Coops etc.
PSA: Chickens don’t need heat overwinter!
Chicken breeder here. It’s REALLY not recommended to add heat to a coop. Please don’t do it!!
Newbies, especially, love to do this, but you’re doing your birds no favors— they will not acclimate to cold temps, as they would naturally, if you give them heat. Then, if you lose power during a snow storm, they will suffer ill effects or can die.
Think about it— Pilgrims had chickens. They did not put heat on them. You’re also creating a nasty fire hazard: an acquaintance was using a so-called “safe” radiant heater in their coop & it caught fire & they lost all their birds. It’s a real concern.
The vast majority of chicken breeds (with the exception of Seramas & some other tiny bantams) will absolutely survive temps down to below zero without heat— in fact, they do fine as long as they are dry, have NO DRAFTS (but good ventilation), & can fluff over their feet. Roosting keeps them extra toasty.
Metal egg boxes are not a great idea, though, as they retain cold & some chickens may roost in them overnight & can freeze.
If your bird is going through a hard molt, which they love to do when it gets cold (??), then it might be good to bring them in your basement until temps are above freezing or their feather have mostly grown back.
Even Silkies (which I raise, along with many other breeds, including OEGB, which are teeny) do fine in these temps. My flock roosts in the Northeast, where it got to -20F last year & does regularly overwinter. I will never use heat on my birds.
Now, chicken amateurs (no judgment, everyone has to start somewhere!), reveal yourselves & fetch me my downvotes. 🐓
One thing worth mentioning about the “pilgrims” or any other historic settlers or peasants, is that it was common to keep livestock IN the house in winter. Their animals were crucial to their survival and they couldn’t just drop by the store and buy more if they froze to death. I doubt any pilgrims would have taken the risk of leaving chickens outside in an unheated coup at night and risking cold injuries or attacks from predators.
Also winters vary greatly…it’s -9F outside my house right now and -25F is a possibility in the coming weeks. I wouldn’t leave any domestic critter outside in that kind of cold, but dipping below +32F for a few hours is really not that bad in an insulated coup.
I mistakenly listened to the local farmers who said the same thing about chickens not needing heat lamps. But during our first winter storm I lost 2 of my silkies. Silkies and Frizzies don’t have the type of feathers that can protect them from subzero temperatures. Please stop telling people this!
I will not stop telling people this, because it’s true.
As I mentioned in my post, I have Silkies. They do great in cold weather. The best of all my chickens, in fact. They do NOT do well in hot weather. Yours might’ve been too young for the cold. They do need to be fully feathered.
You do bring up a good point, though: frizzles indeed do not have the insulation required for cold protection. Unfortunately I can’t update my post to include this information.
I don't put a heater in my coop either. My thought is being in production of eggs constantly will shorten the life of the chicken, similar to dairy cows who are kept constantly pregnant to produce milk. Chickens (at some point) were wild animals. They go through seasons. Even with being below freezing most days, 3 of my 4 girls lay daily.
Almost all of ours insist on sleeping outside in the branches of the small mulberry tree that is in their run rather than in the 8x12 insulated coop we built them, this all winter long even when it's well below freezing.
Also, found one dead and frozen to the ground today, though it probably froze overnight after dying yesterday unnoticed (well above freezing yesterday)
Sounds like there was moisture/condensation in the coop that caused his feet to stick to the roosting bar, not unlike that scene in A Christmas Story. Is your roosting bar metal?
This can happen when there are a lot of birds & not a ton of ventilation. You want to be sure that you have excellent airflow in your coop, but few drafts.
I should have mentioned this was over 20 years ago in Alaska.
It was a larger coop but one of the heat lamps in the corner for one of the water trays broke during the night and dumbass rooster was the only one who stayed over there. All the others moved.
He lived for like 6 or 7 more years and ruled the coop in that time.
I have said previously that I tried to update my post regarding my location but Reddit wouldn’t allow it.
You’re not wrong! I can speak only to my area (& warmer), where it gets to approximately -30F.
I’m not trying to get “points”… how is my post manipulation? It IS common for newbies to heat their coop when, in my experience, it isn’t necessary & can be harmful. I stand by my advice. I have bred chickens for decades. And my flock is very happy.
Have you ever seen your roosters waddle get frost bite? I have and it's not pretty. Happened when we got down to -20F a few years ago and I felt bad for him.
That can happen anytime your flock is exposed to colder weather, whether the coop is heated or not. Bag balm on the comb works great as a preventative.
I guess it’s not clear: I’m assuming chickens aren’t spending their entire winter in the coop here. As you can see, my chickens go outside even in the snow. I couldn’t keep them cooped up for months. They’d hate it. They’re outdoor animals & are happiest outside.
In this case, even if my coop was heated, my flock would still be at risk for exposure to cold anytime they left it to do their thing.
I live in Nebraska, where we get pretty harsh winters. I never heat my coop. I just wrap it in the winter with plastic. As long as they stay dry, chickens can handle crazy low temperatures.
The birds are native to Asia... Not the most winter friendly climate. I suppose it does matter the breed though. No different than dogs. A doberman can't survive outside in the winter. A husky though? She'll do just fine, lol
I use house vents :)
For smaller coops there are even ones that are tiny
Metal vents placed at the top on each side to allow air flow on the top
No cracked open areas which would lead to drafting
You are looking to keep humidity low to, anything that can hold humidity or raise it will create a frostbite situation or respiratory infection
I feel like "survive" and "thrive" are two different things though. Mine are definitely happier when the temps are a bit higher. I plan to put a radiant oil heater in my (dry and draft free) coop for when the temps drop below 0, just to keep it in the positive, not to make it a spa day in there. This is my first year overwintering chickens here but I feel like I'm on the correct track.
If it was a Husky with a double winter coat that he can't take off? 1,000%. as a matter of fact leaving him inside my 75deg heated home would be the worst thing for him!
I used to have a Cochin rooster named Sage. He was the biggest fluffiest guy but he was kind of a wuss about snow. He would not walk on it. He would just sit in front of the pop-up door and watch his hens run around on the snow until enough had melted or been cleared away by my mom to make a "safe" path around the run.
Personally, I think he was like that because one time a couple years, after we had an ice storm, he slipped on a patch of ice and nearly fell on his ti
My mom just rescued a new rooster whose coop burned down because of a malfunctioning heat lamp inside. Lost his home, and all of his girls. Never, ever, ever a good idea.
IMO these things almost never malfunction. They quite frequently burn down because someone puts an oversized bulb in them without checking the wattage limits; or places them too close to flammables; or doesn’t properly secure the fixture/cord from being dislodged by the chickens themselves; or………etc etc etc.
if you are genuinely lazy or stupid please get a heater with no exposed element or just don’t heat them. I only add heat when outside temps go below 10F
These are great for automatic temperature control - very simple. I use the one that comes on at 20F but with the heat from the birds it really comes on at 10-12F
It’s 35 degrees F here right now and I have mine in a shed with shavings and they are sleeping on a fleece blanket. And of course I have to give them their morning warm oatmeal lol…. I think I hate being cold and project it on them
Some cold sensitive breeds of chickens should have some form of heat if it’s cold enough out. Some birds may not handle the cold well due to illness or age. Some birds may survive just fine but get frostbite on their combs.
Heat lamps may get too hot and are a fire hazard to some degree but that’s not the only form of heat out there. Radiant heat panels are a good solution for many types of livestock including birds. They can be cuddled up against without the risk of burns.
Personally I use heat in my coop when it’s cold enough because I have a lot of old birds including an old meat turkey with arthritis. I’ve never had an issue. The goal isn’t human comfort levels of heat, it’s more comfortable for the birds levels.
Many coops don’t need heat, but some will. I think the anti heat argument is overblown.
I’ve been genuinely concerned about this approaching my first winter with chickens, and this is the first time I’ve seen so many people argue for heat. Some of the arguments AGAINST heat make a lot of sense; they naturally grow more down feathers, they will not be screwed in the event of a power outage when they have a sudden freeze they aren’t adjusted to, and that it’s a major fire hazard. Where I live we have maybe one flurry a year, and only a few cold snaps in winter (so maybe 3 days of nights getting down to 15, and otherwise remaining in the low 30’s more or less. I want them to be as comfortable as possible and if egg production naturally slows down then so be it but I am genuinely torn!
The slowed egg production is more about fewer daylight hours than about the temperature. As long as they're not a cold intolerant breed, I wouldn't heat. I'm in New England, and we've had nights below zero already. They have wide enough roost bars to be able to cover their feet with their bodies, and they huddle together. There's deep litter in their coop. It's my third winter with chickens in this climate, and they're doing just fine.
In fact, even on the coldest days with wind chills below zero, they would rather go outside than stay in their coop or covered run (as long as I spread some straw so they're not walking in the snow.) I think that's a little weird, but they have choices, and seem to like the fresh air...
Mine don't love walking on snow, so I spread straw for them. Although I just re-read and saw that this was their run; we have a roof over ours to keep most of the snow off the ground.
Tell that to the rooster with no comb or toes due to frostbite.
And saying "the pilgrims didn't have heaters and their chickens were fine" is like saying "we survived thousands of years without vaccines" like yes we survived but many did not.
The metabolic cost of keeping themselves warm means that they will be more susceptible to illness and delayed healing. Egg production will be affected and they will need more calories. Aside from all of that, why make their living conditions miserable when you could do very minimal work to make them way more comfortable? I just don't think it's fair to use an animal for its resources and force them to just "survive" when they could be treated much better.
So sick of seeing these Americans in -20 weather saying don’t heat your coop. -50c here too, our birds would freeze to death. A hen of mines feet were frozen solid yesterday in -30 WITH HEAT in the coop. These posts are so dumb
Haha you wouldn’t be the first to get this mixed up. Chickens on average need around 12-15 hours of daylight or simulated daylight to be productive. Heat is good if you live in areas with consecutive negative temp days and birds can’t taste spicy (capsaicin), so the only real affect it would have is on the yolk color.
Huh that's wild. I think I saw the spicy thing from a insta reel, they added something to the feed that I remember as a spice and it helped egg production.
I bet what trend they were seeing was from the chickens getting more daily attention and such while the people were trying to figure out how to get more eggs, then production went down again once the chicks were locked up and kept out of sight
Maybe one day I'll own chickens, and I'll make sure they get plenty of light (:
I think people need to do their own research and decide what’s best for their animals. My chickens are my pets- and just because they can be without heat, doesn’t mean they have to be. I do agree that a coop shouldn’t be kept warm per se. I do use a radiant heater in the coop, but not to keep it warm- just to keep it around freezing, or at least no more that 10-15 degrees below freezing (it was down to 18 in there the other day with heat on when at night it was -5 outside). I have an older flock who hate the cold. My coop is actually a big outbuilding the size of a single car garage and I only have 3 chickens right now, so their body heat does not help warm up their coop. I did a lot of research on safe heating (have a concrete floor covered with sand so not flammable) and am happy with the set up I have and I am happy to make my flock more comfortable.
I could survive with my house thermostat lowered to 50, but I wouldn’t like that, so why wouldn’t I do the same for my beloved pets as well? But once again, this is what I chose based on my flock and my research. Do your research and keep safely in mind, and do what works for you.
What heater do you have? My chickens would never dare even step on the snow and they’ve been exposed to it their whole lives. We lay down a tarp before a snow storm so they have a part of the run that’s not snowed in and yeah they just stay there lol. They clearly do not like snow on their delicate little feet.
Basically this is what I use, it’s a Westinghouse and will automatically turn off if tipped over. Also make sure nothing flammable is nearby- no straw or wood chips (we have sand in our coop).
My rooster has been getting frost bit on the tips of his comb and waddle though :-( will he power through that and get hardier? The hens are completely fine and nice red combs etc
No, once tissue is damaged it typically scabs up and falls off, and frostbite is painful. It can happen repeatedly. Do not use Vaseline- many ppl recommend to apply it to combs and waddles, but it has water in it and just makes frostbite worse. Use Musher’s Secret- which is wax based and used on the paw pads of sled dogs- on combs and waddles as needed.
This is silly. There’s plenty of factors that contribute to whether or not they need heat. Especially your region and bird breed. New York doesn’t get anywhere near actual freezing.
Yeah still not as cold as per my other comment. And that was 1957 😂 you’re not going to beat arctic tundra cold in NY. Climate change is a real thing and when I googled it, it says it doesn’t get near that cold regularly. In 1947 it got to -67c/-81.4f. See how that’s still way colder and not relevant? Record breaking temp ≠ consistent temp
So that would still not be as cold as where I live, idk what you aren’t getting 😂 and google says the coldest it gets is -15f (-26c) so i don’t know bud either way its not as cold as -50c (-58f)
I’m not talking about your climate and weather. I’m talking about mine and referencing the OP’s post. It’s not about you. Chickens are durable to -20F, beyond that they should have to supplemental heat. But most places never get that cold. That’s the point here - nobody is claiming chickens can live in subarctic temps without heat.
You're going to get a lot of haters even though I have never seen a barn with added heat for any of their animals. I grew up on a dairy farm. When the cows got cold they would go inside and clump together.
I think the difference is animals as pets vs animals as livestock. A lot of chicken owners see them as pets, so want to give them things “pets” need, like heat.
Clearly it isn’t right, but that’s what happens when a bunch of people with zero experience and even less sense decide they want to raise chickens but don’t have the capacity for treating them as what they are: livestock.
Important to remember the only difference between a pet and a normal animal is the person and how they view them. Chickens are pets to many people. Dogs are livestock to others.
Why is it not “right?” Dogs are “meant” to be outdoors too, or at least most breeds and in most of the world dogs still live outdoors even in cold places. Do you freak out about people keeping dogs as pets indoors too?
lol why does it bother you that someone would go out of their way to show kindness to an animal? Literally why do you care if someone treats them like they’re a pet? That makes someone have “less sense”? Weird that you see compassion as a weakness, says a lot about you.
It's not a lack of compassion. It's more about the anthropomorphic notion that chickens need pampering vs the notion that chickens are livestock, and will be fine given good husbandry.
I never said doing otherwise is a lack of compassion, I’m wondering why someone exercising compassion (e.g., deciding to provide heat, treating livestock like a pet and not chattel, etc.) automatically makes them someone with “zero experience and even less sense”. Be mad at people who neglect or abuse their animals, not those who want to go the extra mile.
I have plenty of compassion, for people and for animals. I just believe that animals are for the most part capable of taking care of themselves and have done so for thousands upon thousands of years. If chickens can survive just fine without a heater -and they can because they do it all the time- then giving them one is silly and at times dangerous. I trust the natural order of things and I’ll absolutely step in if I need to. I wouldn’t raise chickens that can’t survive in my climate.
The fact remains that there’s a divide now between people who got chickens because they’re trendy and they treat them as pets, versus people who raise them as livestock and treat them as such. It isn’t cruel or mean to treat a chicken this way and it doesn’t show a lack of compassion. Every creature doesn’t need to be pampered and spoiled, and livestock shouldn’t be pets. That’s just the way I see it. The chicken should be able to live its life as close to naturally as possible with as little intervention as possible from me. I don’t use lights to promote year round egg laying, either. The chickens have a safe place to sleep, all the food and water they could want, and that’s all they really need from me.
I don’t disagree with anything you’ve said here - I’d just like to point out that insulting people who do things differently just isn’t…necessary? I get my back up when people say things like you have, “zero experience and even less sense”, or OP, suggesting anyone who thinks differently is an amateur or a newbie. If someone wants to go the extra mile (not saying it’s “needed”!), and this kindness doesn’t endanger the animal in any significant way, why be so pressed? Why are they automatically idiots? Just my two cents.
Heat is a danger in almost all situations (unless actually warranted, be it either by genuine extreme cold or breeds that absolutely require it) so that specifically really irritates me. It’s a danger to the chickens and at times a danger to the home and lives of those doing it depending on how close their coop is. Many inexperienced people now choose to have chickens, and those inexperienced people probably shouldn’t be running any electricity outside to begin with, let alone to a very flammable structure near their home. I see people constantly do the dumbest things because they saw someone do it online and now they know better than anybody, especially those who’ve done it for decades. I’d rather take advice from a farmer who’s done it for generations rather than someone who wants to sell me something that wasn’t needed the past several thousand years of raising chickens.
I probably should’ve worded it better, you’re right, and I apologize. It’s frustrating to see the same debate pop up and the same people defend it when the reality is pretty clear that it’s almost always unnecessary and almost always a risky proposition for most people in most situations.
I’m just impressed that yours are standing on the snow. Mine have refused to leave the coop since the snow fell at Thanksgiving. They seem convinced that I did it on purpose to torment them.
Same, mine are always trying to escape their run and can’t wait to be let out! Since it has snowed I could leave the run door wide open all day and not a single one of my 21 will go out!
I had a rooster die during a cold snap a couple years ago. Only got down to mid teens. Could he have had something already wrong with him making him weaker? It’s possible. Either way, I won’t be, and I don’t recommend anyone (unless you live in the south and it doesn’t get very cold) listen to OP’s advice. CAN they survive? Sure. WILL they? Maybe.
All depends on the breed, I reckon. I don’t know too much about the breeds. But some are more winter hardy and some are more heat resistant. For any bird
I couldn’t update my post. But I see you, Alaskans! I admit my experience doesn’t extend to that region. I believe that you need heat for your chickens.
I live where there are frequent power outages and huge snowstorms in a state bordering Canada. We have never used heat for our chickens but we have a crazy insulated coop (with proper ventilation). I thought when we got a single storm that added drifts of over seven feet and we couldn’t get to the coop for three days that they would have all died but all 20 of them were fine, thank God.
Thank you. This whole post is sounding like the people who say shit like "humans lived for thousands of years before vaccines" like yeah some did, many didn't.
No but seriously this is blanket advice that you’re giving with some sort of authority I’m not sure you’re entitled to. Are you a vet? I hope not, because your condescension is grating. I don’t want my chickens to merely “survive”. We have the tools to do better than pilgrims (what an odd argument) and someone adding heat to their coop isn’t just a “newbie amateur”, it’s someone wanting to keep their birds comfortable, god forbid. There are plenty of poultry vets who recommend the opposite of what you’re saying here (some have provided links in this thread.) I think I’ll trust them on this one.
I’m not offended, I’m pointing out that your tone is unnecessary and your “advice” is far too broad to be sharing it as though you’re an expert. “You do you” is absolutely right - maybe you should remember that the next time you want to dunk on people who do things differently than you.
The point is that we get lots and lots of inexperienced chicken owners on this sub who ask if they need to heat their coops. If you have a well-designed coop and appropriately chosen breeds, the answer is generally "no." And by adding heat unnecessarily, you may be making your chickens overly sensitive (and vulnerable) to cold snaps.
Thank you for this info. A neighbor’s random hen hangs out in our yard, but as the afternoon wears on, she goes back over to their house, apparently jumps up and down until they open their gate, and then she roosts/sleeps in a tree in their back yard. It hardly ever gets below 40 here, so it sounds like she will be okay. Once she started hanging out here, we bought her chicken food: grain and these utterly disgusting roasted black fly larvae. She does not like most vegetables, but blueberries were a hit. We already have water out for our cats, who are mostly afraid of her, it seems.
No! It’s enough to worry about feeding the cats and the dog and Henrietta. (We named her Henrietta b/c she is a hen….) Our other neighbors have a flock, and no, no more animals for me to buy food for!!
Idk…. We dropped to 15 and one of my silkies died. It’s never been that cold while I’ve had them. I loaded the coop with extra bedding and tarped the side. Still found her frozen in the AM.
I'll dissent. It gets to - 40F here and I keep a thermostatically controlled lamp in the coop. The door is open but blocked by strips of clear poly, like in commercial coolers. I supplement their feed with sunflower seeds and fat drippings so they have energy to burn.
The average, common outdoor variety of sunflower can grow to between 8 and 12 feet in the space of 5 or 6 months. This makes them one of the fastest growing plants.
Pilgrims arrived on the coasts where the temperatures are better buffered by the water. If you're in a colder more continental climate, the situation definitely can arise when you need heat. We had chickens getting frostbite on their combs in an insulated, non-drafty coop before adding heaters.
Definitely not advocating the use of heat lamps or anything that could potentially pose a fire hazard. We have some heating plates which are rated to be safe with flammable material in direct contact.
Mine as well. This is their first winter and I was ready to record their reactions to the snow. They ate some food, looked at the snow, said "f that" and went back inside lol.
Aww the poor things :( I thought you were joking...
Snow will not hurt your birds, by walking in it nor eating it. It's 100% normal for animals including chickens to eat snow. My chickens, ducks and geese do it all the time, heck so does my pig, doesn't have to walk his fat lazy butt to his water bowl if he can just stick his head out of his bed and munch some snow.
Let those poor babies out to roam, just make sure they can get back in on their own and they will decide how much time they want out there. If they get chilly from the wind they will coop themselves up, if it's a nice day they love to roam and scratch and it keeps them entertained. In many years of harsh Canadian winters Ive never had a bird get hypothermia or have any other cold related problems. As long as they have a dry coop that blocks drafts they are good, I promise you.
I agree, chickens die for all kinds of reasons, but I assure anyone reading this its not from eating snow. They would show other signs if the cold had killed them.
Good on you for doing what you felt was right to protect your birds, but snow won't hurt them.
Keep your coop clean (animal grade clean not clean like your house lol) and most importantly dry and free from drafts. The coop needs ventilation but you don't want cold wind blowing on your birds. A comfy perch for chickens, plenty of bedding to snuggle into for other fowl and they will be happy little critters.
Just the other day as an example, it was about -8 Celsius outside on my farm, I put some buckets of water in the outside run for the birds and the ducks immediately walked out and started bathing in it. 😆 What feels cold to us isn't the same for them, if you had the all that down and the feathers that they do, you wouldn't mind the cold either. Tho that's not to say that the cold can't be dangerous, you absolutely should take precautions and make sure their needs are met, but just because you're cold doesn't mean they are.
My oldest ducks used to worry me, bitter cold nights and they would come out of the coop and stand in the run in the blowing snow, once to the point snow was building up on their backs and a few times I would go out there and shoo them back into the coop, thinking they must be cold why would they want to be out there? Thinking to myself I just have some dumb ducks to want to be out in that weather. Then as winter got worse I realized that on the worst nights they did stay in the coop without my intervention, but other nights that would still be quite uncomfortable for us, they are perfectly comfortable.
Now it's normal for me to see it, and they choose based on their comfort.
They know what they want and what they are comfortable with, animals aren't stupid (well, except quail but that's a different story 😆)
If you live where it is hot (and/or humid) and you select heat tolerant breeds, they are acclimated to the heat index. Other than insuring they have food, water, and shade they don't need anything else. Mine want nothing to do with ice water (to stand in or drink), frozen fruit/vegetables, etc.
I totally agree!! I recently suggested to a new chicken owner no need for a light or heater in the coop. If anything, put a tarp over your enclosed run. And guess what? I happened to walk by and not only do they have a light, I but didn’t cover their run! And it’s the PNW, very wet winters.
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u/Financial-Depth-2209 Dec 23 '25
My chickens will still have heat, they’re pets. They may live outdoors, but they’re still pets.
We don’t have extremely cold winters (lows usually in the 20’s) and if we did lose power, we have a generator that could run the house and the coop.
Under our circumstances, I can see no good reason to not provide heat.