Thinking about heating my chicken house

[Mistress-with-birbs]

We use an oil heater similiar to the one you have linked here. My coop is a half of a shed, with the other half being storage. We keep the heater on the side away from the chickens (away from bedding). I don't keep the coop heated throughout winter, but periodically heat it as needed. I use it when we have extended cold spells to protect not only the chickens but other supplies stored out in the coop. I have also used it when we have young chicks brooding in the coop or when I had injured chickens in the coop and didn't have a heated waterer for indoors. A family member (who has electrical experience but is not an electrician) said the oil heater is one of the safest options because there is nothing exposed and therefore shouldn't be a fire hazard. We've used this heater for 2 or 3 winters now without a problem.

thanks for sharing your experience!

 

[aart]

Northern Arkansas US

How often does it get down that low...and for how long?
Plenty of people in much colder areas don't use any heat(except for waterers)for their coops. Here in MI we often have temps stay in the teens for days and nights on end without much stress on the birds, as long as they can stay out of the wind they are fine.
If we have single digits(or lower) for more than a couple days/nights then I will give some electrolytes every 2-3 days and it really helps.
Trying to keep the temps up in a coop means you'll have to block ventilation, which is NOT good and can be more dangerous than the cold....please don't do that.

Oh, and... here's how to add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!

 

[TexasBlues]

I thought this was an informative read on the subject at hand:

“Modern Fresh-Air Poultry Houses”
https://www.gnipsel.com/files/chickens/mfaph.pdf

 

[Debbie292d]

We use an oil heater similiar to the one you have linked here. My coop is a half of a shed, with the other half being storage. We keep the heater on the side away from the chickens (away from bedding). I don't keep the coop heated throughout winter, but periodically heat it as needed. I use it when we have extended cold spells to protect not only the chickens but other supplies stored out in the coop. I have also used it when we have young chicks brooding in the coop or when I had injured chickens in the coop and didn't have a heated waterer for indoors. A family member (who has electrical experience but is not an electrician) said the oil heater is one of the safest options because there is nothing exposed and therefore shouldn't be a fire hazard. We've used this heater for 2 or 3 winters now without a problem.

My hubby IS an electrician and we looked at this heater as being safe. An added plus is he wired our coop with a GFI outlet. We opted for the one I posted above though. 7 years and no problem. I have one under my desk too.

 

[Ted Brown]

I thought this was an informative read on the subject at hand:

“Modern Fresh-Air Poultry Houses”
https://www.gnipsel.com/files/chickens/mfaph.pdf

Agree that it is relevant to the discussion.

This is Prince Woods' book from which the "popular" Woods coop, often discussed herein, is derived. I have a 10' x 16' Woods coop built as originally described in the book (see "My Coop). Most Woods coops discussed on BYC use modern "stick framing"; the original design is a construction approach that is less expensive and simpler to build.

Beyond his discussions about various fresh air designs the book covers a broad array of topics related to chicken keeping. an easy read well worth the time.

 

[Debbie292d]

Any form of heater will radiate energy to it's surrounding (air) as long as the air is at a lower temperature than the heater.

Case in point, the hutch in our grow-out pen has a cozy coop in the back of it. The whole thing is about 3' square. I have a Govee about 18" out from the back and up against the wall. When it was 17F the other night, it showed 30 degrees higher, and that's with 3 little 2 mo. old silkies in there. They were of course plastered up against the cozy coop though.

 

[Ted Brown]

As indicated above I have an fresh air coop that is unheated.

I am five years into my chicken journey and I "refresh" my flock with at least one hatch per year. They go from the incubator to a grow out box for 4 weeks by which time they are fully feathered. I then move them to the area under my drop board to integrate with the main flock.

This year I also did a late fall hatch and followed the same process. In my experience 4 week old chicks have no problem with the cold of late fall and winter without additional heat.

 

[Debbie292d]

Oh yes they do, just like we do.
The problem the chicken has, is it's keeper won't know how cold is too cold until the bird drops dead.
Despite all the breeding and the climate acclimatization the chickens bilogy is still that of a sub tropical bird. Comfort range is still 10C to 30C.
They may well not die at lower temperatures but that doesn't mean they are comfotable.

Amen to this! I wish people wouldn't judge those who just want their chickens to be more comfortable and safe in case the temperatures dip to sub-zero.

Those saying 1 sq foot ventilation per chicken must be talking about the lower half of the U.S. because that would mean 1/3 of my coop roof or wall would be ventilated and that's crazy. We have a digital exhaust fan that keeps our coop ventilated just fine. We use horse pellets on the floor and in the nest boxes, and 1st Sat Lime on the perches, so there is never ever any ammonia or smell. We shouldn't be dictating anything as there are feelings involved here as well as the different climates and situations.

 

[Shadrach]

Case in point, the hutch in our grow-out pen has a cozy coop in the back of it. The whole thing is about 3' square. I have a Govee about 18" out from the back and up against the wall. When it was 17F the other night, it showed 30 degrees higher, and that's with 3 little 2 mo. old silkies in there. They were of course plastered up against the cozy coop though.

I just want to make it clear that I'm not recommending you heat your coop, nor am I fundamentally aganst it either.
I contributed to the thread initially to correct the idea that a chicken would need to be in direct contact with the radiant plate for it to provide any heat.
If one is going to heat a coop then a radiant plate correctly fitted with cables encased in a strong waterproof conduit is the best heating option in my opinion.

Better still would be to have a coop that is built to cope with low temperatures.
Double skinned walls, floor and ceiling is one option with ventilation arranged such that in warmer weather the air flow can be substantially increased. Good ventilation is about air flow, not how big the holes are.
One good indicator of air flow is the level of condesation found in the coop. If the coop remain condensation free then the warm damp air is being removed at a high enough rate. Adding a heater will produce more rising warm moist air (warm moist air rises faster then dry) and this may show problems with air flow.

 

[BarnyardChaos]

I am in Missouri north of the river, so we experience temps like yours and a bit colder. I absolutely canNOT sleep if I worry that my chickens are shivering - and yes, I've got three right now half naked with temps in the teens forecast this coming week. (I wonder too... what the heck are they thinking?!?!?) I have 42 birds in a very large (8' x 22') converted camper coop.

So yes, I do heat my coop when the temps dip below 20-deg-F. My goal is to keep the temp inside the coop at 20-30 degrees, no more, no less. They can roam outside if the cold is to their liking, but they can also escape inside to warm up if they need to. I let the chickens show me what they need. Now... when there is a snowstorm going on (or just passed, and the wind and temps tank to arctic numbers), I may keep the birds inside 24/7 for as long as a week if needed. There's plenty of room, plenty of ventilation, fresh unfrozen water and food... so no need to risk frostbite outdoors.

I use two heat lamps. Yes, heat lamps. Very well secured by two separate methods, and out-of-reach. There is no way these things can fall or get knocked loose. They are powered by brand-new outdoor cords, sealed dry connections, surge-protected power strip, and a GFCI outlet. Yes, coop fires can happen, but I believe most are due to faulty installation, improper/sub-par materials, and poor maintenance. Electricity is no joke.

Well, anyway...
I have two of the heaters linked in this thread, the oil-filled radiant heater and a smaller flat-panel heater. Both work wonders. However, I only use those heaters when brooding chicks in cold weather, in a tiny 'nursery' coop. You mention that your coop is tiny, so I would not go with your brother's suggestion; your flat panel 100-200-watt heater will be FINE. The brother's oil-filled heater is 700-watts; too much for a tiny space. You don't want to HEAT the space, you just need to knock off some of the chill, right?

My small flat-panel heater heats a 4'x7' coop with baby chicks just fine (and for this purpose, I do need to *heat* it, not just knock off the chill). On the coldest nights I may give them a heat lamp as well depending on their age. Checking on them at 2am when temps are 15-degrees outside, I see the thermometer inside hovering at about 45-degrees. I see the babies huddled around the perimeter of the heat lamp and near both sides of the flat panel. Cozy and happy.

As for grown birds, you would be surprised to know how well feathers can insulate. About as well as a goose-down comforter

As others have said, the key is proper ventilation. It cannot be emphasized enough. You see (BTDT), if the vents are closed, humidity builds up from the chickens' breathing and droppings. Humid air causes frostbite quicker and at higher temps than dry air. Keep the humidity LOW as possible, vent the warm moist air UP and out, and your chickens can handle temps lower than you realize. Keep them closed up and semi-warm, and as soon as they venture outside into the frigid air, they'll get frostbite.

So... vent the coop near the ceiling, but provide supplemental heated *areas* at the floor and roost areas for them to hover near if needed and to take some of the chill off. Let them choose how much heat or cold they want.

I keep reminding myself of a visit to Canada in January. We vacationed for a week in a log cabin with no electricity and no running water, to ride snowmobiles and play cards. We heated the place with a pot-bellied stove and wood, and melted snow and ice for water. We had a blast. Whiskey helped. Well anyway, one day I went outside to talk to my brother who was repairing one of the skiddoos. In my T-shirt. The temp was about 20-deg-F, no wind, sunny skies. I was COMFORTABLE for about 20 minutes or so. I can't do that in Missouri; the cold would be brutal after only a few minutes. You see, the difference is HUMIDITY. Dry cold can be tolerable, as long as you don't expose your skin to WET and WIND. Damp cold is dangerous. You see?