12/07/2025
To address the questions and concerns brought up about heating coops.
❄️ Safe heat sources include flat panel heaters for smaller spaces and oil-filled radiator heaters for large spaces.
❄️ Heat lamps are not safe and should NOT be used in chicken coops. They are the cause of 98% of coop fires*
❄️ If the power were to go out, your chickens would not die suddenly from shock. THAT IS A MYTH.
❄️ The loss in heat would be gradual if the coop was insulated and drafts sealed up.
❄️ If living in a rural area where the power may be out for days instead of hours, investing in a generator would allow the heaters to remain on.
Providing chickens a safe heat source in the winter is NOT detrimental to their health. It reduces the risk of frostbite, heart damage** and stress on their bodies.
*Obtained by review of past incidents involving coop fires in the US in the past 10 years.
** Cardiac lesions have been associated with frostbite in birds. See our Frostbite page on PoultryDVM.com for references.
