to keep my chickens warm for the winter

[JoeWen]

Hi everyone I hope that everyone is doing great today. I am looking for away to keep my chickens warm this winter my chicken coop is 4 foot by 5 foot I want to keep my few chickens healthy and warm fr the winter it has begin so long since I have had any chickens. I have them a red light so that the white doesn't hurt them at night. But I would really like any advice. Thank you in advance.




Thank You
Wen

 

[21hens-incharge]

Hi Wen.

What part of the country are you in? Knowing your climate will help folks to help you.

I am in gardening zone 5 but we get zone 4 temps often enough that zone 5 plants are hit and miss.

We get to -20 at night in the winter with sometimes a week or two that we don't get above zero. Bloody cold!

I do not heat my coops. I do run a bucket heater to keep thawed water available. No sick birds, lots of frozen eggs and only one very mild case of frostbite in about 9 years.
My coops are walk in style. One is 8'x14' the other is 6'x8' total number of birds is 31.

If you do decide to use that heater I strongly recommend you secure it twice and then twice more. Every year we see threads about the lights causing fires and even burning down the human house.

 

[CapricornFarm]

You might want to post the age of your chickens and your climate there. You may not even need heat. Also very important is the amount of ventilation, so pictures of your coop would be helpful.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Where do you live? In most cases chickens need no extra help staying warm. They have a nice warm coat of feathers and down. They keep themselves warm. Adding extra heat causes more problems and doesn't do any good.

 

[FlyingNunFarm]

You'll get lots of opinions on to heat or not to heat. LOL

The main concerns are fire and power loss. If you lose power and the chickens lose heat they are not acclimated to the cold.

Obviously you don't want them to be cold. But depending on climate and weather they may not be as cold as you think.

Be prepared with a plan B if temps really drop. But I personally don't heat my coop.

 

[blackdog043]

Your general location and a pic of your coop would be helpful, for better answers. Good ventilation without a breeze is what you need. They can keep themselves warm with their nice down coat.

 

[JoeWen]

Hi Wen.

What part of the country are you in? Knowing your climate will help folks to help you.

I am in gardening zone 5 but we get zone 4 temps often enough that zone 5 plants are hit and miss.

We get to -20 at night in the winter with sometimes a week or two that we don't get above zero. Bloody cold!

I do not heat my coops. I do run a bucket heater to keep thawed water available. No sick birds, lots of frozen eggs and only one very mild case of frostbite in about 9 years.
My coops are walk in style. One is 8'x14' the other is 6'x8' total number of birds is 31.

If you do decide to use that heater I strongly recommend you secure it twice and then twice more. Every year we see threads about the lights causing fires and even burning down the human house.

Hi my Coop is 4 foot by 4 foot and 5 foot it is open all around except for the top and bottom. During the winters at night we get some single digit so snow and ice

 

[Hokum Coco]

My method is quite simple one extra feeder of whole corn. I live in Canada subject to -40º. I have Golden Comet hens raised various types of chickens and birds for decades.

TLC still has to be provided to birds that may not be adapting well to the diet. For the most part birds are vocal happy and do just fine. NO HEAT NO EXTRA LIGHT please and thank you works fine for me and my flock.

If for any reason you find it necessary to supply electricity to your coop via extension cord.

Please employ a "Ground Fault Outlet" also use a "Safety Chain" in conjunction to any heat lamp or incandescent bulb after mounting.
One coop fire is too many and these precautions could be the difference.

 

[Mrs. Light Sussex]

There are several things you could (and should) do to help your chickens stay warm in the winter.
1. Make sure the coop is not windy. Feathers are a chickens natural insulator trapping hot air that was warmed by the body. Wind ruffling the feathers, will not only ruin the feathers insulating properties, it will also chill the birds.
2. Make sure the coop has ample ventilation. The vent openings should be high up so wind won't blow on them. Moisture and cold air combined are very dangerous, it will cause the chickens to loose their body heat.
3. Make sure the chickens have access to high quality feed, especially before they go to sleep. A crop full of nutritious, high calorie food (such as corn, soy, hard boiled eggs etc.) will help them maintain their body heat in the cold nights.
4. Add warming herbs and spices to their diet. Such as: black pepper, cloves, cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, garlic, ginger, cumin, cayenne chilies, turmeric ans sweet basil. Just a word of warning, if your hens are laying, go easy on the sharp tasting spices, the chickens won't mind it if will affect the egg flavor. Btw, feeding egg-layers turmeric will make the yolks a bright yellow.

 

[21hens-incharge]

A 4x4x5 is very small to even think about using a heat lamp.

Your birds would have no way to get out from under the heat at all. Even in a chick brooder the chicks need a fully cooled area to avoid overheating. Your big girls will do fine with no added heat I believe.

One thing not yet asked is what breeds do you have?