Trying to keep the coop warm.

Most people say don't heat the coop, I didn't last year and lost a bird every cold snap we had, after 3 lost hens I added heat, never lost another bird all winter. My chickens stay in the coop during the winter, I don't let them free range, my coop is 4 horse stalls, one stall I converted to there coop and I let them run the other stalls. I put a radiant heater in my coop, also had a heat lamp pointed at there waterers. I had a wireless thermostat in there coop as well, I kept the coop around 35-40 all winter, just enough heat to take the edge off for them.

We had many days of -15 in Ohio. Do I suggest it? Not really unless hens start dying, I will not be heating the coop unless I lose birds.
Was the humidity high? Everything I've read said if the humidity is high and its cold, that can cause frostbite and or death.


I built an extra run (for the winter) onto my coop that has a solid roof and plastic on all side.
I knew it would be a humidity trap so I decided to add a exhaust fan at a later date, instead of a passive vent. We had 2 cold mornings and sure enough, some condensation on the inside of the plastic. I added the exhaust fan that morning and ever since, no condensation.

My coop/run is as cold as it is outside.
Right now its 10F out. I know at least my cockerel is alive, I can hear him crowing.
The coldest it gets around here is about -22F, but I'm in the warmer part of Canada.

I don't want to use heat but like you, I will if I haft too.
 
We're a balmy -25 when I came down this morning. And no, I'm not joking...with the sun shining and a low breeze...it FEELS balmy compared to the last couple of days. I can touch a door knob without freeze burning my hand.

It looks like a few roosters may have had the tips of their combs touched slightly...won't know until later for certain. The heaters are off, it's too warm...they won't cycle on until it gets colder.

As for humidity, we had higher humidity last winter and the start of this one. (80%-90s%) The weather network is telling me it's 74% humidity right now. I've got to take my calibrated thermometer out to see what the actual is in the buildings. The thermometer I'm using is telling me it's about 10% higher humidity in the coop than the tractor shop...but still lower than what the weather channel's saying.

BrokeFarmerJohn, I'm so sorry to hear about your hens. Even with humidity...unless the change is sudden and drastic...I'm surprised your girls would succumb in your temps.
 
I'm more than a little surprised at the loss of Easter Eggers, too. I've had many of my EEs for almost 4 years now, don't heat or insulate my coop. I have plastic partially covering my run, and plenty of ventilation in the form of vents in each wall, gable vent, exhaust fan with the cover always left open, a pop door that is also open 24/7. I even raise chicks outdoors in the run in a wire brooder pen without a heat lamp.....I just use a heating pad on a frame of leftover fencing covered with straw and that's in temps in the teens and twenties with average winds of 40 mph many days and it's not unusual for those winds to get up to 60 mph with sideways blowing snow.

I have a mixed flock of EEs, a Red Sex Link, Blue Andelusians, a Light Brahma, a White Orpington, White Cochins, Ohio Buckeyes, Wellsummers, an Olive Egger, and even Silkies, all housed together with no issues. Humidity is the enemy, not the cold. As long as they are dry and out of winds strong enough to ruffle their feathers and let the warm, trapped air escape they do very well. But then, my goofy chickens even like being out in the snow.

We got our first major snowfall here on October 12th this year. For the past several days, we've been in the negative numbers for temps, and although it's supposed to warm up to the teens and twenties for a few days, by Friday our overnight low will be -14 again, if not lower. The first year I had chickens, we got our last snowfall on June 6th. So yep, we get pretty doggone cold here too, but generally our cold is a dryer cold than the midwest experiences. Having lived in eastern South Dakota most of my life, I get that. So the most important thing to do is keep humidity down in your coop with good ventilation and keeping bedding dry. I also keep my waterer out in the run. Humidity not only comes from the ambient air, it's also released with their droppings and their respiration.

To keep water from freezing we use a 5 gallon bucket with horizontal nipples and a stock tank heater rated as safe for plastic. The first year we had trouble with the nipples freezing and the ice putting back pressure on the trigger, releasing more water until we literally had icicles running from the nipples to the ground and spreading out in a frozen puddle from there. That generally happened anytime our temps went to about -17 or lower, and it was quickly thawed out with a heat gun, but it was a pain in the hiney! Not fun. So we changed buckets, moved the nipples up slightly higher, and moved the waterer into a sunny spot in the run and haven't had another problem the last 3 years with it.

Good luck with your chickens this year. That first winter is such a scary time - so uncertain and filled with worry. It does get easier after awhile, once you learn to rely on them to know how to protect themselves and you have found that humidity/fresh air balance that is so important. You've got this!!
 
There is clearly a meme that has developed on this website concerning temperature management during the winter. The meme is contrary to studies of temperature effects on poultry. Chickens have an optimum temperature range that is above freezing. As temperature drops below that chickens must compensate. Compensation can come in the following forms; finding locally warmer locations, restricting blood flow to extremities, fluffing up feathers, consuming more calories, and diverting nutrition resources from production to thermal regulation. Under extreme conditions this can result in hypothermia or even frost bite. Neither is just a function of high humidity in coop with insufficient ventilation. Having a small and tight comb (rose, pea or walnut) will not do much to protect feet from frostbite. If you want to keep birds in lay or control feed cost, then moderating temperature change can be employed. At some point cost of feed and productivity can exceed cost of adding a little heat. You do not have to heat coop to above freezing but doing just a few degrees, at least where birds loaf can have tremendous benefits.


All chickens to my knowledge are derived from subtropical to tropical ancestors. Considerable improvements have likely been made with respect to cold tolerance but during most of that time they were not expected to produce eggs or grow when temperatures where extremely low. Even the cold adapted Icelandics and their kin go out of lay during winter when photo-period is not extended.


In many ways this promotion of cold tolerance is in an effort to appear tough bit if the birds had a word in this discussion they would very clearly be saying provide us a little supplemental warmth when it gets really cold and windy.
 
There is clearly a meme that has developed on this website concerning temperature management during the winter. The meme is contrary to studies of temperature effects on poultry. Chickens have an optimum temperature range that is above freezing. As temperature drops below that chickens must compensate. Compensation can come in the following forms; finding locally warmer locations, restricting blood flow to extremities, fluffing up feathers, consuming more calories, and diverting nutrition resources from production to thermal regulation. Under extreme conditions this can result in hypothermia or even frost bite. Neither is just a function of high humidity in coop with insufficient ventilation. Having a small and tight comb (rose, pea or walnut) will not do much to protect feet from frostbite. If you want to keep birds in lay or control feed cost, then moderating temperature change can be employed. At some point cost of feed and productivity can exceed cost of adding a little heat. You do not have to heat coop to above freezing but doing just a few degrees, at least where birds loaf can have tremendous benefits.


All chickens to my knowledge are derived from subtropical to tropical ancestors. Considerable improvements have likely been made with respect to cold tolerance but during most of that time they were not expected to produce eggs or grow when temperatures where extremely low. Even the cold adapted Icelandics and their kin go out of lay during winter when photo-period is not extended.


In many ways this promotion of cold tolerance is in an effort to appear tough bit if the birds had a word in this discussion they would very clearly be saying provide us a little supplemental warmth when it gets really cold and windy.

Question for you. Several years ago I was interested in adding heat to the coop so we researched it. Not on this site, but talking to people who raised poultry and reading books on poultry and magazine articles. Several years ago We read articles about how many birds had died in the south the previous winter (Maybe three or four years ago. Time flies.) and the theme was aside from fires, many of the temps resulted in storms and wind that took electricity out and the birds died. They said more birds died in heated coops than in unheated. The claim was that the birds hadn't acclimated and the sudden removal of the warmth from the coop killed them.) That is one of the things we took into consideration making our choice.
Our coop is very well insulated and venelated. Our oldest birds are five years old and no one has frostbite on their combs, even the welsummer crosses and old English game bantams with larger combs.
We have an outside area that is concreted in on three sides and faces west. Even on cold days the chickens seem to enjoy dust bathing along the wall and they sit and sun themselves.
Several of us with chickens ( a variety of breeds), most of whom don't but a couple who do heat their coops were talking this week. I was asked more than once if my chickens come out during the winter. Those who provide heat said their chickens prefer staying in the coop.
Of course coops do protect from the wind and we have covered runs and in winter we cover an extra two sides and the chickens seem to enjoy being out in their runs even when it is snowing or raining. Usually we have some things in their runs to keep them busy and they seem to enjoy being out and about but it is their choice.
But my main fear is that if the birds have heat and it is removed through a power outage, then what? In the past seven years with hurricanes we were without power three days (mostly an inconvenience. Temperatures weren't bad and for 8 days when we had 11 inches of snow on the ground and temperatures were below freezing. That one was a problem.)
 
@dekel18042 after reading your text mine looks microscopic.

When is comes to increased losses associated with supplemental heating not complicated by fire, study needs to control for ventilation. Very early in the game here on this site I was one that pointed out ventilation caused condensate on feathers to degrade insulatory value of feathers making so even moderately cold temperatures can result in frost bite. I will bet the same parties employ supplemental heating are also inclined to limit ventilation to eke more temperature increase out of heater units, then when temperature drops feathers become saturated with moisture. That can be coupled with the real issue of acclimation when going from balmy to well below freezing with wet feathers.

If you are not seeing frost bite with then it is not getting all that cold. When one speaks of no supplemental heating, we seldom relate what the actual temperature is. Outside and temperature "in the coop" may not be realistic as far as birds are concerned. The temperature can be measured in three locations. First is on floor at lowest point in coop. Second is in immediate proximity to the roosting birds. Then measure what is outside. You will find the temperature in immediate proximity to the birds is warmer than the coolest point in the coop and even more so than what is outside.

Applying supplemental heat as I suggest is not to keep balmy so as to cause acclimation issues if heat source fails. Goal I suggest is keeping temperature of air contacting birds above -10 F. You are simply moderating temperature change when all is working well to preserve capacity for egg production and reduce need for additional feed. If power fails birds will feel it for sure but it will not be lethal or otherwise a health risk. When power comes back up feed consumption will drop and egg production will increase. This also means keeping ventilation relatively high.


I challenge you all to go out and measure the temperatures your birds are actually facing in contact with their bodies. Especially those of you with birds way up north and in cold / windy northern plains. Also report the number of birds. I will do the same with my birds that roost singly in open air pens positioned in a field. I bet my birds must suffer conditions very much in line those of more northern locals must endure. Here I will have to wait for an extreme weather event which may not be as cold as your average up north, yet temperature in contact with birds might make you rethink your positions on this.
 
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