Why are people so convinced that chickens need heat?

[MysteryChicken]

I never put heat my coops, even when it plummets into the negatives. They do fine with thick bedding, & their own body heat. Yes we do put waterer in the coop, but remove it when the birds go to bed. So far no frostbite.

High Protein helps maintain their core temperature during cold weather, so keep on good quality feed no corn mixed in cause that dilutes the protien, & nutrition, & it makes fat birds, or picky birds.

 

[NorthwoodsChick]

I never put heat my coops, even when it plummets into the negatives. They do fine with thick bedding, & their own body heat. Yes we do put waterer in the coop, but remove it when the birds go to bed. So far no frostbite.

High Protein helps maintain their core temperature during cold weather, so keep on good quality feed no corn mixed in cause that dilutes the protien, & nutrition, & it makes fat birds, or picky birds.

I wasn’t serious about heat either…until last January when a hen froze to death in my new uninsulated coop in -30 F and the others got frostbite. Ventilation was not the problem, either.
This year the winterover chickens are in the insulated coop, and there is an oil filled radiant heater for when the temps plummet to -10 F or lower. I won’t risk my breeding stock like that again. My opinion, my choice, and my business.

 

[MysteryChicken]

I wasn’t serious about heat either…until last January when a hen froze to death in my new uninsulated coop in -30 F and the others got frostbite. Ventilation was not the problem, either.
This year the winterover chickens are in the insulated coop, and there is an oil filled radiant heater for when the temps plummet to -10 F or lower. I won’t risk my breeding stock like that again. My opinion, my choice, and my business.

I've been raising chickens for years without heat. Only hen that I had that chilled to death this year was a picky eater that starved herself to the point she was skin, & bones. Tried to fix her pickiness, but she wouldn't budge. It only got to -2 that night.

 

[NorthwoodsChick]

I've been raising chickens for years without heat. Only hen that I had that chilled to death this year was a picky eater that starved herself to the point she was skin, & bones. Tried to fix her pickiness, but she wouldn't budge. It only got to -2 that night.

Sorry that happened to her. That’s a good track record, for sure. Regional climate has a lot to do with my decision. I’m prepping the coop and house for a blizzard now- generator is on standby. Our winds will be 65 mph tonight and tomorrow- it’s oddly mild at 29F now, freezing mist, but snow is expected anytime and will be at least 30” or more in the”higher elevation”—Ha! my address is “higher elevation” LOL. This, too shall pass.

 

[K0k0shka]

I wasn’t serious about heat either…until last January when a hen froze to death in my new uninsulated coop in -30 F and the others got frostbite. Ventilation was not the problem, either.
This year the winterover chickens are in the insulated coop, and there is an oil filled radiant heater for when the temps plummet to -10 F or lower. I won’t risk my breeding stock like that again. My opinion, my choice, and my business.

I’m curious about how you knew she died because of temperature as opposed to something else. By the time you found her, she was just a dead hen and she was frozen because she was dead, not the other way around. Chickens can die suddenly for a million reasons unrelated to the cold, and they all look the same - dead - unless a necropsy is performed by a professional. Did you have her necropsied? Because if not, there is no convincing proof that it’s the cold that killed her, as opposed to something else (cardiac, illness, etc).

 

[Debbie292d]

This thread, which I had not seen before, proves just two things:

Each flock master should do what they feel suits their breed of birds and climate.

Threads that start the discussion again should be frozen!!

I agree, but that won't happen as every member has the right to start their own "rule-abiding" thread.

I think what I'll do is bookmark this one and the other one though, and paste them in those new posts and suggest people just read these threads and save their breath. Some other folks will do that too as we all hate beating a dead horse.

 

[Three Stents]

nobody that I know of removes the source of heat, because "they don't need it", but they sure damn well, will put in a heat source. I am insulating my coop because temps "sometimes" get cold enough for the bird baths to get a thin layer of ice. It's better for chickens to thrive, instead of survive.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I'm a little worried about my birds tonight because the temps are dropping from a balmy 74°F this afternoon to a blistering 21° by morning. They've had no opportunity to "acclimate" to an approaching winter, and the only heat source in their coop is their own feathery bodies. Nothing I can do but open up the coop in the morning and hope for the best.

 

[MysteryChicken]

I'm a little worried about my birds tonight because the temps are dropping from a balmy 74°F this afternoon to a blistering 21° by morning. They've had no opportunity to "acclimate" to an approaching winter, and the only heat source in their coop is their own feathery bodies. Nothing I can do but open up the coop in the morning and hope for the best.

If it's a steady slow drop, they'd be fine, & acclimate within the time frame.

 

[Debbie292d]

I'm a little worried about my birds tonight because the temps are dropping from a balmy 74°F this afternoon to a blistering 21° by morning. They've had no opportunity to "acclimate" to an approaching winter, and the only heat source in their coop is their own feathery bodies. Nothing I can do but open up the coop in the morning and hope for the best.

Ours go through similar for a couple of weeks every fall and they do fine.