To Heat or Not to Heat-That is the Question

[pasuit]

Sounds like you've got it all figured out. Be careful choosing the heated water. I bought one that didn't have a top fill. It was plastic and filled from the bottom and when it was full and you put the bottom on, I had to turn it over. It was 5 gal and so heavy to turn over I had water everywhere. LOL

 

[featherhead007]

Depends on the breed. If you are only concerned about nighttime you could bring them inside to sleep

i do bring them inside, but not for their comfort but mine!

 

[RonP]

I did install a heat lamp for the winter but it has a guard on it and it is not where the chickens can fly into it. The coop is 5 x 11 and the lamp gives just enough heat to keep it above freezing I hope.

Interesting.

How many birds are in your coop?

How many square feet of ventilation do you have?

How cold does it get outside?

 

[WhatAboutBob?]

View media item 7897382Ventilaion! No heat! 6 degrees last night and all was well! My eaves are open also and covered with Hardware Cloth!View media item 7897385Like someone else said, they have the coats we yearn for - down!

 

[NNYchick]

It was 17F with real feel of -2 this morning blowing and snowing. I was out changing water and checking feed. Everyone was going about Thier normal morning eating, scratching in the deep litter, roo crowing and broody brooding no one seemed the least bit phased chatting away. My pen is open I am putting plastic on the large areas in the front and north up to triangle at top to keep the wind and snow from blowing through. As my husband didn’t put enough of an over hang on the roof otherwise I’d leave it open. This is home to 8 Silkies one of which is sitting on 8 eggs right now. I do have deep litter and an insulated igloo dog house that they pile in at night.

 

[Rhode island Rooster]

my chickens get temperatures down to -25. i do use heat lamps but only because of the water. if you have a electric water then dont worry about heat. tell your mom to think of the 1800s when there was no heat for the chickens in the winter.

 

[cheekiechickie]

I have only had chickens for a few years now, and never used heat in the winter, but want to get some feedback. I have two hens that are in a bad molt right now, They are nearly naked and temps are dropping below zero night and the wind is making the days frigid as well. The water is always kept outside in the pen, but they two hens won't leave the door of the coop. I have moved the water as close to the door as I can but I haven't seen them go out for days now. I have plastic tarps up to stop the wind, but do I also need to heat the pen so they will come out???

 

[pasuit]

Interesting.

How many birds are in your coop?

How many square feet of ventilation do you have?

How cold does it get outside?

 

[gretchen22]

This is my first winter with 4 large brown chickens. It got down to 14 degrees last night. I'm not into heating. The girls did great! I was pleasantly surprised. I do have tarps up to shield them from the wind. My coop has some drafts. I did put Vaseline on their combs just in case of frost bite.

 

[pasuit]

I have enough venting for the entire coop. Right now I have about10 in this coop. I have two more coops further back with another 9 there that I'm selling. I've sold about 70. I got over zealous in February and not sure how many I hatched.LOL. I didn't want to go into the winter slipping and sliding down the hill.