Topic of the Week - Heat Sources: Yes or No?

[5Australorpasaures]

No heat, I keep cold hearty type birds. Had a flock of RIRs who roosted in a high hedge all winter. Did use the coop during rain and snow and to lay though.

 

[Winderdear]

Would you mind explaining your "battery power"? Sounds interesting.
Thanks!

Sure! We have a transportable battery bank that can be charged off ac, dc or solar. I think ours is a Bluetti AC200MAX, but there are a lot of them on the market. At full charge it can run two chicken panel heaters all night on the heat setting (the higher setting, not brooder). The panels together drew about 400w. The battery bank has its issues, but it’s reliable enough. We used this method a couple years ago with our first four chickens and it worked well, because we didn’t have power to the coop at that time.

 

[Nanook33]

Thank you so much for your information. This is something we'll look into. Our electric company wants to get rich fast & this looks like a great alternative. Our 6 hens & 1 rooster thank you, also!

 

[Winderdear]

Thank you so much for your information. This is something we'll look into. Our electric company wants to get rich fast & this looks like a great alternative. Our 6 hens & 1 rooster thank you, also!

So glad I could help!

 

[My Very First 6 Chickens]

I really appreciate this response. I have had chickens for 11 1/2 years now and have never used any sort of heat, but this is the first year I've been thinking of adding one of those radiant heat panels to our coop. I have 2 older girls...one is 11 1/2 and the other 9 1/2 and I'm thinking they might benefit from a little extra warmth on colder nights. Do you have a radiant heat panel that you recommend? Also, did you typically add heat just for a portion of the night?

We'll see! I got two.

 

[tarahharlin]

We'll see! I got two.
View attachment 4257887

This is the same one I just got!

 

[MamaPoult]

I live in a place where it has gotten to -60f but winter usually stays at about -20f. If it is crazy cold I have preperations for heat but otherwise I don't use it. I have cold hardy breeds and a well insulated coop that stays about 20 degrees warmer then outside. I've been judged at times for my method but my chickens have never gotten any frostbite anywhere and seem perfectly happy lol. They acclimate to harsh temperatures just like us.

 

[Finchbreeder]

As anything under 0C is really rare - no heating - just wind protection.
But auto retic to keep them hydrated in our up to 45C (104F) summers.

 

[NorthwoodsChick]

After having a winter hearty (Marans) hen freeze to death and my rooster lose all comb and wattles to frostbite last January in
-teens to -20 I faithfully use heat. I have a whole house geni and a will-do attitude on the issue now. The coop where those frozen birds were is now a three season coop and all birds winter over in the OG coop- a sterdy fiberglass utility building with excellent insulation. I have an oil filled radiant heater powered on right now even though highs are in the 10-20’s. Why now?? Well, because the 9 month old Marans pullets chose to begin a heavy molt last week! Girls got their feathers in a twist and one molting won’t dare be outdone by another. It’s getting to low single digits this week- poor girls really looked cold in the run today (covered and wrapped but ventilated) so I set up the heater.

 

[prussik hitch]

View attachment 4005558​

Heated coops can be controversial. This week, let’s discuss whether you use heat sources in winter and why or why not. For example:

• What’s your take on using heat lamps or other heaters in the coop?
• Have you had any safety concerns or incidents related to heat sources?
• What are alternative ways you keep the coop warm without using electrical heat?
• How do you ensure your chickens acclimate properly to the cold?

Anything else you'd like to add.

For a complete list of our Topic of the Week threads, see here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/topic-of-the-week-thread-archive

We use a radiator, never a heat lamp due to fire concerns. The cord is routed outside and plugged into the extension cord there to ensure safety. It breaks my heart every time I hear of a coop burning.