heating the coop

[SteevK]

Hi all
I’ve converted an old Wendy house into my new chicken coop. It’s 3’ -6” x 5’ x 5’ (to the apex) and the girls roost on a shelf on the left hand side, by the window (see photo). It’s a lot bigger than the old coop and my concern is only now having four chooks, will they be warm enough when the winter finally decides to turn up. I’ve picked up a 12 inch dia heat lamp and was thinking of putting in a 250 watt infra red lamp in and fixing it in the apex of the coop to take try and the chill out of it. I was going to put it on a timer over night. Would the light bother them as I’ve seen no light heat lamps as an alternative. What does everyone think?

[Guest]

What type of chickens do you have? Are they a breed that require heat. I have kept various breeds over the years and I have never fussed with heating with no problems.

[SteevK]

I have a Black Star, a Bluebell, a Speckledy and a White Sussex Star, called Black Betty, Misty Blue, Roberta Fleck and Gladys White. This’ll be their first winter, hatched in early Feb. I haven’t bothered with heating in the past either, but this is a bigger coop and I was thinking any heat just rise up and away to the roof apex.

[Guest]

They all seem hardy enough breeds. Personally I wouldn't fuss. At most through a tarp or such like over if/when bad weather arrives.

First time I have heard them called black star - I love the amount I learn on this forum. Love the names

[Snadger]

Chickens generate their own heat! Its drafts and damp that they don't like. Mine sit outside all winter. I once tried to place them back in the coop and couldn't believe how hot they were when i picked them up................even in frosty weather. They roost with there breast over there tootsies to protect them!

[Bill HH]

Yes feathers are about the best insulation going. Put your hand under a hens wing and the heat is amazing. You might even cause them problems by heating them, they will get a shock when they do go out. Also the cost would be prohibative.If your even half interested in saving money. The only time they may feel cold is if they are alone in a coop, they do like to cuddle up.

[nellie-m]

Agree with Snadger, as long as your coop is dry, with good draft-free ventilation, your hens will be fine. No heating required. They need fresh air rather than a warm coop. We get some really cold weather here on the continent, sometimes weeks of well below -10C, and my coops are large, too - it has never been a problem. The only thing I worry about is large combs, they will get frostbites if they get cold and wet. Wattles too, for example at the drinker. What helps a lot is to apply some vaseline to large combs and wattles, that prevents them from getting wet. On days when everything is covered in hoar frost I keep them inside the coop, too, and when we get several inches of snow they prefer to stay inside themselves.

[Glutton4...]

Yes, I'm another who says don't worry about heating the coop. I would add a couple of ventilation holes in the top of the gable ends - one each end - to allow air circulation. Other than that, a handful of corn before bedtime should be all they need.

My hooligans are lucky enough to have a large grass area for the day, but their coop is in an enclosed area, which I shut off at night. This area is covered with a waterproof tarpaulin, so the coop never gets wet. This makes a big difference to them in bad weather. Although, why they're usually found out in the open, getting drenched, when they have the option of a warm dry area, is beyond me!

[kathyd]

Mine are wusses and stay indoors from choice in bad weather, but even they choose to sleep on top of their coop which is inside a huge outbuilding, rather than inside where it's much warmer and more snuggly. So I put a covering over the big chicken-wire windows for the winter to stop the snow and rain blowing in, but other than that I leave them to it. Half of them are moulting at the moment and nearly bald, but they still won't sleep inside! So don't worry about it . Mind you, would I still feel the same if temps dropped to -20 or less, like they do in some places??

[SteevK]

Thank you all for your posts and comments. I'll leave them to it.