If you also live in a colder climate and wondering on how to keep your chicken warm in this winter then, this article is for you as I’ve told many tips and strategies on how to heat a chicken coop without electricity which I learned from trial and error of keeping chickens in my backyard since a decade.
So, here is how to keep your chickens and coop warm in winters without using any heat lamps in your coop.
Methods on how to heat a chicken coop without electricity
Deep Litter Method
This the easiest and the best method to keep your feathered friends warm in winters. The deep litter method is one of the most used methods among chicken keepers and it is also one of the most tried and tested methods of all.
To perform this method, you just have to keep on adding fresh clean litter such as straw or wood shavings every week throughout the winter season on top of the previous litter without cleaning the coop floor or removing the old litter. As this will let the decompose and generate heat as byproduct and keep the chickens warm in winters.
Choose Chicken breeds for winter season
If your region gets very chilled winters or temperature go really low then, choose cold-hardy breeds of chickens for your flock. Some cold-hardy chicken breeds like the Chantecler Chicken, the Rhode Island Red or Plymouth Rock have thicker and dense feathers and are extremely cold-resistant than normal chickens.
Also many cold-hardy chicken breeds have very small comb and wattle or didn’t have at all, which makes them a perfect choice for chicken keeping in colder regions as they experience cold mostly in their comb and wattle. And, their is a very high chances of chickens getting frostbite that have a larger comb and wattle.
Protect the Chicken’s Comb and Wattle
Now, if you already have many chickens with large comb and wattles then, you can just apply Vaseline on their combs and wattles to protect them from getting frostbite in cold temperature. You can also keep a big Vaseline tub just for your feathered friends for winter season and apply from it every night on their combs and wattles to protect them from the chilled weather.
One tip which you can use is that keeping a separate Vaseline tub just for your chickens would be really beneficial for you. Especially if your area gets only one or two weeks of very cold weather and you are concerned about your chickens getting frostbite. You can also write “chickens” or “frostbite” on that Vaseline tub so, you don’t end up using it on anything else.
Insulate the Chicken Coop
Before doing any of the methods, firstly just ensure that your chicken coop is properly insulated so that your chickens are warm inside the coop. To make your chicken coop insulated, use a deep insulating floor material like wood shavings or straw.
Also make sure to cover the coop floor with such insulating material that it won’t get wet because if your floor material gets wet in the freezing cold then, it will also get frozen and can potentially give your chickens a frostbite.
From my personal experience of keeping chickens since past many years, I can say that you should use wood chips instead of wood shavings as wood shaving can potentially get wet in the cold temperature while the wood chips doesn’t get wet at all as the water on them roll down to the floor underneath them. So, I would highly recommend to use wood chips as your insulating floor material for winter time.
Proper Ventilation in Chicken Coop
Insulation and ventilation go hand-in-hand. So, after insulating your chicken coop, don’t forget to properly ventilate the chicken coop. As ventilation prevents any kind of moisture buildup inside the coop and hence keep the chickens free from frostbite risks.
There is a difference between ventilation and drafts. Ventilation is a clean air which keeps the air inside the coop fresh by venting stale air out of the coop. On the other hand, drafts are cold and piercing air that can make your chickens sick. So, a right balance of insulation and ventilation will make your chicken coop a cozy and well-ventilated home for your feathered friends.
Increase the number of chickens
Increasing the number of chickens in your flock can also keep them warm in winters as chickens naturally produce a body heat of around 40°C to 42°C. And, when they huddle together, they help each other stay warm. So, the more chickens you keep in your coop, the more heat will be produced which also keeps an ambient temperature inside the coop.
But make sure that you don’t make your chicken coop overcrowded as that can make weaker chickens sick and a higher level of ammonia in the coop. Each chicken should have at least one foot of roosting space so that all chickens can move comfortably.
Feed your Chickens with Protein Rich Food in Winter
You need to take extra care of your chickens in terms of food as they may not find adequate amount of foods in cold climate when everything is frozen. So, make sure to feed your chickens a good quality protein rich foods like grains and cracked corn. Cracked corn is a great supplement to feed chickens in winters as it is a good source of energy and it also keeps them warm. But make sure to feed them with variation of foods and don’t just give them only one type of food as that wouldn’t be a complete source of nutrition for them in winters.
Feeding them with a good higher protein food will help them to maintain a higher metabolic rate in winters. Scratch grains can be another protein rich supplement for your flock in winters as grains require more energy to digest which will keep the chickens warmer by producing body heat within themselves.
Install Ideal Roosting Bars
During cold weather, chickens cover their feet underneath their bodies to prevent frostbite on their toes. So, installing ideal roosting bars in the correct way is really very important to keep your flock warm in winters.
An ideal roosting bar is a 2 x 4 board which should be installed with the flat-side of the board facing up so that the chickens can sleep and keep their feet flat on the board. Also ensure that your roost bars(or boards) are installed higher in the coop and away from any drafts to keep the chickens warm.
Conclusion
If you guys have had any doubts about how to heat a chicken coop without electricity. Then, after reading this article you would be more than convinced that it is not only possible to heat the chicken coop without any electricity but it is also cost-effective and a very safe and secure way of keeping your coop warm in cold weather.
I personally don’t recommend heating the chicken coop using any electric heater or heating lamps as your coop would be in a risk of catching fire. And, it is also not good for your feathered friends as the colder climate outside the coop will shock their bodies when they step outside their artificially warmed coop.
Use the above mentioned methods from insulation, ventilation to providing your flock with protein rich foods and your feathered friends will be more than happy, comfortable and healthy even in the coldest months.