Chickens in winter without heating. Heating a chicken coop in winter without electricity: methods and tips. Different types of stove heating

When it comes to insulating and heating birds' homes for the winter, it is important not to make a mistake and use exactly those materials and technologies that will be relevant to the local climate and will allow the birds to survive the winter safely. The equipment and heating of chicken coops in winter deserves special attention.

For heating the poultry house in winter time use two methods:

• natural;
• artificial.

Each of them has its own pros and cons. For regions with warm and temperate climates, a natural heating method is suitable, since 7 degrees Celsius is enough for chickens to winter normally.

If we are talking about winters with severe frosts, when the temperature drops to minus 20 and below, then artificial heating is indispensable.

Now there are a large number of methods for artificially heating a chicken coop, and each farmer himself chooses which method will be the most optimal for him in terms of price-quality ratio.

Natural

Natural heating is the insulation of a room using building materials. It is preferable to make the walls double, filling the space between the layers with polystyrene foam or foam. Carefully seal all cracks inside, leaving only a small hole for ventilation.

The floor in the chicken coop also needs to be insulated; for this it is made of two layers. On top it is covered with bedding, which is a 10-15 centimeter layer of sawdust, straw, slaked lime or peat.

The barn must have natural heating. But you shouldn’t limit yourself to it only if the temperature in the area drops below -10 degrees. In addition to natural heating, artificial heating should also be used.

Types of artificial heating

Artificial heating allows you to create the desired temperature in the chicken coop. When the heating is of high quality, the owner of a subsidiary farm does not have to worry about the health of his charges.

Before carrying out artificial heating in a chicken coop, you need to familiarize yourself with the most popular of them, learning about the features, pros and cons of each method. Main types of artificial heating:

Red lamp for the chicken coop

It is a red lamp with a mirror bulb inside. This is an infrared heater that runs on 250 W electricity. Enough on average to heat an area of ​​10 sq.m. U this method Heating has its pros and cons.

1. The rays of the red lamp are aimed at heating all surfaces, not the air. Thanks to this, the air does not become dry, and the floor mat is regularly dried.
2. The red light of the lamp can be left on at night; it does not interfere with the chickens' sleep. Scientists have proven that red light has a positive effect on laying hens, strengthening their immunity.
3. Easy to use. The red lamp is simply screwed into the socket and voltage is applied.

1. High power consumption.
2. Fast failure. Some lamps are not of high quality; when choosing this type of heating, you need to give preference to trusted manufacturers and read the reviews.

The red lamp must be installed at a height of 0.5-1 m from the floor. Also, the equipment must be kept away from water, since if splashes come into contact with the glass, the lamp will crack and fail.

Electric heaters

These include: oil radiators, air heaters, etc. Install the heater in the chicken coop in a safe place to prevent the birds from getting burned. It is better to give preference to devices with automation, so that the desired temperature is constantly maintained in the room automatically.

Expensive heating device. It is more advisable to take it if the number of chickens is large. The boiler is not autonomous and to control it you need permanent presence trained person.

Stove

The simplest and cheapest heating method. Allows you to heat the chicken coop in winter without electricity. The disadvantages of this method include the fact that the stove quickly becomes covered with rust, it must be monitored and fire safety must be carefully observed.

Infrared heater for chicken coop

In addition to red infrared lamps, there are other types of IR heaters. Unlike the main types of artificial heaters, it has a bactericidal effect. Which one is better to choose? Devices from the following companies have proven themselves well:

• "BiLux". Heater of domestic production. Automatic control, maintains a constant room temperature at 12 degrees, power 700 W;
• "Philips". These IR heaters have great power and can last up to 5 thousand hours.

Water heating

If the heating in the house is carried out using water heating, and the chicken coop is adjacent to the house, then similar heating in the chicken house will be the most optimal and economical way of heating.

Do-it-yourself heating of a chicken coop

Heating a chicken coop with your own hands is not difficult if you follow certain rules. If the temperature in winter is low, then you will have to use two heating methods at once.

You need to insulate the chicken coop naturally. Without preliminary preparation and insulation of the room, there is no point in installing even the most expensive equipment, since the cold coming from the street will negate all the work of the heating device. Work algorithm::

1. Floor covering in the chicken coop. Slaked lime is used as bedding. To do this, first prepare the base: it must be clean and dry. Slaked lime is sprinkled on top at the rate of 1 kg per 1 sq.m. Over time, the litter will become damp; you need to regularly loosen it and add a fresh layer.
2. Insulation of walls and ceilings. It is better to insulate the ceiling with roofing felt and mineral wool. Mineral wool or polystyrene foam is also suitable for walls. Special attention pay attention to carefully sealing all holes and cracks: even a small hole in the walls and ceiling can take away a large amount of heat.
3. Windows and doors. They are insulated with plastic film or fabric.

After the chicken coop is prepared and insulated naturally, you can think about installing special artificial heating equipment. Since infrared lamps are now very popular, the installation of artificial heating will be considered using their example.

1. If the room is medium-sized (about 12 sq.m.), then a 250-watt device is suitable.
2. For the lamp, attach a platform with an E27 ceramic socket to the ceiling.
3. Install a protective fence around the lamp to prevent water from entering the lamp. And if the equipment bursts and falls out of the flask, so that it does not harm the chickens.
4. It is convenient to equip the lamp with a thermostat with a sensor. This will allow you to maintain the temperature at a constant level of 10-12 degrees, and the lamp can also be turned on and off at a given time.

The importance of insulating a chicken coop

For those who are familiar with raising chickens, the question does not arise about whether it is necessary to heat the chicken coop in winter. Temperature is very important for these poultry.

• If we are talking about laying hens, then the warmth in the room directly affects their egg production. Meat breeds gain weight worse due to lack of heat.

• Also, from the cold, birds suffer from respiratory diseases, their paws can freeze, and the risk of death from sudden rupture of the liver increases.
• In winter, the cold can reduce the number of eggs laid by chickens by half, and to protect themselves from low temperatures, birds are forced to consume several times more feed. This allows them to warm up: accumulate subcutaneous fat and develop warm fluff. Therefore, insulating the home of chickens becomes a matter not so much of caring for the birds, but rather a method of a rational approach to organizing a farm.

If the question arises whether chickens need additional heating in winter, then the answer is clear: of course they do. Each poultry farmer chooses which heating method to use, based on personal experience, financial opportunities and reviews of other farmers.

Natural heating, due to the insulation of the chicken coop and deep bedding, is not enough for cold winters. In this case, the chickens will not die, but they will not lay eggs either. Therefore, artificial heating methods are used. Modern infrared heaters have become the most popular among poultry farmers.

Features of infrared (IR) heaters

A distinctive feature of infrared heaters from other heat sources is that they heat not the air, but objects located in their area of ​​action. The air in the room is heated by solid objects (perch, chicken, bedding).

How heat is distributed with conventional convection and infrared heating methods is shown in the figure below. It clearly shows that, according to the laws of physics, warm air from an ordinary heat source rises. It turns out it's hot at the top and cold at the bottom. The infrared heater does not have this drawback. In its coverage area, the temperature is distributed evenly.

Moreover, when heated by rays, oxygen is not burned and the dryness of the air does not increase, and drafts do not have such a decisive effect on the temperature in the room. But this does not mean that the chicken coop does not need to be prepared for winter: insulate it, caulk the cracks, lay deep bedding.

Structurally, they can be designed for installation on the floor, for mounting on a wall or on the ceiling. Ceiling heaters are better suited for chicken coops. In this case, they will not interfere with either you or the bird, work zone remains free. It also eliminates the possibility of burns. The heating panel is equipped with a protective mesh.

When installing IR heaters, you must follow safety rules, since their heating elements become very hot.

• The long-wave IR heater has a heating element in the form metal plate, the heating temperature of which is 230 degrees. That's why minimum distance the distance to the nearest heated object should be at least fifty centimeters.
• A short-wave IR heater heats a coil in a glass tube to a temperature of 600 degrees. For safety reasons, they should not be installed closer than three meters to heated objects.

IR heaters can be used for local heating, that is, a specific place in the chicken coop. To do this, just point it at the desired object. Moreover, the heating of the object occurs instantly. This rapid heating will reduce energy costs.

And if the heater is also equipped with a thermostat, it will automatically turn it off when the set temperature is reached. This will further ensure energy savings, since, with a well-insulated poultry house, the heater will only turn on occasionally when the temperature drops below the specified limits. And so it is always in “sleep” mode.

If you purchase an IR heater without a built-in thermostat, then it is better to additionally buy an autonomous one. Without it, you will not achieve efficient and economical operation of the device. In addition, you yourself will have to control its operation. If this is not done, heated objects may ignite.

The advantages of infrared heaters are

• silent operation;
• no burning smell during operation;
• the air does not dry out;
• Dust does not circulate like from fan heaters.

Infrared heating lamps

Another way to heat a chicken coop based on infrared radiation is infrared lamps. They are otherwise called infrared mirror flasks (IRFL). This is one of the most convenient and economical ways to heat a poultry house. With a 250 W lamp you can heat an area of ​​ten square meters.

Their advantages include the following:

• high coefficient useful action(up to 98%);
• with its help you can not only heat, but also illuminate;
• the heating principle is the same as in infrared heaters (solids are heated, not air);
• its glow has a calming effect on the bird;
• has a positive effect on the bird’s immunity;
• does not dry out the air, does not emit any odors;
• Easy to install and easy to change.

But keep in mind that infrared lamps cannot be mounted closer than one meter to heated objects.

How to choose?

Stores and online stores offering heating equipment have a wide selection of infrared heaters. The main criterion for their choice should not be financial savings, but safety. Otherwise it will look like the picture below.

But in any case, the power of the heater must correspond to the area of ​​the chicken coop. You need to navigate as follows.

Important! There should be 80 watts of power per square meter of area.

Based on these numbers, you can determine what power heater is suitable for your poultry house. To do this, you need to multiply the area of ​​the chicken coop with the capacity of one square meter. And you will get the required value. Just take into account the height of the ceiling.

For a chicken coop, it is better to choose ceiling or wall mounted models. They don’t get in the way and don’t disturb either the chickens or you. They warm up the objects underneath well, thereby promoting uniform heat distribution throughout the room.

Pay attention to the heating elements installed in the heater. When you need to heat a specific place, and not the entire chicken coop, it is better to choose tubular (carbon) heating elements rather than halogen and ceramic heating elements. They are more durable and safe. Their service life is practically unlimited, they are not afraid of dust and moisture. If the voltage is unstable, they automatically turn off.

Installing infrared heaters usually does not cause any difficulties. To do this, it is enough to have basic construction skills and strictly follow the instructions included with the purchased device.

Wavelength

Infrared heaters can be

• long-wave;
• medium wave;
• shortwave.

Heaters with short-wave radiation have a negative effect on living organisms. Therefore, they are installed in rooms where people are not present.

Long-wave and medium-wave heaters are harmless to humans. It is even claimed that they have a healing effect. In particular, they increase immunity. But there is no substantiated data on this matter.

Medium wave heaters are:

• halogen - a lamp coated with an additional composition and filled with an inert gas;
• quartz - a tungsten filament is sealed into a quartz vacuum tube;
• ceramic - in comparison with quartz they are more economical, used in medical institutions;
• carbon - the heating element is carbon fiber sealed in a vacuum tube.;
• tubular - they are also called mecathermic. Dear models. In them, a steel spiral may crack when the metal heats up and expands.

Carbon and tubular heaters are preferable from this list. Their advantages were described above. Halogen models have a negative impact on health. Ceramic ones are not dangerous, but they are not reliable.

Bottom line

Infrared heaters are a godsend for poultry farmers. Their use will allow you to create comfortable conditions for your birds and yourself without any special capital investments. It will be convenient for you to clean the chicken coop and feed the chickens. And they, in turn, will simply be ashamed not to thank you with their egg products.

Every poultry farmer knows that low temperature in the chicken coop leads to a decrease in egg production in birds and the development colds, which can lead to the death of the entire livestock. Several methods are used to heat a chicken coop, but the use of heaters is expensive and does not always pay off. Let's look at several inexpensive ways to heat a chicken coop in winter without electricity.

In order to maintain maximum egg production in chickens in winter, birds need additional lighting and warmth in the room. As for purebred chickens, each variety has its own temperature standards in the chicken coop, but in no case should it fall below +10 degrees Celsius. A comfortable temperature for birds will be from +12 to +18 degrees. To control the temperature in the chicken coop, install a thermometer. There are two types of heating:

1. Natural.
2. Artificial.

The first includes insulating the room itself and laying additional bedding, which releases heat when exposed to natural processes. Artificial heating is the installation of a heating system and electric heating devices.

Insulation of the room

Even high-quality homemade heating will not save you from the cold if frosty air enters through holes in the walls, doors and roof. Drafts significantly increase the cost of heating a room. Therefore, before installing any heating system, it is advisable to spend a little money and start insulating the chicken coop, this will reduce costs in the future and provide a warm shelter for the birds.

Walls

There are many materials for insulation on sale, but most often poultry farmers use mineral wool. It retains heat well, does not allow cold to pass through, is highly resistant to chemical, physical and biological factors, and is also easy to install. Wooden or iron slats are installed on the walls, forming cells into which the cotton wool is placed. Any vapor barrier material is attached to the top; it will protect against condensation accumulation. Last to be attached finishing material, you can use chipboard, USB or plasterboard sheets.

On a note!

Since mineral wool may contain some substances that negatively affect the health of birds, it is better to use it for external wall insulation.

Polyethylene foam is also used as insulation, but its cost is quite high. It is better to choose a material with a foil coating, as it perfectly reflects heat. For installation, slats are nailed to the walls, onto which the material is secured with self-tapping screws. The joints are fastened together with special aluminum-based tape. Afterwards the insulation is covered with finishing.

The most economical way to insulate the walls in a chicken coop is to putty the walls with clay and sawdust. To achieve the desired result, it is necessary to observe the proportions of 3 to 2; add 2 parts of sawdust to 3 parts of clay. The clay is pre-soaked in water, stirring until a homogeneous substance is formed, then sawdust is added to it and mixed thoroughly; it is better to use a concrete mixer for this. The resulting composition is applied to the wall in a three-centimeter layer. When drying, cracks often form; they need to be covered with the same composition. When the walls are dry, they are covered with quicklime.

Floors

The floor plays a very important role in maintaining heat; if the chicken coop is built directly on the ground, then it will freeze and, accordingly, the room will be cold. Most often, the same mineral wool and polystyrene foam are used to insulate the floor; expanded clay also retains heat well. A bedding is placed on top of the covering for insulation; sawdust or wood shavings are used for this. Many poultry farmers recommend buying sawdust from spruce; they have disinfecting properties and slow down the proliferation of pathogenic flora. A layer of straw is sprinkled on top of the bedding.

Ceiling

Windows and doors

No less important is the insulation of window and door openings, because cold air can penetrate through holes. To begin with, inspect the openings, if necessary, foam the cracks, and do the same with window frames. Then you can clean off the excess foam using a utility knife and cover the area with putty. Large holes can be used to place rags. Thermal insulation materials are used for door upholstery.

Artificial heating

In areas with a temperate climate, heating installation is not always required, but in most regions of Russia, winters are cold and it is impossible to do without it. Many poultry keepers are considering installing heating in their coop, but most are on a tight budget and looking for a cheaper option. However, you need to take into account not only the price of heating devices, but also monthly expenses in cold weather.

Stove heating

Most often, a potbelly stove is installed to heat a chicken coop, this is due to the fact that the raw materials for the furnace are abundant and cheap. The stove can be heated with either wood or coal. If you have the skills, you can make the design yourself, but if you don’t have them, then it’s better to buy a potbelly stove. The stove is placed away from flammable materials, this will reduce the likelihood of a fire. It is also better to shield it from birds so that they do not accidentally get burned.

On a note!

The oven must be monitored 24/7.

Water heating

This heating method is used if the room where the birds live is located near a residential building. Then you can install pipes and radiators in it and connect it to your home heating system. Do something separate water heating V small chicken coop not profitable, as it requires large investments.

Gas heating

It makes sense to purchase gas equipment only in industrial scale or if you have a large farm. After all, installing a heating system requires the participation of specialists, and their services will not be cheap. You also need to make a project and buy the equipment itself. The heating system is divided into two types: water and convector. The water method is as follows: when gas burns, heat is released, which heats the water that circulates through the pipes. Convector heating consists of heating elements - convectors, which are combined into a system. Appliances heat up when gas burns.

The chicken coop can be heated in winter different ways. This could be an electric heater or an infrared lamp. There are plenty of options to provide laying hens with comfortable living conditions during the winter. In this article we will tell you how best to organize heating of a chicken coop during the cold season. In addition, we will consider what types of heaters there are.

There are two ways to ensure your poultry have a comfortable temperature in the winter:

1. Natural.
2. Artificial.

The first option is less expensive, but also the least recommended for winter keeping of domestic chickens. Meanwhile, many poultry farmers use the natural method of maintaining heat in the chicken coop. Therefore, we will begin our story with this option.

Natural heating of the chicken coop

The essence of this method is to maintain a positive temperature inside the poultry house without using heating devices. To do this, you need to carefully caulk all the cracks in the chicken coop, leaving only the ventilation hole.

The walls are made double, laying a layer of insulation between them. This is usually polystyrene foam or glass wool. The floor is also made double, pouring 10–15 centimeters of litter on top. Peat, straw or sawdust are used as bedding.

This method of heating rooms is relevant only for regions with moderate climatic conditions. If in the places where you live, winters are accompanied by severe frosts, then you will still have to purchase a heater for the chicken coop. Otherwise, it is unlikely that it will be possible to provide adequate heating in the poultry house.

Artificial heating

Heating a chicken barn artificially consists of several options. We will tell you about all the methods so that you can choose the best option for yourself.

Electric heater

Probably the most expensive way to keep laying hens warm during the winter. This option includes air heaters, oil radiators, thermal convectors and fans. In other words, all heating devices powered by electricity.

The advantages of this heating method include practicality and ease of installation. It is enough to buy one electric heater or several (depending on the area of ​​the room), and install them in the chicken coop as far as possible from the birds.

On the temperature controller you set the data you need and the room is heated. As soon as the heater cools down, the automation will again heat it up to the set temperature. Among the disadvantages, it is worth noting the impressive electricity bills.

Gas heating of the chicken coop

This is a more practical way to keep your chickens warm. But to heat a small poultry house containing a dozen laying hens, purchasing an expensive gas boiler is unprofitable. Therefore, gas heating of chicken coops is used mainly only on large farms.

It is worth noting that a gas boiler requires constant supervision; it is very dangerous equipment. Therefore, additional costs for maintenance personnel will be required.

Stove heating

An ordinary potbelly stove is quite capable of replacing any heater. This is a more cost-effective way to keep your chickens warm than using an electric heater or gas boiler.

In addition, the use of stove heating for chicken coops is widely used in private households. But when using the stove, be prepared to comply with the following requirements:

• presence of coal or firewood on the farm;
• compliance with fire safety rules;
• equipping a chicken coop with a chimney;
• Constant monitoring of the combustion process and addition of fuel.

An option for this method of heating a chicken coop can be a diesel stove. It has more power and is safe to use.

It makes sense to consider the Bulerian air-convection oven. The advantage of using such a stove to heat a chicken coop is obvious. It can operate on almost any type of fuel, is economical and has great power.

But according to reviews from experienced farmers, the most convenient way to heat a chicken coop is to use infrared heaters.

They have already proven themselves well in households.

Infrared heaters These are very convenient devices to use. Infrared heaters do not heat the air in the room, but the objects around them

. This serves as a guarantee of heat retention inside the house.

The fact is that according to the laws of physics, warm air rises. And even if you carefully seal every crack in the roof, warm air will still find a loophole to leak out. In addition, a ventilation hole is usually made in the ceiling of the chicken coop, through which air will flow freely.

The surrounding objects to which infrared heaters give off heat will not go away. Moreover, they will gradually release the accumulated heat to the surrounding space. Infrared heaters are convenient because they have ceiling mount

When purchasing such equipment, make sure to purchase a thermostat. By setting the thermostat to the optimal temperature for keeping chickens in winter at +12 degrees, you don’t have to worry about anything anymore. As soon as the air in the room cools down, the infrared heater will turn on automatically.

Infrared lamps

These are the most popular heaters for chicken coops. And there are reasons for this. IR lamps do not burn the air in the room, but maintain the necessary humidity and dryness. Infrared lamps can be used not only for heating, but also for lighting the chicken coop.

According to farmers, despite their small size, these devices have a high efficiency. The soft, red color has a calming effect on birds and promotes better growth and productivity.

From a fairly wide range of products on the market, we can highlight infrared lamps from the following manufacturers:

1. Phillips. Despite the high cost, the lamps are reliable and durable in use.
2. Osram. Similar in characteristics to the previous manufacturer.
3. IKZ. They are in no way inferior to their Western counterparts, but are more affordable in terms of price.

Important! Just one such lamp with a power of 250 W is capable of heating and lighting approximately 12 square meters.

Water heating

Another way to ensure heating of the chicken coop in winter. This is relevant if your home is heated using a water heating boiler, and the chicken coop is adjacent to a residential building.

Pipes are installed in the poultry house, to which the heating circuit of the residential building is allocated. If you have certain experience and skills, it will not be a problem to set up heating for the poultry house using a residential building. In our opinion, this is the most practical and cheap way Provide heating for the chicken coop in winter.

As you can see, heaters for chicken coops come in a wide variety. We hope you found this article informative and will help you choose the best heating solution for your backyard chickens.

If you've just started raising chickens, you've probably already been told how important heating your coop is in the winter. After all, birds, like us humans, need warmth and comfortable conditions. This way you can guarantee not only their comfort, but also their ability to lay eggs. There are many methods for heating a chicken coop in winter so that the chickens feel comfortable.

In this article you will learn them. After a detailed consideration of each of them, you will be able to understand which one to choose for your chicken coop.

Heating in a chicken coop, is it necessary?

Many people say that chickens do not need to create mansions for their full existence. These are birds, they will survive without heating. But, winter time is quite difficult for chickens. She can easily catch respiratory diseases. Cold drafts, moisture and long walks on snowy ground - all this negatively affects individuals. Therefore, for the Russian region, heating a chicken coop is simply necessary. The minimum temperature inside the chicken coop is not lower than 7 degrees Celsius.

Note! The chicken's entire body is covered with feathers, so they don't feel the cold in their body as much. But their weak part is their legs. It is in them that chickens often freeze in a chicken coop without heating.

It is a well-known fact that the egg production of chickens depends on heat by as much as 40%. As for broilers, in a cold chicken coop without heating they gain weight much more slowly. At lower temperatures, the chicken will eat more, since food promotes heat production, and, accordingly, feed consumption will increase. The chickens begin to get fat and become lethargic. A heater for a chicken coop is especially important if you are raising chickens. To lay eggs in winter, the hen must be helped to generate heat. There are several options on how you can insulate your chicken coop and heat it.

Keeping the chicken coop warm

As in the case of insulating a house, here you need to be guided by the following principle: heat is not where it is heated, but where heat does not escape. Indeed, heaters in a chicken coop are very necessary. But no matter how energy-saving, powerful and efficient the device for insulating a chicken coop is, without thermal insulation it will simply heat the street. It turns out that all the efforts and money will be wasted, and the chickens will continue to freeze.

To prevent this from happening, you will need to perform minimal work to reduce heat loss. What does this include?

If you take at least these steps, you will significantly reduce the heat loss of the chicken coop. Moreover, in summer period it will become cooler.

Note! The optimal temperature for chickens in a chicken coop is 10-15 degrees Celsius. If you achieve it, your chickens will thank you with generous egg production.

Types of heating in a chicken coop

Now that you have done everything to prevent heat from leaving the room, you can think about how to heat the chicken coop. I would like to immediately note that there are two ways to heat a room:

• natural heating in the chicken coop;
• artificial heating in the chicken coop.

Further work will depend on the heating option you choose. Each of the above methods has its own advantages and disadvantages. Ideally, combine them to achieve the best degree of insulation for chickens. Let's look at each type of insulation separately.

Heating a chicken coop naturally

This is a simple option that will help you make your chicken room warmer and more comfortable without the use of electrical appliances. So, you will need to make a warm floor. After all, as mentioned earlier, it is chickens’ feet that freeze the fastest. Here's what you can do.

Slaked lime powder is poured onto the floor surface. In this case, it is important to adhere to the ratio: for 1 m 2 of area you will need 1 kg of slaked lime. It prevents ticks and fleas. Then you need to spread some insulating material on this layer. Most often straw or sawdust is used. In addition, moss peat, manure or withered leaves can serve as a natural heat insulator. As the chickens trample down the bedding layer, you will need to add more. At the same time, remember that you cannot remove manure, just pour in new straw and loosen it.

Advice! If you don't remove the manure, it will serve natural source heat. During the process of its decomposition, heat is released, which increases the temperature in the chicken coop. And in the spring you will get excellent compost for fertilizing your lands.

Heating a chicken coop artificially

The second method is to use heating equipment. These are different types of heaters. The good thing about this method is that it is fast and does not require additional effort from you. You just need to spend money on heating the chicken coop using heaters. Whatever one may say, it is impossible to heat a room naturally without a proper heat source. This is exactly what heaters can provide.

Here is a list of equipment that can be selected for these purposes:

1. IR lamps.
2. IR heating devices.
3. Radiators.
4. Stoves burning coal or wood.
5. Water heating system.

First, let's focus on IR lamps, which are most often used for chicken coops. The method is simple and quite affordable. However, there are also some nuances, the observance of which is very important.

IR lamps

The first is to avoid buying products from little-known companies. They may produce low-quality goods, which will not last long. It is better to choose from already proven products. The second point concerns the power of the lamps. They may be different, but the choice depends on the room, more precisely, on its size. For example, for 10 m2 you need to get an IR lamp with a power of 250 Watts.

Below are the advantages of the products:

1. During operation, the lamp does not burn oxygen inside the chicken coop. Thanks to this, the humidity level is at an optimal level.
2. The lamp dries the bedding layer perfectly.
3. Capable of heating all structural elements of the chicken coop without disturbing the birds.
4. Its light does not have a negative effect on the chickens, but acts in the opposite order, calming them down.
5. Installing the lamps is quite simple. The same applies to their replacement.
6. Strengthens the immune system of individuals.
7. Low cost. Anyone can afford these devices, they just need to run electricity into the chicken coop.

Advice! Lamps should be installed at a distance of 50 cm from the feeder, perch, nest, bedding or other objects.

IR heaters

These products are quite effective and produce excellent heat. However, the energy consumption and cost of the products are much higher. The product is safe to use and is intended for long-term use.

For a medium-sized chicken coop, you will need equipment with a power of no more than 500 watts. main feature The advantage of such infrared heaters is that they heat not the air in the chicken coop, but its surfaces. Ideally, purchase a heater with a thermostat that can control the temperature inside the coop and maintain it at an optimal level. This will reduce energy costs for heating.

Note! Radiators, on the contrary, heat the air in the room. They also operate on electricity, but IR models are preferred.

Potbelly stove for chickens

This a budget option, which will allow you to heat the chicken coop from the inside. You just need to install the stove. Although, this method has a number of disadvantages. The main one is Fire safety, especially for wooden coops with flammable straw bedding. In addition, you will need to take care of the exhaust and installation of the chimney, and insulate all heating parts. Yes, and you won’t be able to monitor temperature indicators.

But water heating is done when the chicken coop is adjacent to the house. The process is very labor intensive. It is necessary to lay pipes in the chicken coop and bring out the circuit from the boiler to them.

Let's sum it up

So, you have learned how important it is to insulate your chicken coop for the winter. And to do this, several methods have been presented to you. Which one to choose is up to you. You don't have to settle on just one option. You can combine artificial heating with natural heating. Just remember that before you start insulating the chicken coop, take care of its high-quality thermal insulation. Then the chickens will be provided with ideal conditions.