winter survival

[Rainiemo]

Do chicken coops need to be heated? I have a small heater in mine, just to take the edge off.

 

[Debbie292d]

Many don't heat. We do though as we'll be having a few weeks of subzero temps and these are silkies. Some are frizzle so those and molting ones wouldn't make it otherwise.

We only heat the coops to 40°F and they can come outside if it's 20F or higher with little or no wind.

 

[Anon112]

What kind of chickens do you have and how cold does it tend to get in your area?

For me, where there are occasional dips into the negative numbers, but mostly lows in the teens, it's sufficient to have a coop that blocks the chickens from the wind.

One caution with heaters, of course, is to be careful as it can be a fire hazard.

 

[graceasher]

Do chicken coops need to be heated? I have a small heater in mine, just to take the edge off.

Many people don’t heat as long as they’re protected from the weather and wind. I use those radiant heaters that look like flat TV’s suspended in the middle too so they won’t be touching anything. They don’t get hot hot but out of a warmth of a glow feeling and they seem to enjoy it

 

[rosemarythyme]

You need to provide temperature and flock information for a more definite answer.

But as a general rule, no.

 

[saysfaa]

Do chicken coops need to be heated? I have a small heater in mine, just to take the edge off.

Not usually if the coops have enough ventilation and if they don't then heating them often makes them even less healthy.

Where they may need some heat: when cold is below about -20F (-30C) for long, when chickens have always been in high temperatures until abruptly put in subfreezing temperatures, when they don't have enough food and/or water, when they have feathering issues (like severe molt, or maybe silky or frizzle), when they are too young to be fully feathered.

I don't think silkies or frizzles necessarily need heat in the continental US but that they are more vulnerable.

I don't think supplying heat is harmful to the chickens as long as ventilation isn't closed off. It can be somewhat harmful to the pocketbook.

I designed my coop in the upper midwest to not need heat added. Even the leghorns haven't gotten frostbite or acted differently on even the coldest days.