Truth time...when do you put the heater in the coop?

[Impress]

Never! I do like to bake them a nice warm loaf of bread to hang from their entertainment chain every day when it is super cold, and sometimes they get hot oatmeal.

 

[Beekissed]

Your birds may be molting, which is natural. Many chickens seem to be bald throughout the coldest part of winter due to late molting issues and I often wonder how they can stand the cold, but they seem to do very well and, before you know it, they are fully feathered again around the middle or the end of January.

I'd just make sure they have plenty of deep, dry litter into which they can snuggle during the daytime. At night their flock mates seem to keep them warm.

 

[ChickenMack]

I, too, never put heat in the coop. But last year, I read a book by a British chicken keeper and they stated that they don't take the dirty litter out of the coop but just keep adding clean on top of it so the chickens have a near clean floor in which to walk. In doing so, the litter and poop on the floor begin to compost which generates a small amount of heat which can add just enough heat for the roosting chickens, as heat rises.

I tried this last winter and I think it worked out pretty well. I use straw on the floor and in the early spring when I cleaned out the house, the litter was dry- no mold, no moisture and it did not stink as bad as I thought it would- behold the wonders of composting. But you do have to be careful not to let the litter get too deep, if I recall, the highest point it should reach is seven inches and then be mucked out. If there is moisture present on your floor, don't do it, you can get mold and that is bad for the chickens.

For this winter, I have built a "poop tray" under their roost, last year it was deposited on the floor so this worked really well but now with the tray, I will clean it out regularly and not to do this for a source of heat, but I will not supplement with a lamp either. They will just have to be chickens and use the coat nature gave them.

 

[toofarout]

Quote:
At -30F I turned the heat lamp on *OVER THE GOATS*.
It was -47F yesterday morning (outside) and I still didn't put any heat on the chickens.
Last night it was -42F, they survived. Noone has frostbite.

This morning it was -35F, a heat-wave! The chickens were certainly much happier and clearly more comfortable. So was I. ;-)
The chickens and the goats are in the same little barn, but separated by walls. The heat lamp over the goats helps raise the overall air temperature somewhat.

I don't know at what temperature I would provide the chickens direct heat.
I'd rather just have more chickens to put out their own body heat, seriously.
This is my first year with chickens.

 

[featherz]

-47??! OK, you win! LOL.. We got to -26 last winter and I didn't use heat. Not even for the pullet bantam d'uccles in a plywood coop.. not even for the big combed leghorns. Leghorns got a bit of frostbite that healed (no tips lost), probably due to the water bowl in the coop. Now I cover the bowl at night. My big combed roo lost a few tips but the other 20 birds were fine.

+19 is our low to date and even the 8 week olds are doing fine.

 

[Yay Chicks!]

Quote:
Hi, and

You really don't need a heater in your coop, even at -5. My birds are currently in various stages of molt and some are quite bare in spots. You don't say how old your birds are. Are they molting as well? Just give them some extra protein some times to help grow feathers. A smaller coop, as you say you have, makes it easier for them to huddle up as well. I put an extra thick layer of pine shavings on the floor for insulation, but that is all.

 

[featherz]

Forgot to mention, I use deep litter as well. Just keep layering on the pine shavings. Worked great!

 

[johnsons-r-us]

Quote:
At -30F I turned the heat lamp on *OVER THE GOATS*.
It was -47F yesterday morning (outside) and I still didn't put any heat on the chickens.
Last night it was -42F, they survived. Noone has frostbite.

This morning it was -35F, a heat-wave! The chickens were certainly much happier and clearly more comfortable. So was I. ;-)
The chickens and the goats are in the same little barn, but separated by walls. The heat lamp over the goats helps raise the overall air temperature somewhat.

I don't know at what temperature I would provide the chickens direct heat.
I'd rather just have more chickens to put out their own body heat, seriously.
This is my first year with chickens.

Ok, I will admit, I would break down and put a heater in with the chickens if it got that cold. Yikes!

 

[dragonlair]

never, mine generate their own.

 

[DraigAthar]

Quote:
Never! Just a heating tray to keep the water from freezing.

Amy