Chickens - How Cold Is Too Cold?

[Jstpssng]

This type of heated waterer is the answer. Keeps water from freezing and the closed nipple system keeps the water clean. I also run two heat lamps suspended from chains once temperatures drop below 20 degrees.

Heated Poultry Waterer

Reliable heated poultry waterer for all seasons. Top-fill design with dense lid insulation prevents heat escape. 3 gallon capacity.

www.premier1supplies.com

They still need power though. I would need a 1000 foot extension cord. Since I moved my henhouse though, I haven’t lost a hen to weasels. I also can walk around on my lawn barefoot again.

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

This is my first winter with chickens. So far they are all doing well and I'm still getting around 8 eggs a day from 9 hens. It's been down in the 20's a few nights here and there. Other than a little crust of ice on their water, they seem to be doing fine. On my coop below I covered the windows with clear plastic to stop the drafts. At what point do I need to add some form of heat? I already have several inches of straw in the bottom but they roost up high so other than insulation for the coop it's not doing anything for them.

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Just keep it above freezing. We get 7500 eggs a day per house, four houses. Lights on from 4:45 am to 9:00 pm. Lay eggs all year.

 

[BnRidge]

Just keep it above freezing. We get 7500 eggs a day per house, four houses. Lights on from 4:45 am to 9:00 pm. Lay eggs all year.

So about 10,000 per barn. 8 btu each, 80k btu total, or like having a 100k furnace on full time. Open the windows, win win.

 

[fatjay]

If you have electric, and are on a smaller scale, i found the heated horse bucket works well. Keeps water at about 34f. Amazon has the nipples and cups. make sure to leak test it first, I had a couple dribbles. But it saves me from putting new water in every other day.

 

[jyoutz]

If you have electric, and are on a smaller scale, i found the heated horse bucket works well. Keeps water at about 34f. Amazon has the nipples and cups. make sure to leak test it first, I had a couple dribbles. But it saves me from putting new water in every other day.

Looks like you made what I bought.

Heated Poultry Waterer

Reliable heated poultry waterer for all seasons. Top-fill design with dense lid insulation prevents heat escape. 3 gallon capacity.

www.premier1supplies.com

 

[Rebeldad1]

This is my first winter with chickens. So far they are all doing well and I'm still getting around 8 eggs a day from 9 hens. It's been down in the 20's a few nights here and there. Other than a little crust of ice on their water, they seem to be doing fine. On my coop below I covered the windows with clear plastic to stop the drafts. At what point do I need to add some form of heat? I already have several inches of straw in the bottom but they roost up high so other than insulation for the coop it's not doing anything for them.

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we keep ours around 145 degrees till golden brown

 

[daman1]

Up in the thumb of Michigan here, we had chickens when I was a kid ma never had any heat just good Sheds they were in never lost any that I can remember.

 

[Rockbadchild]

yeah a few heat bulb and it should do the trick

 

[OldMcDonald]

Lights on from 4:45 am to 9:00 pm. Lay eggs all year.

That is the reason hens stop laying in winter - lack of light, although I do not like lights on after dusk. Although not on as big a scale, I have relied on hens for my income from time to time over the last 60+ years. They need to be dry and not in a draught. Never experienced worse than about -25ºC (about -13ºF) outside and never found the need for heat. Also 45ºC (113F) or so in Australia, and that is worse

The reasosn for bringing lights on early is that almost all of the eggs will be laid in the first 7hrs after "lights on" so there are constantly hens going into the boxes and the eggs do not freeze before they are collected. In northern Scotland it was Midnight to 4 p.m. in mid winter - free range. Where I am now it is getting to be just after 3 p.m. when the sun sets so I would have needed to switch off by about 2.30 p.m.

Never subject the hens to 24hrs light. They need their rest the same as every other living creature.

 

[fatjay]

Looks like you made what I bought.

Heated Poultry Waterer

Reliable heated poultry waterer for all seasons. Top-fill design with dense lid insulation prevents heat escape. 3 gallon capacity.

www.premier1supplies.com

I'd seen them, but their capacity was much smaller than I needed. I'd have to change it daily. I wanted something I could change weekly.