To Heat, Or Not To Heat...That Is The Question
To Heat, Or Not To Heat...That Is The Question
November 14, 2021
(The flock hanging out in the coop on a chilly fall day!)
To heat or not to heat your chicken coop in the winter.....that is the question.
Dry shavings, wood, chickens, plus a heat source....not a good combination. An often debated topic among chicken keepers is the subject of heating your coop or not. But in this case, it's best to listen to your chickens.
Some chicken experts flat out say no - never, ever heat your coop. Their rationale is that people have been raising chickens forever, even before electricity was invented, so chickens don't need heat.
Remember, generations ago, chickens most likely slept right in the barn along with other, larger farm animals - maybe snuggled up next to a fuzzy sheep or roosting on the rafters above a pen full of warm cows. Farm families also generally kept fairly large flocks since they were using their chickens for eggs. The average farmer had a lot more than 4 or 5 chickens snuggling together on a roost trying to stay warm.
They had Rhode Island Reds, Plymouth Rocks, Buff Orpingtons, Wyandottes, and other cold-hardy breeds that they bought at their local feed store. Back then, people only had breeds that were indigenous to their particular climate. They weren't ordering fancy breeds from a breeder or getting a box of chicks delivered by their mail carrier! But chicken raising has evolved in just a few generations to be something entirely different.
I agree in principle that heating your coop isn't a good idea because of the fire hazard and because your chickens will be a lot more hardy and healthy if they are allowed to naturally and gradually get used to the drop in temperature as winter progresses.
Also, chickens are actually pretty cold-hardy and know to fluff their feathers to trap warm air next to their bodies. They have a much harder time in the heat than in the cold, being most comfortable in temperatures between about 45-65 degrees Fahrenheit.
If your chickens rely on the artificial heat, in addition to the fire hazard that any heat source poses, if you were to ever lose power or the bulb burn out in the middle of the night, your chickens could die, not used to being without heat.
Going as natural as possible is usually better when it comes to most decisions relating to animal care. And the vast majority of chicken keepers should never need to heat their coops.
However, I do agree that there are situations when heat might be necessary. If you live in a place where the temperatures in the winter go down to -40 degrees Farenheit for example, then running electricity to your coop, preferably having a generator as backup if you lose power, and installing a flat panel heater is going to be far safer AND far healthier for your chickens than using a heat lamp.
An even better alternative to a heat lamp is a radiant panel heater. There is far less chance of fire using an electric panel heater. But regardless, always use caution and common sense. And remember, mice will chew through electric wires....and that's a fire hazard regardless of the type of heater you're using.
All that said, there are better, safer ways to keep your chickens warm through the winter than using a heat lamp:
- A well-insulated and well-ventilated (but not drafty), dry coop
- A thick layer of shavings/dirt + sand on the coop floor
- Using the deep litter method (basically maintaining a 12" floor base of straw, and turning it over periodically to let the poop decompose and create heat)
- Having the correct number of hens for the size of the coop
- Giving your girls scratch grains just before bedtime
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