I built a chicken coop and am going to keep chickens through the winter. Will I need to heat it in NW Wisconsin?

I run a heat lamp when the temps get below 10 here in Sheboygan county. I also have heated bases for the waterers.

Thanks K snow, how much ventilation does your coop have? Is it insulated?

Our old one had no insulation. The new one does. Condensation is an issue in the 20-40 degree range. If I rebuilt it, I would not insulate it.

I have two vents up high, one on the east wall and one on the west wall. as well as the small door to the run on the south wall. The vents are 4x16.

I'll try to get some pics later.

Heat lamps sure help. I’m in northern MN and use heat lamps and heated water. I’ve had good luck with Rhode Island Reds in the cold. Roosters will often get frostbite combs but it doesn’t seam to bother them.

When I kept chickens, I did not run heat. I made sure the roosting area was not overly large so that when my 1/2 dozen hens roosted up for the night they were huddled together. Also, the coop was situated against a cedar hedge which managed the amount of wind exposure - this is important because you need to ventilate or the hens will get frostbite on their combs. I did this by cracking the sliding window on the sheltered side of the coop about a 1/4" at all times. I had a well meaning relative close that window up on a cold day and 2 of the birds were frost bitten within the 2 hours between her closing the window and me running outside to open it after she mentioned that she had closed it.

I never heated water. Water was brought out first thing in the morning and the frozen bucket was brought in to thaw/refill. The chickens were very aware that they had about a 45 minute window to get a drink because the next water wasn't coming until I got home from work 8 hours later. They are smart enough to peck a bit of snow if necessary.

Temps for me were generally in the high 20's to low 30's through December and then teens/20's in Jan and Feb with occasional stretches of extreme cold lasting 10 days at most. I don't think it gets a heck of a lot colder where you're at, it just gets colder earlier and stays colder longer.

Here's some pics, taken during the building process.

Lows where I live can get to -30 and can stay below zero for a week or more. Normal temps would be below zero at night and 20 for a high. Slydogx, did your chickens have access to outside all the time?

Thanks Ksnow, did you protect your heat lamp? I like the covered run; mine is not covered.

I let mine have access outside all the time, that's where the water and feed is. They don't go out much when its that cold though. When I had water inside, I had serious condensation issues. I also give them straw and/or hay to walk on outside once there is snow in the run area.

My heat lamp is in the coop, and I have half inch hardware cloth wrapped under it in case the bulb breaks. Don't want to burn the whole thing down.

I also have about 10-12 inches of bedding in the coop.

The aluminum sheeting on the run cost me a case of mountain dew and a few hours labor.

i put a stock tank de-icer in the water bucket, but other than that no additional heat. I personally know of 2 people that burned their coop down in the winter with heat lamps. Keep the draft off the chickens and make sure they stay dry, they should be fine.

I try to run mine as little as possible. I do worry about the fire, and they cost a bit to run.

What you have for a coop, and how many chickens you have for the square foot will determine that. I built my coop with 2x6 walls, 1x12 ship lap on the out side covered with pole barn steel. 6" of glass in the walls 9" in the ceiling and water does not freeze sitting on the floor in a rubber tub. I have two windows and a glass door on the south side. Plywood sheeted inside painted white. It is 12x12 and has a 6 foot ceiling. I had 35 chickens in it last winter. It can get 30 below pretty easy and you may have a 20-30 mph wind with it. I have a window open about a inch and a half to cut down on moisture.

Look into the "deep litter method". You can generate most of the heat needed with the birds and the manure they produce.

Insulated coop with a heat lamp in the winter 2 lamps in extreme cold. Roof vent gets plugged with a bag of insulation that comes out in the summer. Heated water in the winter I use 2X4s for the roosting bars VS round poles the 2X4s help cover the feet better from the cold. Roosts higher up to take advantage of the “heat rising “ fact dry flakes on the floor to protect their feet.

This has worked well for me with an uninsulated coop. I will change the bedding in late October for the last time until Spring, run a heat lamp and the water is in a crock pot set to "warm".

My coop is 8 x 6 and I have 7 hens and a rooster. 2 x 4 studs and rafters with 5/8 T11 siding. Screened vents in the eaves and each end of the roof peak. I planned to cover the eave vents in cold weather. 3 sliding windows.

No! Just make sure there ate no drafts.

My coop is insulated leave manure and chopped strawwe layers on the floor all winter.

My 1 red heat lamp hangs over a rubber pan with water so it does not freeze. Residual heat from the 1 lamp only

I get only birds with small combs and recommend for northern climates

Heres my old coop. Only 4x6, 4 high. Had 8 to 10 birds. Roost bar was halfway up inside. Uninsulated, did not run any heat. Waterer was outside on a heated base.

Nice set up.

Got to disagree with this. Air flow-moisture is your bigger problem in the winter.
Chickens can take a lot of cold. When it gets well below zero Patrice rubs their combs with
Vasoline to help prevent frostbite. No heat in the coop here, vents on all 4 walls. Just a heated waterer, water supply in the winter is very important.
We only keep a half dozen hens or so and makes it pretty easy to care for them.

Zim

Zim, do they have access to outside all winter?

Yep, they have a 4x10 outside run with a roof on it. I plow them out all winter so they have a path to walk and range around a bit too.
They will cruise around quite a bit if the snow on the path is not over a couple inches deep.
I really think fresh air and a bit of exercise keeps them healthy as opposed to shut in.

Zim

Steve...when buying birds..buy the birds suited for your climate (hearty birds)

I have the coop windows closed for the wintah...but have the soffit vents the length of the coop ..on both sides of the roof..for good air flow up top.

No insulation...no heat

Good amount of fresh straw on the floor come wintah time is applied.

There is a hot plate ,that the waterer sits on ..which gives off some heat

And those hearty birds ,heat up the coop on their own...just by being in there.

Sometimes when's it brutal out...we will throw them some sunflower seeds soaked in bacon grease.

And other protein...to help them keep that furnace going.

I have 2 buff orpingtons, 1 old english bantam, 2 sapphire gems, 1 silver laced wyandotte, 1 colombian wyandotte and a buff orpington rooster. The rooster has pretty good sized combs, might be an issue.

Here's what a frost bit rooster looks like the morning after. The hens then pecked the the bloody feathers and he is left with a naked neck. Wasnt pretty. We culled him soon after for behavioral issues. It was the day I found him like this that I added more venting to the coop.

My chickens always had access to a small run and were free to roam when I was there to supervise.
We do get temps substantially below 0F with windchill, but they are not sustained longer than a few days generally.

Nessie's comments are in keeping with my experience (but it sounds like it gets substantially colder where you are)... I had 6 generic brown layers for 5 years. They were all quite healthy for their entire lifespans (they were given away in year 6 when our house burned and we moved to town and all died in that year).

I ran straw in the nesting boxes and pine bedding in the "common areas"

In cold months, store bought feed was provided as free choice and yogurt, scrambled eggs or bacon grease given to supplement protein.

non insulated coop, but sized for 12 chickens, roost poles off the ground and just enough for the girls to huddle together. did have heated water. They weathered the cold fine, but we rarely get to zero...

We have two coops, Both 8 x 6. Found that heated water buckets work best for us, Easy to clean in winter time. When it drops below 35, Each coop has a heat lamp. I use a string of clear led lights after the time change.

Yeah no insulation here got a 8 by 12 I justopen the door in the morning they free range close it the evening ...I recommend putting Vaseline on the comb if you feel frost bite is a issue

A heat tape placed on the bottom side of the roost pole will solve a lot of frost bite problems. Don't put the tape on top of the roost pole. If their feet are in contact with the tape it can burn them.