To Heat or Not To Heat

To heat or not to heat—this is the question in colder northern climates, and many chicken keepers want to know what the final verdict is. Here are pros and cons so you can decide.

Is it even necessary?

Chickens are birds that can withstand very cold temperatures because they have a natural covering called…feathers. These insulate and keep the birds warm even in the coldest of temperatures.

I live in northern Minnesota where temperatures below zero for weeks at a time happen, and I have kept birds in many different coops. With a properly insulated coop, the temperatures will bottom out in the coop and your birds will survive.

Just make sure there are no drafts, meaning the coop has air flow but not directly on the birds when they are roosting.

So, why heat?

It’s because these are your birds! Birds that you raised from hatchlings into egg-making machines.

Your Hen Stefani, Hen Solo, Henrietta! Your pets!

Even when heat isn’t needed, we still want to keep our pets happy, eight?

What’s are choices?

So in terms of heater safety, there are usually just a couple of options for coop heating, lamps and radiant heat. These are the easiest for a hobbyist to set up and readily available.

Heat lamps are the most popular and cheapest but also the most dangerous.

We see many coop fires every year caused by heat lamps that fall into the coop bedding and ignite a fire.

That’s why Stromberg’s developed a 250-watt heat lamp with a safety switch—if the heater falls into the coop and tilts past 30 degrees it turns off.

The safest option is the radiant heat plate. They are safe and dependable and very easy to hang in a coop. Ours are from Sweeter Heater, and we have had them for years.

If you choose to heat the coop, please make a safe choice.

Learn more at strombergschickens.com

250 Watt Lamp With Safety Switch

https://www.strombergschickens.com/poultry-supplies/brooder-lamp-with-safety-switch/

Sweeter Heater

https://www.strombergschickens.com/poultry-supplies/sweeter-heater-chick-brooder/

Carbon Fiber Heaters

https://www.strombergschickens.com/poultry-supplies/carbon-fiber-coop-heater-with-bulb/