My cousin and her husband have chickens outside and I was just wondering how they don’t freeze to death during the winter.

Our neighbor had 100 chickens in a custom built chicken coop that spent the winter in there and came out only on days that were warm enough for them. They had the freedom to go in and out of the flap door all they wanted.

In the coop, they had installed heating lamps in the top part and insulation in the floor and to keep them warm. The floor and individual beds were lined with wood shavings (like they have in hamster cages) that had to be changed every so often as the birds did their business on the floor.

If you are going to do this, I strongly recommend electric heaters or lamps be placed in the ceiling area or high up, not near the floor. Chickens can make quite a bit of dirt all over the place, and you do not want to have the heaters crusted up with chicken droppings or near the wood shavings to possibly catch fire.

14 Responses to “How do you keep Chickens in a chickenhouse from freezing to death during the winter?”

  • Shaker says:

    They put heaters in the house with them.
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  • Eva D says:

    buy one of those electric heaters with a thermostat
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  • Amish Rebel says:

    The really big chicken houses (400 feet long) use propane fueled heat.
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  • Misti says:

    When I was a kid…we kept hay in the coop for warmth..I live in Utah..pretty darn cold here
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  • Nitro says:

    In my chicken coop we have a heater on during the winter they also sit close to eachother so they can keep each other warm
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  • lil_hottie_on_fire_9112000 says:

    you can build a little box put a roof on and put a little door on it so u can open and close it and the chickens wouldn’t freeze
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  • fatebpld says:

    chickens have enough fat and feathers to keep them warm during the winter and they tend to huddle together to keep warm anyways. The perches should be place high in the shed or hut so the heat rises and keeps them warm a chicken can sleep standing up too
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  • cactusone says:

    try a "Heat Lamp".
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  • black jack says:

    put them in a chicken broaster.
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  • SteveN says:

    Our neighbor had 100 chickens in a custom built chicken coop that spent the winter in there and came out only on days that were warm enough for them. They had the freedom to go in and out of the flap door all they wanted.

    In the coop, they had installed heating lamps in the top part and insulation in the floor and to keep them warm. The floor and individual beds were lined with wood shavings (like they have in hamster cages) that had to be changed every so often as the birds did their business on the floor.

    If you are going to do this, I strongly recommend electric heaters or lamps be placed in the ceiling area or high up, not near the floor. Chickens can make quite a bit of dirt all over the place, and you do not want to have the heaters crusted up with chicken droppings or near the wood shavings to possibly catch fire.
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  • roadlessgraveled says:

    It’s pretty amazing what animals can tolerate that people can’t! But in real cold weather, a heater of some sort is put in the henhouse. Sometimes it’s no more than a heatlamp with reflector, hung from the ceiling, but the chickens do fine with it. Keep in mind that they are all wearing down jackets.
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  • fayestandfield says:

    You can get a incubator for them
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  • it's just me says:

    there is usually heat in the hen house.
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  • ashkicker420 says:

    they been doing it them selfs 4 years.tun up you still
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