Watering Cups VS. Nipples - new and older chicks

[Dea 58]

Is your coop insulated and heated?

 

[wamtazlady]

Minus 35 is nasty cold. How do you heat your coop?

No heat. No insulation. Just lots of ventilation up high to get the moisture out of the coop. A dry chicken is a warm chicken. Chickens spend their days out in the run where their food and water is kept. Run is covered with 3 sides also covered in clear vinyl.
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[Dea 58]

They would freeze to death here. -45 wind chills often. My coop is very well insulated.

 

[wamtazlady]

They would freeze to death here. -45 wind chills often. My coop is very well insulated.

There should be NO wind chill factor. A coop should have no wind blowing in on the birds. Keeping the wind off the birds is why I have 3 sides of the run covered in clear vinyl.

 

[wamtazlady]

The problem with insulating a coop is that you might want to close it up to hold the heat in. When you close it up moisture builds up in the coop. A bird is more likely to get frostbite when the moisture level in the coop is high. By breathing and pooping the birds can add a lot of humidity to a coop. Again, a dry chicken is a warm chicken.


When I first got chickens it was hard to believe that I did not need insulation or heat. Got down to -26 F that first winter. Those 12 pullets laid 8 to 10 eggs a day no matter how cold it got. They were outside in their run all day pecking and eating and drinking and doing all sorts of chicken things. That convinced me that the people who told me about lots of venitlation were right.

 

[Dea 58]

There should be NO wind chill factor. A coop should have no wind blowing in on the birds. Keeping the wind off the birds is why I have 3 sides of the run covered in clear vinyl.

 

[Dea 58]

I use an actual building with a sliding vinyl window and insulated door. Screen door for hot summer nights. Here in the middle of Canada cold can start near halloween and last until mid April. Was 20 below Celsius last night.

The problem with insulating a coop is that you might want to close it up to hold the heat in. When you close it up moisture builds up in the coop. A bird is more likely to get frostbite when the moisture level in the coop is high. By breathing and pooping the birds can add a lot of humidity to a coop. Again, a dry chicken is a warm chicken.


When I first got chickens it was hard to believe that I did not need insulation or heat. Got down to -26 F that first winter. Those 12 pullets laid 8 to 10 eggs a day no matter how cold it got. They were outside in their run all day pecking and eating and drinking and doing all sorts of chicken things. That convinced me that the people who told me about lots of venitlation were right.

 

[Dea 58]

I agree with u. We lost power to our barns in a blizzard many years back. Even with the door wide open we lost a lot of hogs especially in the back of the barn. No fans meant trouble. My coop has a fan that fits the window opening

 

[Dea 58]

I agree with u. We lost power to our barns in a blizzard many years back. Even with the door wide open we lost a lot of hogs especially in the back of the barn. No fans meant trouble. My coop has a fan that fits the window opening