What to heat my coop with???

[janastasio]

I have been watching the multiple winter water, winter heating posts coming through. It has made me think about my set up this year. I ended up deciding to keep my 600 gallon stock tank open for the winter for the ducks to swim and drink in. My goal is to keep their coop dryer over the winter. I do have 10 chickens that share the space with the 34 ducks, so I will need to put a water source away from where the ducks can get it. I am contemplating putting a heater into my coop this year. My coop is located under my garage, so starting a fire is a BIG worry! What does everyone use here??? I have used nothing over the last 5 years but dread that miserable look they all get when it gets cold!

 

[chikky]

I haven't tried this, but what about a heated pet mat about the size of 10 chickens? Mine have to tough it out since I don't have elec. in the shed. I just stock them up with straw and close them in at night- the chickens, that is. They're in their own enclosed nest area inside the shed. The silly ducks think they have to stay outside and goof off, but I did put in a pool heater and have heated water dishes for the ducks and chickens.

 

[duckyfromoz]

Being that you have 34 ducks- I am trying to picture the size of the area you have to try to warm up - it must be a relatively large area- so what ever you did cost would have to be a big concern as well. I was considering getting a column oil heater for mine last year- but in the end realised that they would pretty much have to sit on it to benefit. One thing I did notice with mine last winter was the amount of humidity they produced just from breathing. It gets to freezing point here at night- but rarely below that- so I havent ever had to provide heat for them. I just make sure they are in a clean dry pen free from drafts.

I just though also to add a warning to anyone using hay bales as insulation. Please make sure they are reinforced and not just stacked on top of each other. Years ago my neighbour lost a goose when hay bales fell on it. It was neatly stacked- but still somehow fell. I would hate for anyone to loose and birds in some such similar freak accident over the winter months.

 

[katharinad]

Quote:
I have my duck house insulated and run an oil filled heater in the 10x20 room. I have it on a 600 watt setting on medium dial. This keeps the duck house at 50-60F at night when the temps are around freezing, and at 40F when the temps are below 20F. Obviously I run it way lower then that, because they do not need 50-60F. I only run it higher for those nights that get really cold. I'm aiming for 40F. I've also noticed that it does dry out the duck house a little and I don't have so much condensation.

The hay bales do have to get secured because they weigh about 100 pounds each! I did put them up around my small pen as a wind breaker. I tied the bales to the fence so they cannot fall over. I know people that build little houses out of bales, but they do use plywood for the roof and cover that one with more bales.

 

[dumb_cluck]

The hay bales do have to get secured because they weigh about 100 pounds each! I did put them up around my small pen as a wind breaker.

100 lbs? I must be strong then......I can swing them easily into a stack for my mini horses.​

 

[katharinad]

Did a quick search on bale sizes. I thought they were all one size, but apparently they vary a lot. It seem to depend on the machine used. My bales are 4 feet long and 2 feet wide and another 2 feet thick. They are huge. My husband used a hand truck to move them into place and that was hard work for him. He is 6'2" tall and a big strong guy on top of that.

 

[dumb_cluck]

Must be very large square bales. Mine are about 15-20 lb each.

 

[Jenski]

In my larger coop I keep a DeLonghi oil-filled heater (Lowe's) in an elevated "cage" that is secured to the wall. We use an industrial extension cord and have the join between plugs sealed with electrical tape. The cord is attached near the ceiling joints with insulated cord holders. The heater is cleaned regularly to eliminate dust. The coop is also insulated - - walls and ceilings. We have insulation pieces that fit the windows when it is seriously cold. . . but we do have ceiling vents that can be opened on three sides, depending on the wind direction. We have remote thermometers and night vision cameras, so the coops are monitored.

Works great for us. There are BYC folks who will likely advise against using artificial heat sources due to the acknowledged fire risk.

Hope that info helps. Good luck!

 

[Imp]

I use a small heater in my coop. It is hung away from the chickens. It does a good job just keeping a minimal amount of heat in the coop(about 35*-40*). They cost $15 and the only trouble I've had with them is eventually the dust gets into the thermostat and makes them hard to control. At that point I just toss and put a new one. Of course I live in Seattle and extreme cold is very rare. I usually keep a spare around.

Imp

 

[Justuschicks]

I live in Virginia and have been looking into methods of heat and came across a listing about heating for chickens in Alaska...so I figure with as cold as it is there, this must work so I tried it. It is called the "Layered litter method". It seems gross but it is working so far. What you do is put clean litter on top of old litter. As the old dirty litter breaks down, it naturally puts off heat (like a compost pile does). I feel the inside of my coop every morning and it is quite toasty in there. It wasn't mentioned in the article I read but to cut down on moisture build up I sprinkle a little "diatomaceous earth" over the old litter before I spread the new litter. It has to be food grade. It has many other uses and can be found at most organic suppliers. The birds also generate their own heat so I think my birds, all 6 of them, stay pretty warm.