Heating my chicken house - the solution,

I have been looking around to find something to heat my chicken house with since I noticed that my rooster Sophie was actually shivering in the cold. A heat lamp inside the chicken house wasn't a very good choice because it is just too bright and the chickens had a hard time settling down. I found a dog house heater, but that was basically just a metal box to cover the heat bulb. I almost placed an order for it when I came across these ceramic heat emitters that are used for reptiles and other small animals that need heat but not extra light. I have ordered a few and have been using one inside the chicken house now for several days. What I noticed since using it is that the chickens go inside the house earlier even when I have some bright lights outside for them after dark. Several times when I opened the door in the morning I found Sophie the rooster sitting right under the heat emitter, and the times he was already outside some of the hens were sitting under it, so it seems it is a winner.

I also have some heat lamps inside my little barn and I open that up in the evening and mornings for them also, so they can hang out in a larger place inside where their feet don't get so cold. What I noticed when they walk around in the morning when there is some ice on the ground or it is simply very cold, they spend a lot of time standing on one leg. Since they don't normally do that I assume that this is how they try to minimize exposure to the cold ground.

Bella and Tippi enjoying a cold morning, note the ice that covers the greenery.

Both Sophie and Bella are standing on one leg as there is a layer of ice on the ground.

Bella my Golden Campine hen. She is a very independant little soul, she is all over the place, checking out the different areas in the barn which requires for her to fly up on the dividers. She spends part of her days in the goat pen where she can forage without competition, but I noticed today that Tobi has picked up on that and goes in there now too. She hasn't figured out yet how to get back out. Bella gets in and out all day now.

My big boy Sophie, I know it's a funny name for a rooster, but he was supposed to be a hen. He seems to know his name as he usually comes running in his dinosaur kind of way when I call him, and what does he care about his name being a girl's name anyway. He is a very special guy.