To heat or not to heat

[tree48]

I have 6 chickens. Do I need to heat the coop with a lamp. I am heating it now. It is going to be 29 degrees tonight. How else could I heat the coop.

 

[Fred's Hens]

You'll get all kinds of responses. Some do try to heat, but the majority of folks don't heat their coops. You're free to spin the electric meter, as the Power Company will love you!

 

[mickey328]

Let me be the second to weigh in...as long as their coop is well ventilated but the wind doesn't blow directly on the birds, it's unlikely you'll need to heat. They generate a lot of heat and down is very good insulation

 

[longlegz86]

Thanks for asking this because I was wondering the same thing with mine. I have panels of some of the walls to block wind but wasnt sure if it was good enough..... I just want them to live and not die. If someone could look at my pictures and let me know if its ok to not use heat, id appreciate it.

 

[longlegz86]

You'll get all kinds of responses. Some do try to heat, but the majority of folks don't heat their coops. You're free to spin the electric meter, as the Power Company will love you!

I dont want to give them any more of my money than need be. Its already too much in my book! lol

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

It depends on the breeds you have, and what kind of coop.

If you have seramas I have heard they require some warmth.

Some breeds, like my tiny bantams, really benefit from an insulated coop. In the microclimate where my coops are, I would question their ability to survive without a light bulb when it gets down to our coldest point if they weren't in an insulated coop. This is because of the dampness of our winters.

If you can keep your coop nice and dry, and draft-free, then you are good to go! There should still be ventilation (like windows up high) but you don't want the wind blowing on the chickens as they roost.

I have my large fowl in a metal shed, and only will be giving them a light for warmth when we get down to 10-20 degrees, because it is ridiculously damp here. The dampness permeates the coop and everything in it. I even get mold in my coops and have to bleach them out in the winter.

My tiny bantams will be getting a 100 watt bulb in their insulated coop when it gets down to around 30 and below. Which is kind of a short-lived thing here where I live. We usually are in the 40s and 50s during the winter, with LOTS of rain!

So it is somewhat of a shock to my chickens to all of a sudden have to deal with that cold snap we always get for a few weeks each year, down to 20s and even 10s.

IF I lived somewhere where I could keep a nice dry coop and it was cold all the time, I would not even worry if I had large fowl unless it got amazingly cold.

 

[tree48]

Where are the pics.

 

[tree48]

Thanks it is cold n dry here. The person I got the chickens from heated the coop. I am going to build a new insulated coop next summer with a heated floor. It is going to be a five star coop

 

[grammym]

chickens are sweet - where are you located? I'm in Sequim between Port Townsend and Port Angeles. Are you anywhere near here?

 

[longlegz86]

chickens are sweet - where are you located? I'm in Sequim between Port Townsend and Port Angeles. Are you anywhere near here?

My sister is in Bremerton