Using pipe heating tape in winter coop? Your thoughts?

[valerie in CB]

My 5 hens are all cuddle together on the top shelf of the coop. I was curious about attaching heat tape to the underside of this roosting shelf. What are your thoughts about using the heat tape with a thermostat that turns on at 38 degrees and off at 43. I would need to attach some metal between the tape and shelf. What do you guys think?

http://www.amazon.com/M-D-Building-...&qid=1349709071&sr=1-3&keywords=m-d+heat+tape

 

[HEChicken]

How funny - I was just having the discussion with a friend earlier today. I've used heat tape for my herps and found it got too hot so I had to put it on a rheostat to turn it down to the right temp for them. If the hens were sitting directly on it, I'm afraid it would be too hot. My friend suggested she was going to put carpeting over the heat tape so diffuse the heat to a comfortable temp for them, and she was also going to put it on a thermostat.

How thick is your roost board? If it is too thick, I'm afraid the heat tape won't be sufficient to make a difference in temperature.

Another consideration is that if they grow reliant on the roost being heated, and you have a power outage, they will suffer the cold more than if they were acclimated to a cold roost from the beginning.

The other reason I probably would not bother is that although the roost might initially be cold when they get on it, they will warm it up with their own body heat sitting on it, so the cold is very short term. Think about sitting on a hard plastic chair and its initially cold but after a few minutes you have warmed it up so its comfortable.

 

[JackE]

On the coldest night, go stick your hand under a roosting hen, that will end all thoughts of heattape.
Jack

 

[Coop de Grass]

Truth!

On the coldest night, go stick your hand under a roosting hen, that will end all thoughts of heattape.
Jack

 

[Alaskan]

How cold does it get where you are at?

 

[aart]

How cold does it get where you are at?

Ancient thread....OP long gone.

 

[Alaskan]

Ancient thread....OP long gone.

I usually check for that

 

[BeckyBird]

How funny - I was just having the discussion with a friend earlier today. I've used heat tape for my herps and found it got too hot so I had to put it on a rheostat to turn it down to the right temp for them. If the hens were sitting directly on it, I'm afraid it would be too hot. My friend suggested she was going to put carpeting over the heat tape so diffuse the heat to a comfortable temp for them, and she was also going to put it on a thermostat.

How thick is your roost board? If it is too thick, I'm afraid the heat tape won't be sufficient to make a difference in temperature.

Another consideration is that if they grow reliant on the roost being heated, and you have a power outage, they will suffer the cold more than if they were acclimated to a cold roost from the beginning.

The other reason I probably would not bother is that although the roost might initially be cold when they get on it, they will warm it up with their own body heat sitting on it, so the cold is very short term. Think about sitting on a hard plastic chair and its initially cold but after a few minutes you have warmed it up so its comfortable.

Hi, you put up a great point, but this winter is going to get cold. However, we own modern game bantams. These birds do not handle temperatures below freezing well at all. It's also going to be below 20°, so we are looking for as many ways as possible to keep them warm. We are thinking about using heat tape for them, but it may just be easier to put a heat lamp in.

Another problem is that the ratio between female to male is way off, maybe 20% for one female. They are also a very aggressive breed toward new chickens of their own kind. This means we cannot just place all of them in a winter cage, or else the other roosters will peck their faces and injure them.

We did block ⅔ of their cage off, to shield their frail little bodies from the harsh wind however. We know a heat plate and lamp works, but since we have got a lot more of these little guys, we need new, and more solutions.

All in all, I would like to ask if heat tape is suitable on a wall, or on the floor.

 

[Alaskan]

Hi, you put up a great point, but this winter is going to get cold. However, we own modern game bantams. These birds do not handle temperatures below freezing well at all. It's also going to be below 20°, so we are looking for as many ways as possible to keep them warm. We are thinking about using heat tape for them, but it may just be easier to put a heat lamp in.

Another problem is that the ratio between female to male is way off, maybe 20% for one female. They are also a very aggressive breed toward new chickens of their own kind. This means we cannot just place all of them in a winter cage, or else the other roosters will peck their faces and injure them.

We did block ⅔ of their cage off, to shield their frail little bodies from the harsh wind however. We know a heat plate and lamp works, but since we have got a lot more of these little guys, we need new, and more solutions.

All in all, I would like to ask if heat tape is suitable on a wall, or on the floor.

You don't want to overlap or bend heat tape. So, it works well on a perch, if the tape is then covered with something to protect it.

For the floor, you probably want a heated mat, like what is used in a dog kennel. Again, cover the mat to protect it.


Also, check out my cold weather coop page:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/cold-weather-poultry-housing-and-care.72010/