Winter heat and ventilation

[Leov]

Hey guys.
So this is my first year raising chickens and first winter coming up. I’ve read a lot about proper ventilation. I am looking for help amd hopefully get some proper advice from all the pro’s here. Planning on putting my 250 watt red bulb on the bottom center of their actual coop. Kinda below where they sleep so the heat will rise up. Need to still close off the front screen door amd cut out an area for them to still be able to get in. I’m posting a bunch of photos. Hoping I can get some proper direction. Thank you so much for anyone’s input. For reference, the actual coop is brown, and is inside the run which is inside another run as I had to eventually contain them since they started wandering into the neighbors side and causing a mess!! Thank you in advance!!

 

[WindingRoad]

Hey guys.
So this is my first year raising chickens and first winter coming up. I’ve read a lot about proper ventilation. I am looking for help amd hopefully get some proper advice from all the pro’s here. Planning on putting my 250 watt red bulb on the bottom center of their actual coop. Kinda below where they sleep so the heat will rise up. Need to still close off the front screen door amd cut out an area for them to still be able to get in. I’m posting a bunch of photos. Hoping I can get some proper direction. Thank you so much for anyone’s input. For reference, the actual coop is brown, and is inside the run which is inside another run as I had to eventually contain them since they started wandering into the neighbors side and causing a mess!! Thank you in advance!!

Where do you live. Just the state is fine. Why do you want to heat the coop?

 

[Sally PB]

I'm not sure I understand where the "bottom center" of the coop is... on the floor? I would be very concerned about the fire danger of a 250 watt bulb on the floor of the coop. Also, a power outage will turn it off immediately (along with the light), plunging your chickens into a dark and possibly cold coop that they will not be acclimated to. Chickens wear down jackets to keep themselves warm. Keep the coop dry, and they can stay warm.

You didn't say how many chickens you have, but figure 1 square foot of ventilation per bird. You want the ventilation up close to the roof, because ammonia (from the poop) rises.

Ventilation is critical, but you don't want the birds to have a draft blowing on them. The ventilation in my coop is two big openings on the ends. I lowered the roost about a foot to make sure the chickens' heads wouldn't be up high enough to catch the draft.

Good luck!

 

[Rldad1]

Chickens need to be dry. They adapt to the cold as long as you do not artificially heat them. Heat bulbs can cause a fire easily in a coop. 1 square foot ventilation per chicken, the higher the better as ammonia and water vapor rises. so, unless you are in the -20 to -30 range they will be just fine. Please post your location.

 

[Leov]

Hey guys, I’m in the Hudson Valley of NY. It can get below 0 with the windchill but usually in the teens. The heat lamp is encased in a metal grid. I was going to put it below the first walkway. The ground is dirt. Regarding the ventilation, the photo with a gap of wire on top is one of the two sides but the whole bottom is open as well.

but here heads are pretty much where the breeze would be. I am going to close that off and put several holes above the first roof line. I circled the area in this photo

should I enclose the screen door amd keep
It closed? But cutting out an area large enough for them to go Thru? I’ll still
Have the whole bottom opened up.
This next photo is where I was thinking of putting a heating lamp

 

[Leov]

I have 6 chickens l. all hens. And I’ve read so often that it’s good to warm the coop at night.

 

[bobbi-j]

You do not need to heat the coop. Especially with your temperatures. Ventilate the coop, keep them dry and out of the wind and they’ll be fine. If properly acclimated (which your chickens will be if they’re healthy adult chickens), they will have grown down under their feathers to help keep them warm. They’ll literally be wearing a down coat.

When it does get cold out, you need to put on all your winter gear and go outside for an hour or two. You should be fairly comfortable because you’re dressed for the weather. When you go in, leave all your gear on for another hour or two? How comfortable do you think that will be? Your chickens can’t take off their winter gear. Consistent temperatures are far more comfortable for them than being hot and cold and hot and cold...

 

[Leov]

Thank you so much!

 

[aart]

Neither of those coops look adequate for 6 birds.
Where do they sleep now?

Does the run have a solid roof?
A solid roof, reinforced if necessary to handle the snow load,
and plastic on the walls would shield both coops form wind and snow

 

[Leov]

They sleep on the right side of the coop. There’s two bars. 34” each. I had three but they all chose two just use two. Aka the huddle
Surrounding the coop is a 10ft x12ft run with an angled roof with supports every 2 ft. There Is an additional run surrounding that. During the day, that is where they roam in when we’re home. Otherwise, they stay within the first run which is closed off with wire. I even have the wire on the bottom going down 8” and out away from the run 24”.