Winter in Texas

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mimiof2

In the Brooder
Joined
Nov 8, 2021
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Location
Central Texas
Hi there! I have 4 Texas raised chickens, and 2 grandsons. I am trying to figure out a way to heat my little chicken coop for the winter without burning it down. I was thinking about a solor light bulb that would produce a small amount of heat. I am not sure where to start. Thoughts? Ideas?
 
Hello, and welcome to BYC. Provided a dry, well ventilated coop and adequate feed chickens do not need supplemental heat in the winter. One thought - if chickens are acclimated to supplemental heat what happens to them if there is a power outage?
 
They don't need heat, they wear their down coats 24x7x365.

Your bigger concern would be the heat of a Texas summer. As @aart said, ventilation. Very important in the winter especially in a small coop since the humidity and ammonia can build up. The first can cause frostbite on the combs and wattles if it goes below freezing. The latter can kill them.
 
We got through the summer pretty good. I put ice in their water. The would all go under my barn shed to keep cool. They have a window that I keep open, and a door for ventilation. I try and clean and give them fresh bedding once every couple months so the ammonia doesn't get too bad. Sounds like I should be okay in the winter without a light/heat source. Thanks for the advice!
 
Hello and welcome to BYC! :frow Glad you joined.
You will never need a heat source in TX. I'm in NY and have never used supplemental heat.
You will want to leave the window open year round as long as it does not put a draft across the birds when roosted if the temp is below 40. You want to target 1 sq foot of year round ventilation per bird.
 

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