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

[bruceha2000]

I live in Maine as well and our rule of thumb is below 10 degrees at night and the birds get a heat lamp. It is hung from the ceiling in the center of the coop. The coop is draft free for the most part but not insulated. We watch the weather and put the heat lamp on a timer so it will only come on during the coldest part of the night. We also have a thermometer at floor level to monitor temp during the cold days.

Out of curiosity, have you done any pseudo-scientific "testing" to see what affect the heat lamp has? Do the girls a huddle under it all day and/or night? Or at the other extreme, do they go about their business and ignore it?

Inquiring minds want to know!

Bruce

 

[Phlimm]

im suprized they let you have chickens there, when i lived in phoenix actually glendale if my car didnt run i had to tarp it!

No HOA. Never lived in one, never will.

 

[GhostRider65]

Bruce I felt bad last winter for my girls when it was 20 below day time and _25 to 40 at night with the wind..........so I added the 2 heat lamps I used when they first went out in the spring....none of them even bothered going near them, they jumped up on the roost fluffed up there feathers and went to sleep, the only thing I was keeping warm wasting money on electric was the scampering mice that invaded my garage last year for a short time..... though not scientifically done, I got the picture, they were not cold just because I was.............Kim

 

[bruceha2000]

so I added the 2 heat lamps I used when they first went out in the spring....none of them even bothered going near them, they jumped up on the roost fluffed up there feathers and went to sleep,

Good information, thanks. I had no plans to heat my coop given all I have learned here. BUT, being an Independent, I'm willing to listen to all sides before deciding on a path. If people with situations very similar to mine start coming up with good reasons why I should heat and under what conditions, I would give my decision another thought.

On the other hand, hearing your experience, I continue to think I'm quite safe not heating given my coop is in a barn (granted a drafty OLD barn) and covered on 3 sides to 7' with either plywood or clear plastic sheet (as is the human door), they should be fine. If they are ever feeling a draft up at the 4' roost level, they can always drop to the 2' level since the front of the coop, the only side without plastic sheeting over the hardware cloth, also has 4' plywood walls.

Bruce

 

[newmusher]

Hi. I live in the Yukon and have just inherited 40 laying chickens (well one of them is a rooster). there is a propane monitor in the coop but even though it is -22 I have still not turned it on and the chickens so far are fine. however, I think they may be at the end of their first cycle/molt so they are not laying too many eggs at this point. we are on solar power so they do have light during the day and I let them out into their 'winter pen' during the day. they love that. there is lots of straw on the ground so their feet don't freeze. I am getting to love my chickens! never had them before although my partner has but he is not here during the winter so its up to me! I have been told that they can be fine during the cold weather as long as they are acclimated naturally which I am doing I guess. how much light, natural and not, do they need during the day? and how much food do they need? seems that no matter how much I feed them they are always hungry!! but I worry that I am feeding them too much.

 

[bruceha2000]

Re food: As much as they want. I guess unlike some animals, they don't over eat. Make sure it is quality stuff with protein.

Re light: Presumably 14 hours starting in the morning EARLY and ending at natural dusk.

Given how far north you are, you might need to turn the light on before midnight!

I'm kind of taking a middle road. The light is getting low by 4:30 and the girls put themselves to roost by 4:45. I have the light (~40W and outside the coop shining in) on from 4:30 AM until 7 (sun currently coming up about 6:45) and again from 4 to 5 PM to make sure they can find the roost if they are late going in.

Bruce

 

[GhostRider65]

Bruce thats a perfect match for chickies... they should lay all winter and be quite happy, if they have an outside area straw or hay is a great way to keep them occupied and there feet warm......they love to scratch around in fresh straw especially after a big snow.....Kim

 

[chestypuller]

No HOA. Never lived in one, never will.

no hoa where we were either! it was the city enforcement rules. u better check the laws.

 

[chestypuller]

mine stopped laying, i dont know if its the new chicken introduction or just the cold itself, i provide them with no heat or lights. its light from 8 something am to 4 or 5 pm


looks like a nother one of the new ones didnt make it thru the weekend! (they are older)

 

[frostbite]

Hey Chesty, when they don't get 12-14 hours of light, they stop laying. We use the lights to keep their biological clocks ticking. I turn mine on at 8ish in the morning, and off at 9-10 at night, and they're still laying. I don't know if once they stop laying for the season they'll start up again when you get a light source, but the decreasing amounts of daily light is a powerful biologic trigger for them. More important than the temperature I think.

And an update on my recently departed rooster: Sir Roo, the Duke of Cornwall was delicious. I guess that's how you turn a bad rooster into a very GOOD rooster, just add potatoes, carrots, onions, and all your favorite herbs and cook for hours, then invite the whole family over, and serve with fresh corn bread.