What to do when it gets cold? And I mean COLD! :|

[justnewhere]

what should i use for insulating my intier coop????

 

[Bubba]

What do I do when it gets COLD! REALLY REALLY COLD!?!? Well I take my hand out of the freezer is all! Cold around here is 45 degrees burr oh so cold in Southern California!

Bubba

 

[hoosierhen]

There are coops made of straw bales that work well. I have built a modified version of a hay bale coop inside a shed I have to keep out the drafts. My chickens seem very happy thus far check out this website: http://hollygraphicart.com/misc/haybalecoop.html

 

[Scrambled Egg]

Since my chickens probably wouldn't wear parkas I had to resort to those soft glow, heat emitting red lizard lights from petsmart. I got 50watt and put two of them in their coop. They just emit enough heat to knock off the chill and the soft red glow is not deterring their sleep but is still allowingthem to see their food and water. They seem quite cozy. I put the bulbs in those fixtures they use in lizard cages, like the brooder fixtures but more shallow and without the outerwire cover. My chickens seem fat and happy. If our climates were colder here I would get a higher wattage buld to emit more heat but in North Carolina we don't get very cold so what I haveis great becasue mine are closed in at night anyway in their coop. Darlene

 

[hoosierhen]

I just went out and checked on my girls. The temp outside right now is 18 F. Inside the shed it is 30. I didn't check in the henhouse/roosting area, but it typically is 10-15 degrees higher than the outer area. They got their breakfast of warm oatmeal and grapes, and I sprinkled a little scratch as I was leaving. I didn't get MY breakfast yet- toast and coffee in the car on the way to work most likely. Gotta go to work now, see ya'll later!

 

[chickenranchwife]

If I can talk my dh into picking me up some bales I will add them to the coop, that was pretty cool how hoosierhen did that. I had considered that earlier, and now am wishing I woulda just done that instead of insulating with insulation and plywood.

 

[CutestChickenFarmer]

Hi everybody! Check out this site for some inexpensive and easy to install chicken coop heaters. They also have a timer that will turn on the heater when the inside temperature goes down to 35 degrees, and turns off when it goes back up to 45 degrees. Very cool!

http://www.shopthecoop.com/index.html

 

[chickenranchwife]

Can't get the website to come up Cutest chickenfarmer.

 

[CutestChickenFarmer]

Do a Google search for Shop The Coop. You'll get it.

 

[1acrefarm]

It is going to drop down to 29 which is alot colder than my animals are used to. Its windy too. I am going to cover the door to the barn soon. They have already had scratch today. They will get more at 3 in the morning. My pullets and cockeral are back in my living room enjoying the fireplace.