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Sillysu

Sillysu

Chirping
6 Years
Apr 1, 2016
9
2
69
East Yaphank,NY
Hi Everyone....Do you use heat lamps in winter?
I hear its not necessary??? I bought chickens yesterday... 6-10 weeks old they were kept outdoors as the have adult feathers now and I kept them inside last night (below freezing) Tonight the temp is at 42!! So today we built the coop and made a pen. I am told at that age they are okay to be outside but I think its a bit chilly still so I put a work light in there with a 100watt light bulb to give them some warmth. I hope its okay
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Welcome to BYC -- this is one of those topics that divides chicken people pretty firmly into two camps. I am in the camp of "for most breeds, fully feathered and otherwise healthy birds have no need for supplemental heat" -- meaning, no, I do not heat my coop. I have used this approach here and in the mountains of Idaho and have not had any issues, so if it's not broke I'm not going to fix it, ya know? At the age of your birds they are capable of maintaining their own body temperature, especially at the temperatures you posted - but if it makes you feel better it isn't going to "hurt" anything other than a regular spectrum bulb can deprive them of a natural "night" cycle by maintaining a level of light within the coop. How many birds and how large of a space are you working with?
 
I don't use any extra heat in winter. If your chicks are mostly feathered and acclimated to those temperatures they will be okay. They will sleep in a pile and keep each other warm. The light won't hurt them but it's not necessary.
 
welcome-byc.gif


If they have been kept outdoors previously, they are acclimated to the cooler temperatures. They will be fine without a light, but as Ol' Grey Mare says, it probably won't hurt them. I'm in MN, and it gets into the -20's here in the winter - sometimes for a few days on end. I don't use a heat lamp in my coop and they are just fine.
 
It can help to keep in mind that what feels cold to you is not necessarily "cold" to them -- they are, essentially, bundled up in nice down jackets and given a draft free area where their feathers can do their job they stay nice and toasty. Heat is much more of a threat to them than cold.
 
Sillysu said:
We have 6 and the coop to for up to 6 hens
So the light in there will mess them up with nighttime??? Gonna keep them awake??
Click to expand...
Hmmmm...this always makes ask...how big (feet by feet)?
My guess is the light would take up too much space, could be a fire hazard...and they don't need the heat anyway.

Oh, and, Welcome to BYC!!
 
Last edited:
Sillysu said:
We have 6 and the coop to for up to 6 hens
So the light in there will mess them up with nighttime??? Gonna keep them awake??
Click to expand...

What are the actual dimensions of the space? "Up to six birds" can be quite varied in actual dimension, especially if you are working with a prefabricated unit as they grossly overestimate the appropriate capacity of the coop creating unsuitable overcrowded conditions.
 
Those aren't the best, makes me mad that they will throw those numbers out there. Most of them end up too small, you may need something bigger down the road.
 

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