To heat or not to heat

[Adrienne-m]

Should I heat my coop? It’s made of cedar and all cracks are caulked. Windows are tight and no drafts can get in. I’m in Missouri where winter might be 60 in the day and 15 at night or 69 one day and -4 the next. I ask because I posted in the emergency formula earlier about a possibly dying or egg bound chicken. Once she came inside and got a warm bath and a snack she seems better (let’s hope it stays that way). Im wondering now if they’re getting too cold though. All my breeds are supposedly cold hardy.

 

[Adrienne-m]

Picture of Princess in the tub just because

 

[Eva2020]

If you have cold hardy breeds and no drafts, I wouldn't worry at least for now. -4 does seem pretty cold though. Ventilation is most important though, if there is moisture that could lead to frostbite.

 

[DobieLover]

Can you please post pictures of your setup? When you write that you've closed it up tight that is an alarm bell. You need lots of ventilation and a dry coop so the chickens can keep themselves warm. You do not need heat at -4. My flock was fine at -23.
A highly stressed bird will benefit from a warm area regardless of the ambient temperature. I hope she recovers but it is coincidental to the cold temp, but caused by it.

 

[Folly's place]

Pretty tight' sounds like 'no ventilation' to me! There needs to be plenty of ventilation, preferably high in the coop, above their roosting bars. It's best to have the coop humidity about the same as ambient conditions. If there's ever condensation in the coop, that's really very bad.
Mary