Will My Chickens Get Too Cold?

[KarenP]

I was told that chickens can catch pneumonia from going in and out of the cold in the winter, so i wasn't going to heat the coop. I'm starting to get worried because i have 4 chicks that are going to be 5 weeks and ready to go out in the coop. I also have a white crested polish in that coop that i don't think can withstand the cold of winter. I live in New England so i am beginning to worry as the cold winter sets in. I'm beginning to think i should put a heat lamp in that coop. My boyfriend suggested putting hand warmers under the shavings, but i'mm afraid they will peck at them and eat the stuff inside which cold cause poisoning. I also have a bigger coop with pullets that are 4 months old, so i think they will be ok without heat. Any suggestions?

Karen

 

[mulewagon]

KarenP, my first winter with chickens I had some young ones that had just stopped sleeping under their mama. I hung a heat lamp over the roost on one end of the coop. The little ones huddled up under it at night, but all the adult birds chose to sleep on the other end, where the rain and wind blew in. They did just fine... though of course we have mild winters compared to many places.

So I don't think it would hurt to have heat for the babies, as long as the adults can get away from it (preferably out of the rain, of course!) Just make sure it's secured very well, and the cord is run safely. Don't have any heat under or touching the shavings! Electricity and heat are big fire hazards in a coop.

And it's true that if the entire coop is heated, the adults will lose their acclimation to cold. And if the power goes out, they're in trouble.

 

[the-bird-man]

hi i live in the salt lake valley. i got my gilds in febuary when they were 16 weeks and i had to use a heat lamp because the guy i got them from did but i will not do it again. for me a heat lamp is too much risk and they do not even need it. i have lots of vents open too because the humidity can be dangerous. i also do not insulate and my coop is on the north side of my house. just came from the coop and its 44 degrees f inside and the girls are fine. they put off a lot of heat i have noticed. my roost is a 2x4 with the large side down so they can cover their toes. also i stuck my fingers under them and i was amazed by the heat. the pioneers did not heat their coops and their chickens did just fine.

 

[bobbi16]

Thanks for the advice guys. NO HEAT. I'm not worried about predators in my area. I live right in the middle of Salt Lake City, pretty sure that there are no racoons in the area or anything other than a house cat. It would be more likely for me to find a crazy man in my back yard. lol. I also have dogs in the yard that love my chickens and wouldn't let anything get them. Thanks Again

 

[rngrbill]

Quote:
We've lived here in the city for 35+ years and never saw racoon untill I started building my coop. even with out the girls they showed up. must of been the frosting that was still in the buckets I now use for water. Haven't seen them since but was glad for the hardware cloth.

 

[haemony]

Exactly. if you build it they will come. Please do not be complacent about predators just because you live in the city or because you do not see predators. You don't see them yet but they are there. Better safe than sorry. Even neighborhood dogs are a danger to chickens. They are the most vulnerable at night and I would not leave them protected by nothing but chicken wire. I wish they wouldn't call it chicken wire! I have a run that is totally enclosed with 1/2 inch and 1/4 inch (on the bottom and coop windows/vents) hardware cloth and I still close and lock their pop door at night!

 

[7L Farm]

Coons their city slickers too, so are the opossums. I agree use half inch hardware cloth.

 

[jtsummie]

Great post I too live in Salt Lake. We really want chickens, but still learning as much as possible.

 

[Newwell]

We recently move to the Pacific Northwest and I am concerned about the cold mixed with high humidity. I am also a first time chick mama. I have 8-3 week old chickens (Buff Orps & RIRs) that will soon be making their way outside to live in the coop. From what I have been reading, humidity is the worst offender to their health. The average winter temp here is 31 degrees, but it is very humid. The coop we are building has small 11 inch windows on both gable ends and rafter vents both covered with 1/2" hardware cloth. There are doors on the windows that can be closed and locked, but nothing to cover the rafter vents. The coop is also about 2 foot off the ground with 1/2" plywood & linoleum for flooring. From what I gather from the locals here, the power is known to go out for 1-4 days, so I don't want to use a heating device and screw up their acclimation to the winter weather. I have been lowering the temp in their brood box each week. Next week the temp goes down to 75 degrees. Any suggestions would be highly appreciated.

 

[PiedPiper]

I live north of Seattle, WA. I give my chickens a heat lamp when the overnight temps start to dip. If I think it's cold I give them a little heat. I figure it's the nice thing to do and I end up with some pretty consistent egg laying all winter long. My coop is predator secure but my ventilation system is always open (small openings secured with fencing) so my coop isn't airtight. I figure because of the ventilation the heat is a nice thing to offer.