Should I Put a Heater in My Chicken Coop

by Kathy Shea Mormino, The Chicken Chick.

Chickens fare much better in cold temperatures than in hot temperatures due to their unique physiology and ability to regulate their body temperatures, but they still need our help to create the ideal environment in which to survive winter. Not all of them are common sense or intuitive, so let's take a look at a list of things to avoid when keeping chickens in winter. Much more information on these topics can be found by clicking on the hyperlinks included throughout this article.

1. DON'T confuse your comfort level with the chickens' comfort level. Chickens are anatomically very different from people and have unique attributes that allow them to regulate their body temperatures.

2. DON'T let them be without drinking water during the day by allowing water to freeze. Water is the essential nutrient in a chicken's daily diet; it is required for regulating body temperature, digestion, growth and egg production. Frozen water is water deprivation. For an inexpensive DIY solution to frozen water, click here.

3. DON'T keep waterers inside the coop. Moisture is the winter enemy inside the chicken coop. Keep water in the run.

4. DON'T use heat lamps inside the coop. There is no way to use a heat lamp safely inside a chicken coop. Any chicken can fly into a heat lamp, catch its feathers on fire and incinerate the entire flock and coop. If you cannot be persuaded that chickens do not need supplemental heat inside a properly managed chicken coop in the winter, find a safe heat source such as a flat panel radiant heater that brings the temperatures up just a few degrees. There should not be an extreme difference in heat between outside temperatures and temperatures inside the coop.

5. DON'T use any heat source that relies upon electricity unless you have a generator to power it should there be a blackout. Chickens can and do die from sudden, extreme drops in temperature.

6. DON'T use the Deep Litter Method unless you have a clear understanding of what must be done to manage it properly. Deep litter is not a hands-off litter management system. It must be carefully monitored or it can create an unhealthy environment for the flock. Never start the deep litter system during winter. Never use diatomaceous earth in, on, around or with the deep litter method. Read why here.

7. DON'T allow drafts to blow on roosting chickens. Drafts deprive chickens of the heat they have generated to keep themselves warm.

8. DON'T seal up the chicken coop and make it air-tight in the winter. While drafts are bad, lots of ventilation for constant air exchange is absolutely necessary to a healthy winter coop environment. Moisture must be removed from the coop even if it means losing some heat. Yes, it is possible to have great ventilation, no drafts and a comfortable environment for the flock. For much more on drafts and ventilation, click here.

9. DON'T use bales of straw or hay inside the chicken coop for insulation. Mold and fungus can grow rapidly inside the bales, which can compromise the flock's health.

10. DON'T believe that you have to "fatten up" your flock for winter. Our pet chickens are sufficiently spoiled with treats year round and many are already fatter than they should be going into winter. Suet or grease blocks should not be given to pet chickens. Plying them with high fat or high energy treats such as suet blocks and cracked corn does them no favors. Based upon my research, which was aided by laying hen veterinarian Dr. Mike Petrik, DVM, MSc, it is clear that pet chickens are dying at alarming rates from obesity-related complications. A little bit of scratch just prior to dusk is fine, more than that is unnecessary and hazardous to their health.Save the suet blocks for the wild birds who need it and save the pet chicken.

For an in-depth discussion of winter chicken care, please visit my blog, here.

Should I Put a Heater in My Chicken Coop

Source: https://www.communitychickens.com/10-winter-chicken-care-mistakes-to-avoid/

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