How do I heat my coop?

With cold weather starting in Wisconsin, we are get many questions about heating the chicken coop. 

Chickens can do very well in cold weather. The only problem is with the roosters. Some breeds 
have large combs that can freeze. Most times they come though it fine but there is a small chance they won’t.

Since we mainly raise and hatch purebred chickens we do heat the pens where they are kept. If these eggs get the least bit chilled they may not hatch. For these pens we use oil filled heaters. With these the heating element is in the oil so there is no chance of a fire. 

Never use heat lamps since a chicken can fly into the bulb. If it breaks, the hot glass can set the bedding on fire. 

You must stop drafts but make sure there is fresh air in the coop. With most older coops that is not a problem. We do keep a few chickens just for eating eggs. Unlike the purebred chickens, there’s no heat in these pens. We water them using plastic ice cream buckets and only give them what they will drink right away. Eventually the bucket will be frozen on the top. We then exchange it with a clean bucket and take the frozen one to the house to thaw out. 

Some people clean their pens every week or worse yet every day. When you do this the poor chickens end up with their feet on the cold wood or concrete. Leaving the litter build up is called the deep litter method. Years ago we would clean the chicken pens out once a year (whether they need it or not) just adding straw to keep it clean.

As always, ask questions in the comment section.

Dale, AKA Turkeyman