How to heat a chicken coop in winter: do it yourself. How to heat a chicken coop in winter - an overview of options How to make a chicken coop warm in winter

With the onset of cold weather, people turn on the heating in their homes, wanting to live in a warm and comfortable environment. Any poultry needs similar conditions. Otherwise, she will not be able to avoid health problems. Heating a chicken coop in winter is always a challenge. And if winter frosts begin to break all temperature records, then the bird may die from hypothermia. Let's see what equipment we can use to create a comfortable atmosphere for the birds in the poultry house.

Problems with hypothermia

Poultry, like humans, needs warmth. Otherwise, problems with it simply cannot be avoided. Poultry breeders know that hypothermia can cause a lot of trouble. For starters, chickens can simply freeze - their plumage will not save them. And the death of each chicken leads to financial damage, because a lot of money was spent on raising it (just what feed costs on the market).

Lack of heating in the chicken coop in winter can lead to a decrease in egg production - as the temperature drops, the number of eggs drops by at least 40%, and in some cases is reduced to completely zero. If chickens are bred solely for the purpose of producing and selling eggs, the business faces disaster. Therefore, the problem of heating the chicken coop needs to be solved somehow, and before the onset of winter, and not when frosts begin.

Decreased immunity in poultry is another problem associated with hypothermia. Even humans suffer in winter frosts, not to mention the chicken population. Lack of immunity leads to increased susceptibility to pathogenic bacteria. And even a small infection can “mow out” all the birds - this is the most unfavorable outcome of this situation. In this regard, it is necessary to think about heating the chicken coop. We can use the following equipment for this:

Fan heaters;
Convectors and oil radiators;
Ceiling IR heaters;
Wood burning stoves;
Infrared lamps.

Let's look at this equipment in more detail.

In addition to installing heaters, it is necessary to consider insulating the chicken coop - this will help reduce heating costs and prevent the birds from freezing in winter.

Do-it-yourself heating in a chicken coop

A warm barn or chicken coop is the key to the safety of poultry. To heat the poultry house, we can use a variety of equipment, gas, electric, convection or infrared. Let's see what is best to do to keep the bird warm in winter.

Electric fan heaters

Heating the chicken coop in winter using efficient electric heat fans will create ideal conditions for keeping poultry. With heating of one room with an area of 15-20 square meters. m. even the smallest heater can cope. Install it on the floor, out of the reach of birds, connect it to the power supply and literally after 15-20 minutes look at the thermometer - the room will become much warmer. A simple metal mesh with a large mesh will help to close the fan heater from birds so that chickens cannot get to the device.

Heating a chicken coop with a fan heater has certain advantages. First of all, we will note the high heating speed - the desired temperature is pumped up in literally 15-20 minutes of fan operation. And secondly, we will note the ease of installation of this heater - no need to mount it to the ceiling or wall, no need to vent the chimney. There are two disadvantages to such heating: high energy costs and the impact on oxygen levels (some fan heaters actively burn oxygen).

As for high energy consumption in winter, this is typical for almost all electric heaters, and not just for fan heaters and thermal curtains.

The convector is a fairly safe heater. When hung from the wall, it will provide good heating for the chicken coop in winter and create a favorable environment for keeping poultry. This device works on the principle of natural convection - it heats the air, as a result of which it rises to the ceiling, displacing colder air masses from there, forcing them to pass through the inside of the convector. Thus, it creates a continuous air circulation.

When using a convector to heat a chicken coop in winter, it is necessary to ensure good insulation of the room. Otherwise, the convector heater will operate in constant mode, not saving energy at all. You should also work to eliminate drafts that remove warm air from poultry houses. For more reasonable energy savings, we recommend purchasing a convector with precise electronic control - this will help more accurately maintain the set temperature.

The optimal temperature in the chicken coop in winter is +15 degrees. It may be higher, but this is fraught with unnecessary expenses. If the temperature is low, the bird's egg production will decrease.

Ceiling IR heaters

Infrared heaters for chicken coops will allow you to heat your barn with minimal energy costs. They are distinguished by their safety, because they are not only harmless to the chicken population, but also useful - they affect the immune system and even improve appetite. An energy-saving safe heater based on infrared radiation is hung near the ceiling, at a distance of at least one meter from the nearest cages with chickens. By generating infrared radiation, it creates an optimal atmosphere in the poultry house, delighting the chickens with a pleasant atmosphere in the harshest winters.

We recommend choosing an infrared heater with a thermostat to heat the chicken coop in winter - with its help you can set the optimal temperature of at least +15 degrees. The presence of a thermostat will help achieve energy savings - the heater will operate intermittently, maintaining the desired temperature and preventing overheating.

The most ordinary stove-stove will help to heat a chicken coop in winter without electricity. You can assemble it yourself using the instructions from our website, or buy a ready-made factory model. The most common wood is used as fuel here. We lay a portion, heat it and get a warm chicken coop, even if the winter turned out to be very harsh. But heating a chicken coop in winter without electricity has some disadvantages:

It is necessary to have a supply of firewood for the entire winter period;
Any wood-burning stoves require constant addition of new portions of firewood;
Due to the intense and practically unregulated combustion, it is easy to overheat - it will make the bird uncomfortable, just like when it freezes.

You can heat a chicken coop with wood in the winter, but you will need to get your hands on lighting the stove to achieve the optimal temperature. It’s another matter if you have a very large poultry house, accommodating several hundred birds - in this case, heating with a potbelly stove will be completely justified.

For a more uniform distribution of heat from the potbelly stove, you should connect a chimney to it through a long horizontal section of pipe.

Heating a chicken coop with infrared lamps is practiced by many poultry breeders. This method has many advantages:

No overheating – despite the lack of thermoregulation, it is almost impossible to achieve overheating using heating lamps;
Low electricity consumption - one infrared lamp for heating a chicken coop, with a power of 250 W, can warm up an area of up to 10-12 square meters. m (average area of a chicken coop for a small private backyard);
Possibility of heating without human supervision - infrared lamps for a chicken coop are absolutely safe;
IR lamps are optimal if you have brood hens - they will create an ideal atmosphere for hatching chicks;
Heat lamps for chickens not only provide warmth in winter, but also illuminate the chicken coop - the reddish light of these lamps has a beneficial effect on the bird.

Thus, using infrared lamps to heat chicken coops in winter is an ideal way to create favorable conditions for keeping poultry.

Insulating the chicken coop

Now you know how and with what to heat the poultry house in winter frosts. We did not mention gas heaters, since they are not entirely safe, and are more aimed at large farms with hundreds of animals. But the equipment considered is more than enough to solve the problem of heating barns and outbuildings with poultry. Just in order to avoid costs associated with heat losses, it is necessary to insulate the chicken coop, otherwise in winter some of the heat will heat the street.

Sprayed polyurethane foam is now increasingly being used for thermal insulation. Although this material is quite expensive, it is extremely effective and reliable.

The feet that freeze the most in poultry are those that are not covered by feathers (here we are not taking into account special breeds of chickens with powerful feathering on their legs). Therefore, first of all, it is necessary to make good bedding for the chickens. For this, dry straw or the most common sawdust is used. The height of the litter should be at least 10 cm (but do not make it too high, otherwise there will be difficulties with cleaning later).

Insulating windows, doorways and walls is another priority. After all, the average chicken coop is a windswept structure with single-layer glazing. Heating such a building in winter is comparable to heating the entire street. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out the following amount of work:

Cover the poultry house with an additional layer of brick or build thermal insulation inside from mineral wool or other insulation materials;
Replace old window frames with new ones, seal cracks, add additional glazing - choose the appropriate option;
Sealing the door frame and insulating the door is another place for heat to leak in winter.

It is also necessary to work on the ceiling, which is not given special attention in utility rooms - and heat loss here can reach 30%.

Video

All pets, including hens, do not like the cold. And therefore, in this article we will look at the main ways to heat a chicken coop in winter.

Need heat in your chicken coop in winter?

To prevent egg production from decreasing in winter, it is necessary to insulate the chicken coop, since this indicator depends 40% on heat. And broilers at low temperatures do not gain weight well.

At low temperatures, more food is wasted, the bird becomes lethargic and inactive, and this leads to the fact that it gets fat. And in general, the cold can cause chickens to get sick and their egg production to drop sharply.

So, the minimum permissible temperature for a chicken coop is 70C, but it is desirable that the temperature be about 100C. Therefore, if you live in warmer regions, then there is no need to heat the chicken coop; it is enough to insulate it well and lay warm bedding on the floor.

How to insulate a chicken coop with your own hands

There are two ways to insulate a chicken coop:
⦁ Artificially;
⦁ Naturally.

The essence of the natural heating method is that you do not need to heat anything. That is, heating occurs due to proper feeding of chickens. But this method is not suitable for harsh and frosty winters.
But, let's look at the artificial method in more detail, how to heat a chicken coop in winter.

Floor, it is recommended that there be bedding approximately 8-12 cm high. Peat, straw or even sawdust can be used as bedding. The litter can be used in the future for a vegetable garden or flower garden as compost. Every month, the litter must be turned using, for example, a pitchfork, and another 4-7 cm must be added. Do not be afraid that the litter will be very high; with proper care, by spring the height of the litter reaches 25-30 cm.

It should be noted that straw bedding has some advantages, namely:
⦁ Bedding, for example straw, generates heat during the winter,
⦁ Because the litter is warm, the process of decomposition of the droppings occurs more slowly;
⦁ And most importantly, heat prevents harmful bacteria from multiplying.

But, all poultry farmers must remember that the litter is removed only in the spring, so good ventilation of the room is necessary. If winters are very harsh, then it is better to periodically open and close the ventilation pipe.

Walls It is advisable to insulate the inside using, for example, polystyrene foam; glass wool can also be used for insulation. Some poultry farmers use other materials as wall insulation, it all depends on financial capabilities. The simplest and most economical method is to insulate walls using bales of hay or straw. The finished bales are simply attached to the wall of the chicken coop. But this method can only be used for a small chicken coop, with a small number of chickens.

Ceiling, also should not be ignored. It needs to be insulated and for this you can use mineral wool or ordinary roofing felt.

Windows, doors- usually covered with rags.
But winter is different. If one winter the minimum temperature is -100C, then another it can be -250C. therefore, it is necessary not only to insulate the room, but also to heat it.

Electric heater- on the one hand, it is very convenient, set it up, plug it in and after a couple of hours you can feel warm air in the chicken coop. But, on the other hand, heating a chicken coop with electricity is very expensive in terms of the cost of electricity. If, nevertheless, the chicken coop is heated using this method, you should remember that:
⦁ First, it is necessary to take care of safety precautions;
⦁ The heater must be installed away from chicken nests;
⦁ When choosing a heater, take into account the area of the chicken coop and the number of birds that live in it;
⦁ It is better to use modern heaters, since they are automated, and due to this you can adjust the desired temperature regime, and the device will turn on and off independently.

This method of heating a chicken coop in winter is most beneficial for large poultry farms. Also, for large poultry farms, heating with gas is convenient, since the purchase of a gas boiler in this case will be justified, and for an ordinary poultry farmer, the best way to heat a chicken coop in winter is to use a “potbelly stove.”

"Potbelly stove"- is a metal stove that is used for heating. The convenience of a potbelly stove is that
⦁ Easy to use, that is, it’s easy to heat;
⦁ can be heated with any kind of raw material;
⦁ the room heats up quickly.

But the “potbelly stove” has a significant drawback, which is that it quickly becomes covered with rust, so it requires care and the combustion process must be constantly monitored, that is, the entire process must be monitored.

Those poultry farmers who have chosen this method of heating a chicken coop in winter must equip the chicken coop in advance, namely:
⦁ Install a “potbelly stove” in the chicken coop;
⦁ Make a chimney;
⦁ Isolate the entire heating device from chickens, and follow safety rules during installation and combustion;
⦁ And the most important thing is to stock up on fuel in advance, that is, you need to purchase coal and prepare firewood or briquettes for the fire.

It should be noted that there are other, more bladeless methods of heating a chicken coop, and one of these methods is heating using infrared lamps or heaters. The main difference between infrared heaters is that, for example, with the electric heating method, the air is heated, but it quickly evaporates and the room must be constantly heated to keep it warm. And infrared lamps are characterized by the fact that they do not heat the air, but heat objects that do not cool down as quickly as air and the heat lasts longer.

Infrared lamps are convenient due to the fact that they are attached to the ceiling; the advantages of the lamps are as follows:
⦁ Modern lamps have special mechanisms that switch from one mode to another;
⦁ Compared to, for example, an electric heater, lamps do not burn air, and therefore the room does not need such frequent ventilation;
⦁ When heated using such lamps, air humidity decreases;
⦁ In addition to heating, the lamps also illuminate the chicken coop, and the red color has a beneficial effect on the birds, as it calms them down.

There is another heating method. For example, if the chicken coop is built close enough to the house, then to heat it you can use the same heating method as heating the house - this water heating. In this case, pipes should be installed. And when the house is heated, the chicken coop will automatically be heated. The method is very convenient because
⦁ the air does not burn, as in other heating methods;
⦁ there is no need to constantly monitor compliance with safety regulations;
⦁ and there is no need to waste time heating the chicken coop, since it is heated simultaneously with the heating of the house.

So, this article described all the methods on how to heat a chicken coop in winter. It is up to the poultry house to decide which method to choose, but the main thing to remember is that if the chicken coop is warm, egg production will not change, but will remain at the same level. And birds in a warm chicken coop will not only not get sick, but will also be much more comfortable in the harsh winter.

Video heating a chicken coop in winter

The owner of the bird must do everything to help it survive the cold ordeal. Provide good nutrition, install additional lighting, insulate the chicken coop and protect the birds from drafts.

How can you heat your chicken coop so that the chicks don’t feel cold, their productivity continues to be high, and the homemade device doesn’t require large financial expenses? We will tell you how to organize heating of a chicken coop in winter quickly, reliably, and most importantly - economically.

Why should the chicken coop be warm?

In winter and in the off-season, chickens can walk for a long time in the snow, a cold wind, or even a draft - all this leads to the bird freezing. The legs especially freeze; they are not covered with feathers. Hypothermia often causes respiratory diseases and decreased egg production, so the chicken coop should be warm all year round. The temperature in the barn should not fall below 7C. This is especially important for areas with a cold climate; here you need to think about how to heat the chicken coop.

If you live in an area with cold winters, it is better to take care of heaters before the cold weather sets in. If the winters are not frosty, then deep litter will be enough. But in any case, the barn needs to be insulated.

The number of eggs depends 40% on whether the chicken is kept in a warm room or in a cold one. Representatives of meat breeds in a cold barn gain less weight per day than their relatives kept in a warm barn.

In the cold, chickens eat more, they have to be given more feed, but it is less digestible and the bird gets fat, its activity decreases. If your plans are to raise young animals, then without additional heating the hen will freeze, even if the winter is warm.

How to heat a chicken coop in winter? It turns out there are two ways to solve the problem.

Natural heating

Adequate nutrition helps strengthen the immune system; if the bird receives all the necessary vitamins, minerals and trace elements with food, its body itself will be able to maintain its temperature.

Before the onset of cold weather, the chicken coop needs to be insulated and the cracks in the ceiling and walls must be sealed. Chickens are afraid of drafts, but ventilation will benefit them. During construction, foam or glass wool is placed inside the walls; they hold the temperature well. The cracks in windows or doors are sealed with rags, and the ceiling is insulated with roofing felt.

We repeat, such heating is suitable for a poultry house if you live in a temperate climate zone.

The room must have good ventilation, otherwise moisture and ammonia will cause paw disease or colds. Lay the bedding on the floor in a layer of 10 centimeters. This could be straw, peat, sawdust. Used litter is not thrown away - it is excellent compost.

How to lay bedding correctly? A dry, clean floor is sprinkled with slaked lime, then 10 centimeters of bedding is laid. Over time, it will get dirty and become saturated with waste, which means dry material is added on top. The litter must dry out, so it needs to be turned once every two to three weeks. Composting is accompanied by the release of heat; the air can heat up to 12C.

If the frost is more than -10C, you will not be able to do without artificial heating.

Artificial heating of the chicken coop

What heating devices can warm chickens? If you are going to do the insulation yourself, then let's look at the simplest methods. You can install an electric or infrared heater, heat the air with a stove or gas, or an infrared lamp.

The use of electric heaters gives good results. But those who choose to heat their poultry house with electric appliances will receive considerable electricity bills. Oil radiators, air heaters and other devices are installed in a safe place so that the bird does not get burned. It is better to buy devices with automation, then the desired temperature will be maintained automatically.
The chicken coop can be heated with a gas boiler. But this is only advisable if the flock is large and the chicken coop has good ventilation. A gas boiler is not cheap, and it makes no sense to buy one for two dozen chickens, but for a large farm, such a choice would be the best solution. Such a device should not be left unattended for a long time; only specially trained personnel should work with it.
Stove heating, even if the stove is an ordinary “potbelly stove,” is beneficial. The only problem is that the stove will quickly become covered with a coating of rust.

The stove must be constantly monitored, otherwise a fire may occur. It cannot be said that such heating is profitable and economical; sometimes old structures become unusable due to use. For example, no matter how old the stove is, its heating parts must be insulated. Most often, chicken coops are wooden, and compliance with fire safety rules is the main condition for preserving the life and health of chickens. In addition, you need to stock up on coal and firewood long before the onset of cold weather. The dimensions of the stoves do not allow them to be installed in small chicken coops; moreover, if there is no chimney in the room, stove heating cannot be used.

Infrared heaters are convenient for heating a chicken coop; they have been used for many years to heat cottages, sheds, greenhouses and other small premises. As a rule, they are attached to the ceiling, which guarantees the safety of the pestles; they heat not all the air in the room, but individual objects. Attaching them is not difficult; installation, step by step, is described in the instructions. Typically, devices with a power of 500 W are recommended for these purposes; the thermostat sets the temperature to 12C.
Infrared lamps for heating a chicken coop in winter are the most profitable solution. For the safety of chickens, they are suspended from the ceiling at a height of about 1 meter from the floor. For many people, such a lamp burns all winter from morning to evening, because in the cold season the daylight hours are quite short.

Experienced poultry farmers recommend installing infrared lamps not only for heating, but also for illuminating the chicken coop; in addition, they reduce humidity. It has been proven that IR lamps help strengthen the defenses of the body of parrots, since food is absorbed many times better by them. Chickens grow and lay eggs well under the lamps.

In addition to the above devices, you can install a solar collector, air-convection or diesel oven. If the house is heated by a water heating boiler, and the poultry room is adjacent to the house, then water heating is the cheapest and most practical method.

Information for beginners!

Don't forget about safety. Heating elements, wires, hoses and gas heaters need to be covered with mesh or grilles; you can make such barrier shields yourself.
You must understand that no matter what device you install, if there are holes in the ceiling and walls through which cold wind blows, no device will help you warm the air. Therefore, first insulate the chicken coop with your own hands, and only then install heating devices in it.

Which heating method you choose is up to you. The most important thing that you should be guided by is the convenience, practicality and safety of the design, which will help your pets survive the cold winter. But, if you still have very little experience in installing such devices, contact specialists, they will certainly help you solve the problem.

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 weakest 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 as much as 40% on heat. 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. In addition, in the summer 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 do not remove the manure, it will serve as a natural source of 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:

IR lamps.
IR heating devices.
Radiators.
Stoves burning coal or wood.
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:

During operation, the lamp does not burn oxygen inside the chicken coop. Thanks to this, the humidity level is at an optimal level.
The lamp dries the bedding layer perfectly.
Capable of heating all structural elements of the chicken coop without disturbing the birds.
Its light does not have a negative effect on the chickens, but acts in the opposite order, calming them down.
Installing the lamps is quite simple. The same applies to their replacement.
Strengthens the immune system of individuals.
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, energy consumption and product costs 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. The main feature 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 is a budget option that 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 chicken 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.

The onset of cold weather becomes a problem for the farmer. After all, not all living creatures are able to withstand frost normally. So, chickens are heat-loving creatures. If you do not provide them with decent conditions in cold weather, egg production and the general condition of the birds will significantly deteriorate. Therefore, heating the chicken coop in winter is a must.

Domestic chickens and roosters are considered heat-loving birds. Therefore, a draft or
walking through snowdrifts can lead to serious colds. And sudden changes in air temperature are dangerous due to severe stress and a drop in egg production.

A comfortable temperature for keeping laying hens is +15 degrees. It should not fall below +10 degrees. So, at +5…+7 egg production indicators are already beginning to deteriorate.

To avoid disastrous consequences, the chicken coop needs to be prepared for wintering, especially if chickens are raised in the northern region. But you shouldn’t overdo it with the temperature: if in winter it is above +18 degrees, the natural biorhythms in the birds’ bodies will be disrupted. This will not increase egg production, it will harm the birds, and the energy consumption will be quite noticeable.

Important! It is advisable to install a thermometer in the chicken coop to monitor the temperature and adjust it in a timely manner. To install the thermometer, you need to choose a secluded place so that chickens do not find and break it.

Is it possible to do without heating?

Basically, heating is the only method to create comfortable living conditions for chickens. This is especially true in northern frosty regions. Without auxiliary heating in the chicken coop, the birds here can get very cold or even die.

In those areas where the climate remains temperate, you can get by with inexpensive ways to preserve heat. Birds can warm themselves, you just need to provide them with high-calorie food. The chickens will produce a lot of heat, which will remain in the room and keep them warm. But even when choosing this method, preliminary preparation is required - you need to insulate the chicken coop so as not to lose heat.

Preparing the chicken coop for insulation

But before you equip the chicken coop with heating, it needs to be prepared. Before the onset of winter cold, the room needs to be disinfected. For this purpose, various drugs are used, which may have different prices, but the same functions.

Farmers suggest using one of the following drugs:

Important! If formalin is still chosen for processing, you should move the chickens away from the chicken coop for several days and ventilate it. The optimal period is a week. During this time, the pungent smell will have time to dissipate.

Methods for insulating a chicken coop

Farming is constantly evolving, and new ways to retain heat are emerging. There are both excessively expensive ones (electric heating) and budget ones (insulation of walls with available materials). You can create comfortable conditions for birds to live in one of two options:

Natural. This method is advisable to use only in areas with a pleasant climate. As a rule, the farmer already at the stage of constructing the chicken coop provides for the function of natural heating and insulates the walls. But this method can also be used in a completed room, if the previously created insulation turned out to be defective.
Artificial. It is used in cold climatic conditions, in which conventional insulation does not give any result. The easiest way is to equip the poultry house with electric heating devices. It is also the most expensive.

Important! Even at the stage of building a chicken coop, you should pay attention to the sizing of the walls, ceiling, and floor. The latter is usually a concrete covering, which freezes strongly in winter and poses a danger.

Natural insulation

If the chicken coop is just being built, high-quality insulation of all surfaces should be provided:

the walls and ceiling are made with double walls, insulation is placed between the skins;
floor: a layer of expanded clay 10-15 cm high is laid under the concrete screed.

If you have an attic, insulating the roof from the inside would be a suitable option. But first you need to make sure that it is completely sealed. To do this, the roof is covered with sheets of roofing material, which will protect from snow and rain. The joints of the sheets are coated with construction resin or other fixing compound. All cracks from the inside also need to be sealed.

Ventilation in a chicken coop is a prerequisite for comfortable living of chickens.

There are several ways to naturally insulate a chicken coop if the room is already ready. It is best to use them together to provide the birds with maximum comfort.

Artificial insulation

If chickens are raised in frosty regions, natural insulation may not be sufficient. Therefore, artificial methods have to be used. The modern market offers a lot of devices for artificial insulation of chicken coops. The most popular methods are presented in the table below.

Way	Description	Installation principles
IR lamps	The device looks like a standard incandescent lamp. However, inside the light bulb there is a gas - argon or nitrogen, which helps heat the room. The method has a lot of advantages: ease of use (the lamps are screwed into a regular socket instead of light bulbs); radiation has a positive effect on birds; high efficiency; can function in wet areas; meet environmental requirements. But there are also disadvantages: the lamps are expensive, get very hot and do not last long.	There is a wide range of IR bulbs on the market, so you can choose a device of the required power. The device is selected at the rate of 100 watts per 5 square meters. m. poultry house. So, for a room of 25 square meters. m. one lamp of 0.5 kilowatt is enough. It is recommended to equip the light bulbs with an automatic thermostat. The device will maintain the temperature at the same level and turn off the lamps when necessary.
IR heaters	An infrared heater has a unique operating principle: it heats the surrounding objects rather than the air. As they warm up, they release heat into the air, and it spreads evenly throughout the chicken coop. IR heaters are either stationary or portable.	A stationary device is ideal for a poultry house. It consists of a heating plate or coil, which is hidden under a quartz glass tube. The device is installed where birds cannot reach it - high under the ceiling.
Electric heating	Instead of IR heaters, other devices that operate on electricity can be installed. For example: 1. Heater. A device that consists of a hot coil and a fan. The latter disperses streams of warm air throughout the room. 2. Convector. A device with a thermoelement inside. Warm air escapes from openings in the housing. One variation is an oil cooler. Powerful heaters are used in industrial farms.	Such equipment consumes a large amount of electricity and requires constant monitoring. And it is advisable and profitable to install compact portable devices or oil radiators in small chicken coops. This heating method is not recommended for use in areas where power outages are common. Due to an unexpected shutdown of equipment in winter, the entire population of birds may die. Therefore, most farmers prefer to use alternative methods.
Gas heating	It consists of a volumetric gas boiler and pipes that are installed around the entire perimeter of the chicken coop. The water in the boiler is heated and circulated through the pipes, causing the room temperature to rise.	The equipment is very expensive and requires complex installation, so it is advisable to use it only on industrial farms. Heating small chicken coops in this way is very unprofitable.
Stove heating	Some farmers choose stove heating for chicken coops. These are very economical stoves that can be heated with anything.	The most fire hazardous method. Stoves require constant monitoring, since the slightest ember can cause a large fire. It will be safer to install a convection oven in the chicken coop.
Water heating	The heating system is a water boiler in the house, the pipes from which pass through all rooms. It is advisable to insert pipes and connect the chicken coop to the general heating system.	Water heating is the best option for a chicken coop that is adjacent to a private house. A separate heating circuit is created, which is distributed along the entire perimeter of the chicken coop. It is enough to equip a small poultry house along the contour with two metal pipes.

The choice of a suitable heating option depends on the individual needs of the farmer and the characteristics of the farm. As a rule, the most popular methods are IR heaters or potbelly stoves.

Important! If an electrical device has been selected as the heating system, it is advisable to provide for automatic shutdown of the device in the event of a fire. In addition, it is important to follow all safety regulations when installing the system.

Combination of natural and artificial systems

It is not only possible, but also necessary to combine natural and artificial methods of insulation in a poultry house. Because even the highest quality insulation of surfaces will not be able to give full results and protect chickens from frost.

When creating combined insulation, you first need to pay attention to proper insulation of the chicken coop inside and out, and only then think about the method of artificial heating.

Wall treatment

Several materials can be used to insulate walls:

Expanded polystyrene. Its structure is weightless slabs of foamed plastic. They retain heat well in the room, but at the same time they easily ignite and produce toxic substances during combustion. Some experts are sure that rodents can live in polystyrene foam boards.
Extruded polystyrene. Plates made of this material are less prone to fire, and rodents do not breed in them. However, polystyrene does not allow steam to pass through easily, which increases the humidity in the chicken coop. This has an adverse effect on chickens.
Glass wool and mineral wool. The most successful option for natural insulation. Materials are sold in the form of slabs or rolls. They are very economical, lightweight and non-flammable, and also provide good thermal insulation.

If the coop is under construction, it may be advisable to place sheets of glass wool inside the wall. An already finished room can be insulated from the outside. Sheets of mineral wool or polystyrene are glued to the wall with special glue.

Important! Some farmers prefer to cover the walls of the chicken coop with film to retain heat. This method cannot be used. The material will retain condensation on surfaces, which will subsequently cause the spread of mold.

Deep litter: step-by-step manufacturing instructions

A particularly popular option for natural insulation. The layer of bedding is very dense, so the birds’ paws do not freeze. After some time, the litter will begin to give off heat due to bird feces. If you approach the organization of such bedding correctly, you can keep the room warm and clean.

Stages	Description
Step 1	The floors are covered with slaked lime. For 1 sq. m. of surface, 1 kg of mixture is enough.
Step 2	The lime is covered with bedding material. Hay, peat, straw, coarse sawdust or something similar will do. If straw is used for bedding, it must first be chopped.
Step 3	The litter will begin to sag over time. To restore it, the layers need to be loosened periodically and fresh material added.
Step 4	When the top layer becomes significantly dirty, it should be completely replaced with a fresh one. The remains can be left until spring and used as fertilizer.

The ideal material for bedding is peat moss. It perfectly absorbs unnecessary aromas, and after use it can serve as a fertilizer.

Initially, the litter layer should reach a minimum of 20 cm. Over time, fresh material is added on top in a layer of 5-10 cm.

Important! Bird waste products accumulate in the deep litter over time. They emit ammonia gas, which negatively affects the health of chickens. In order not to poison the entire livestock, uninterrupted ventilation should be organized.

Eliminating drafts

There should be no drafts in the chicken coop, as chickens are very susceptible to them. Due to such violations, the entire livestock may catch a cold and die. In most cases, drafts occur due to improper construction of the room. In addition, wind can blow in from cracks, doors and windows.

It is quite easy to check the presence of a draft. You need to light a candle in the room and watch where it goes. Holes in jambs or walls are sealed with polyurethane foam. If the gaps are very large, they are filled with any insulation and sealed.

Important! A large amount of heat can escape from the coop due to improperly secured doors. The door must be tightly closed; large cracks in the jambs are unacceptable. Insulation is carried out both from the inside and from the outside.

Video - Heating a chicken coop with an infrared heater

Experienced farmers offer beginners some tips regarding heating chicken coops. For example:

The fallen snow can be thrown onto the walls and roof of the chicken coop from the outside. It will help to better retain heat inside. However, with the arrival of spring, you need to fold it back to avoid flooding of the house.
Ventilation windows are best made with double glass. A significant portion of the heat will escape through a single-pane window.
It is advisable to insulate the ventilation pipe with cotton wool. Cold air will enter through an uninsulated or improperly installed pipe and warm air will escape. To avoid this, the cracks where the pipe enters the ceiling and floor must be coated with a sealing compound. If the cracks are too large, they are filled with mineral wool cubes.
The ventilation pipe is equipped with a damper that will regulate the flow of incoming air.
Windows must be sealed using rubber gaskets. Otherwise, heat will begin to leave the room at a temperature of -15 degrees. Thus, rubber seals for plastic windows are also applicable for insulating wooden and glass windows in a chicken coop. Rubber bands are bought at a regular hardware store and glued with superglue.
Constantly moving in and out of a heated coop can cool it down considerably. Installing a vestibule door can correct this situation. It is enough to equip a heat-saving vestibule with an area of 0.5 square meters. m.

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