Why are people so convinced that chickens need heat?

[Kiki]

My mom came out this last weekend to see the chicken coop I built.

I told my wife, watch, the first thing she asks about will be heat.

And sure enough, it was "But won't they get cold?!"

I explain that no, chickens don't need heat, its more important they have good ventilation and a dry coop.

Then of course its "But my friends have chickens and they keep a heat lamp in their coop all winter!"

ok? So? Your friends clearly haven't actually done any research and are wasting money and will have dead chickens if they have cold weather and a power outage and chickens that aren't acclimated to the cold.

It just seems like the first thing every single person asks me when they find out I have chickens, is about heating the coop. Then when I explain they don't need it, they immediately argue with me like I don't know what I'm talking about.

I don't get it.

Chickens don't need added heat. The humans need it.

 

[ChikaInu]

I keep converting your Fahrenheits and realizing we're worlds apart.

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

I live in Maine and only once did I actually put heat in my coop. It was dipping below freezing (I think we were having a polar vortex) and I had a hen who wasn't taking the cold well, so I put on a heat lamp for the night. Other than that, I've never put heat in my coop and speak strongly against it. Heat lamps are an extreme fire hazard, especially when people aren't using them properly, and if there's a power outage, you've lost all your birds. Also, the constant light is bad for the birds health in the long run. They need their breaks on laying, whether we want them to or not, and by them having the 24/7 lighting, it'll shorten their life, especially if they're already prone to laying related health issues.

On a side note, chickens can freeze to death. I've seen it on here and almost lost a rooster myself. It's more of the care of the birds, not the heat, and the breeds. If you have your birds outside or in a drafty coop, then they're going to get cold. Also, coops that are too big to maintain a proper body heat temperature can be bad too (for birds who have a harder time with the cold). Then, if you've got a bunch of Mediterranean breeds, they're not going to do well either.

Maybe it's best to just walk away when someone is attempting to argue with you about your birds. You know your birds and that they are getting the proper care that their bodies are built for. But, you also know the facts of how and why your birds can handle the cold, so it might be helpful to share the facts as well. (Coop setup, breeds, how they actually molt and grow in winter feathers, and if you do deep litter compost, mention that too, etc. Really, if you brought a chicken inside on a cold day to "warm them up," they're not going to be very happy with you and are going to get too hot.)

 

[Chicken_tiger_catt]

Ok, I should have clarified. I'm in Southern Ohio. If it kisses 0 at night here a few weeks in the winter, its "cold".

Wisconsin is a different beast.

oh, cool! I'm from Hanover.

 

[ThatsMyPurseIdontknowyou]

oh, cool! I'm from Hanover.

Ah, ok. About 90 minutes due north of me.

 

[Suzz]

My mom came out this last weekend to see the chicken coop I built.

I told my wife, watch, the first thing she asks about will be heat.

And sure enough, it was "But won't they get cold?!"

I explain that no, chickens don't need heat, its more important they have good ventilation and a dry coop.

Then of course its "But my friends have chickens and they keep a heat lamp in their coop all winter!"

ok? So? Your friends clearly haven't actually done any research and are wasting money and will have dead chickens if they have cold weather and a power outage and chickens that aren't acclimated to the cold.

It just seems like the first thing every single person asks me when they find out I have chickens, is about heating the coop. Then when I explain they don't need it, they immediately argue with me like I don't know what I'm talking about.

I don't get it.

I don’t know maybe people think they get cold chickens must also get cold a lot of people think of chickens as pets
and humanize them

 

[K0k0shka]

It just seems like the first thing every single person asks me when they find out I have chickens, is about heating the coop.

Only inexperienced people who know nothing or very little about chickens will ask this (and that includes some people who have chickens... Simply having chickens doesn't mean you understand their needs).

Like I just dumped $1000 into building a coop, several weekends of my time and adopted 8 animals with zero research.

It's shocking how many people do exactly that though! And then they go on forums and facebook groups to freak out about common things like why are their chickens' feathers falling out... why did their second year hens suddenly stop laying in the fall (cue the poultry feed conspiracies).....

 

[5Australorpasaures]

I don't know that people are convinced or they just try to give them the best care that they can (pets). Me, they're livestock and instinct kicks in and animals know how to deal with harsh conditions. I believe more are lost to excessive heat conditions.

 

[PrettyBirdRocky]

My hubby and I bicker (good naturedly) about heat for the gurls. He's worried about our special needs gurl, which I get.

They are completely wrapped up (except vents) so the wind is blocked and that's what's so cold here in Indiana.

Now, last year we did have a CHE/and a flourecent bulb for our broody and her hatch for the ambient temperature around her area but only for first week and a half-- after she hatched(have a thread on it lol)

 

[Farmgirl283420]

Since you’re all talking about heating the coop or not, do you think that frizzles might need heat? Just a question out of curiosity.