To heat or not to heat the coop?

[Hokum Coco]

I'm seeing mixed reviews on heating a chicken coop in the winter.

And the mix continues.

You will see as many opinions on this subject as there are Backyard Chicken owners. Which I have come to believe are not wrong just what works for them.


Heating your coop has it's advantages it would cut down on feed cost to name just one.

What happens to your birds in a power failure and they are used to we will say 0º C and now are at the mercy of the elements?

Possibly the same thing that would happen to you car if it was not winterized is one scenario.

 

[Leigti]

OK OK, I won't worry about having corn on hand for them this winter.

 

[Blooie]

I'm in Northwestern Wyoming not too far from Yellowstone Park. I don't heat or insulate my coop, and aside from the addition of a few suet cages filled with homemade suet once in awhile I don't change their diets one bit. I feed an all flock which is higher in protein than layer because I have a mixed flock, and offer oyster shell on the side in a separate container. I don't know if the suet does a darn thing for them, but by hanging a few of them on the side of the run just at the edge of their neck-craning reach I think I'm helping bust some of their winter boredom. I fill maybe 4 of them and hang them up, then let 'em have at it. (I currently have 20+ chickens) In summer I cram those same suet cages with ice cold watermelon or chunks of whatever I have on hand.

My chickens happen to like the snow and cold, so I just open up the people door and let 'em go out if they want to. Yep, they much prefer that over unbearable summer heat! As long as they have dry housing with lots of ventilation, and protection from strong winds, they do just fine. Our run is mostly covered, with the south side usually left all the way open except on really nasty days, and a big gap on the North side. Ventilation is just as critical in the run as in the coop, especially when the weather is really bad and they have to be confined for a day or so. Even if mine don't venture into the bad weather outside, they do spend all of their waking hours out in the run - I keep their pop door open between the coop and the run open all of the time, year round.


This was us on October 12.....you can see the coop and covered hoop run behind the trellis.






They look miserable, don't they?

Silly chickens!