The Sweeter Heater

Be ready for winter’s chill

When I first got my little frizzle-breed chickens, my first thought was “these little guys are adorable, friendly, and not at all suitable for cold weather!” Living in Colorado, urban chicken keepers like me must prepare their coops for the chilly season. I have an ambient heater for my big ladies, but my fuzzy little frizzles would need something with a bit more oomph to keep their tiny bodies toasty.

After a bit of Googling, I came across the “SWEETER HEATER”.

The safer alternative

The Sweeter Heater is an infrared radiant heater that can be hung from the ceiling of the coop so the bird can huddle underneath. As a radiant heater, it does not have hot spots or feel super hot to the touch like a typical space heater. With a surface lens temperature of 160-180 degrees F., it is designed to heat the animal, not the space; so more cold-hardy birds can stay in the same area without getting overheated.

Safety measures like internal snap action thermal controls prevent accidents by automatically turning off when heat is not allowed to escape (ie: if the device falls).

At 11” x 40” and 440 square inches of uniform infrared heat, this heater can easily fit into most roosts while still allowing plenty of room for several birds to snuggle under it. Overall, this looked like a solid answer to prevent my birds from shivering, so off to Amazon I went!

Easy installation

The heater itself is super straight-forward to set up. I simply popped the panel out of the box, attached the included chains and hangers and hung the heater from 2 hooks I had previously screwed into my roost. The heater is very lightweight, only 7 pounds, so I didn’t require anything heavy duty.

It runs on electricity (not batteries) so an outlet was necessary. The 6-foot cord was plenty long enough to easily run along the wall and I was able to plug it into my nearby shed outlet.

I could feel heat pouring out of it immediately! The temperature of my roost stayed around 61 degrees while the area 18 inches below the heater was a balmy 152 degrees.

My little ladies were going to be so happy! In fact, one of them hopped up to inspect my handiwork and immediately laid down for a snooze under the heater. Already had a satisfied customer!

Features and impressions

Radiant Heat: I love the fact that it won’t heat the entire roost. My fluffier hens can still sleep in their usual spots and not be overheated while their more naked roostmates can sleep nice and warm under their heater.
Manageable size: It is roughly the size of a light fixture. It is not bulky and easily fit into my roost without interfering with the roost bar or nesting boxes. In fact, the ladies merely gave it a quick look and went about their business. I also like that it is lightweight. I just used picture frame hooks and the device felt solid. I did secure the hooks with washers to prevent them from eventually backing out.
Decently priced: Amazon sells these for around $165. My previous ambient heater was roughly $150 from a feed store and is much smaller.
Safety features: I can rest easy knowing that the heater is equipped with auto-off features to prevent fires.
Can be used for multiple species (not just chickens)
Three-year guarantee