Ban seabhag]

I am up by Bonnie and didn't heat or insulate my coop last year. Everyone did fine. I have insulated the coops this year and I figure that will cover the worst weather... At 5-10 degrees the water doesn't freeze at all overnight in there now.... They are like my horses. The horses get a thicker coat out in the weather than they ever will inside.. Since they are ridden outside, it wouldn't make sense for them to have a thinner coat form artificial heat. My chickens like to go out even when it's very cold. They need those feathers...

 

[gingerpeach22]

I live in interior Alaska and I beg to differ about chickens not getting too cold in winter. I have an insulated coop - a cabin for them and I have a 100 watt infrared lizard light on all the time about 18 inches off the pine shavings. I also have an Eco Heater on the wall (7' x9' coop) which is on a thermostat which turns on the heater at 35 above zero and off at 45 degrees. There are two partially blocked attic vents (blue foam boards) on opposite so there is a constant flow of cold air coming in. That floor area gets quite cold and the eggs are quite cold in the nests if I haven't gathered in a couple of hours.
Now, how do I tell that chickens are cold? I open the pop door and they rush out. They come in and out and in and out until they all decide to come in. I shut the pop door, sit down on the floor and some come to hunker down on my legs/thighs. To my surprise, the barred Rocks (from New England originally) shiver. I cannot see the shiver, but I can feel them shiver, quit, shiver again, quit, etc. until all shivering goes away. To look at them and to observe their behavior if I don't sit down, I would not ever suspect that a few of them were actually cold enough to shiver. So, I often unplug the eco wall heater from the thermostat, leave it on all day, take out a piece of the blue foam and let the air exchange get larger.
In the morning, when the heater has been on the thermostat, I will also sit down for an extended period of time. About four to six of the dozen, 7 month old hens, will rush to my legs to warm up before deciding they are good to go.
As for as minimum outdoor temperatures where I live, we have cold snaps like everyone except the numbers are larger than in the lower 48. Usually. It seems like there will be a dreadful cold snap of 25 to 50 below zero and then things moderate to a steady 8 or 10 below for extended periods.

 

[PaulaJoAnne]

Quote:
The bolded is why your chickens are cold in winter.
If their bodies are adapted to warmer temps, then there is no way they can handle the outdoors, or anything below the temps you keep the coop at.

 

[Mrs MIA]

The purpose of the post was to let people in "warmer states that just because they're cold, doesn't mean their chickens are.

Our chickens DO get cold... but not yet! Mine have been outside all day, except for going in to lay eggs, and it's only just now warmed up to 11°F. They are not huddled in a corner shivering.

But another thing to think about, and I think I mentioned it before somewhere else I think ... if you keep your coop at 35-45°F above, what happens when they rush outside in January when it's 35-45°F BELOW zero, or the power goes out during a storm? That's a 70 degree drop in temperature... of COURSE they're going to be cold! You guys get a lot colder that we do on the peninsula, but I've still heard of people not heating their coops.

Again, this post is for the people in states that rarely freeze that already have two 250w heat lamps on their birds because it's 40°F and if we're cold our birds must be too.

Just curious... what is your average electric bill in January?


Hehe... Paula and I were posting at the same time.

 

[davekrista]

I live in MA and have converted a run down old shed into our chicken coop... Its full of drafts which we are slowly fixing, and we have it partially insullated right now. Last weekend my husband finally fixed the roof which had been leaking forever. Right now, we have a 100W bulb in one coner for them and just at night. Temp inside the coop at 9 pm says about 40 but I know its got to get cooler as the night gets colder and with all the drafts in there i know it gets colder in the coop. During the day they go outside and the light goes out and doesn't come back on until it gets dark.. Once we have it fully fixed with no drafts and fully insulated, I don't think we will keep the light on unless we absolutely need too... I have noticed they have like thicker feathers.... they look so much bigger so i assume its their winter coats..... Is this causing them harm to have the light in a drafty coop until we fully fix it up?

 

[gryeyes]

Mrs. AK-Bird-Brain :

Quote:

That made me laugh.

I usually keep my juvies in the garage (stays about 58-60F) until fully feathered out. I have two Orpington boys in there right now that I SO want to put outside, but they're still in their mangy T-Rex stage.

3 weeks old is still pretty young, I wouldn't blame you for supplementing with a little heat. By three weeks I've dropped them down to a 60 or 100w bulb, though. But it sounds like yours did ok without it.

Okay, I'll cop to it: They had a 75 watt infrared heat lamp tucked up in the corner of their coop. I HAD to move them outside because of my hatching addiction and the 15 chicks just hatched within the past week which REALLY needed the two brooders inside.​

 

[fluffychicksmomma]

Umm, does this also hold true for Silkies? These are our first (and ONLY) chickens. I am addicted to horses, not chickens, lol! Anyway, I've heard they are more suceptible to the cold, but I don't really know. Its in the 20's here at night, and I put a 100 watt bulb in their coop, but only turn it on at night. Am I endangering them by doing this? Because it WILL get colder here, we will have times when its below zero. Oh, I should mention, the bulb was to also keep the water unfrozen, which it does.

 

[Yay Chicks!]

This post came just in time for me. I was concerned because we, perhaps, expecting below freezing temps this weekend. This is my first year and I have a small, raised, uninsulated coop. It's pretty solid, but there may be some tiny drafts. It's difficult to get enough ventilation because it is such a small coop, so I scoop poop daily and make sure things are nice and dry to prevent excess humidity and fumes. Now I feel soooo much better after reading your post...which was your intent

Thanks!!