Cold chickens.....when to use heat lamp?

I use a heated dog watering bowl and the water level is the same in the morning as when they go to bed at night. Bowl water temp is low 40s when the other regular waterer is frozen. I believe any addition of humidity in these conditions is minimal or nonexistent. I also have excellent ventilation at the roof gables for air exhaust.

While not a big fan of coop heat, I do use a set of 2 50w red heat lamps (PetsMart-Reptile section) near the roosts but located 2-1/2 feet above them. Just takes the chill off. Our weather fluctuates wildly between Gulf weather with a south wind and cold, Arctic type weather with a north wind. And it changes day by day. The girls never really get a chance to acclimate to colder conditions like in Nebraska. I watch to see how they are doing before I use heat lamps (yes, they stay awake longer after dark at first). Tonight, they are more settled, relaxed and spread out on the roosts instead of lying on top of each other and in one tight little huddle.

So I watch and see what they might be needing and try to adjust accordingly.

I appreciate the info & responses. For the last few nights, I've been bringing their waterer inside our house at night, and in the morning, taking it to them filled w/warm tap water. It had been freezing solid even though it was in the coop. There's a warming trend predicted for week's end, so I probably have only one or two more nights of this ritual. Eventually, I'd like to get a waterer heater (safe for outside use).

It's been very cold here as well!! We are about 30 miles N of you, so we know It's 17 degrees here atm! /brrrrrr

We have 2 hens and 7 pullets here. No heat in the coop at all. We have been bringing in the water at roosting time, and taking it out again when my DH leaves in the early am for work. We fill it with warm water, not hot mind you, and then take it out to the girls. It hasnt had any effect in the coop re: humidity that we can tell...everything seems fine with no wet walls etc. We have plenty of ventilation as well so that helps! I go to let them out of the coop and into the run at about 8:30 or so, and I check the waterer then to make sure it hasnt frozen over. I add a bit more warm water if needed, and take the girls out a nice warm snack to eat in the run and they have been just fine. No signs of frostbite at all, and they have been snuggly warm on the roosts.

The roosts are 2x4's turned on the sides so they can lay their feet flat on the roosts and cover it with their tummies. I have been out several times over the last few nights and they have been really warm and comfy Slipped my hand under one or two and went at how warm they really were! I was tempted to bunk out with the girls and have a hen's night, but.....I am too old to spend the nights out in the cold anymore lol

This is our 5th year of having hens here with no heat and we have not had any issues. Keeping them out of the wind and out of the wet in a nice dry coop is all that really matters I think . Make sure they have plenty to nibble on, and some good greens etc, as well as unfrozen water....they will be fine!! We keep debating about the heaters, but really, they have done just fine over the years, and if it was good enough for my grandparents on the farm, then our pampered girls should be just wonderful. They get spolied when DH starts worrying about them lol so they get a tonne of treats when it is very cold like this!

And really, the dry cold we have had is so much better than the wet cold

Hello. Just wanted to say hi! I'm only like a 45 minute drive you you. Drove to your town this morning actually!

I'm having the same issues. But I think I'm not going to give them any heat. Only my youngest babies have heat. It's so windy and cold today. Br.

i'v kept an 8'x6'x7' dove shed with 8-10 ringneck doves in it using heat only ounce or twice a winter, and doves are alot smaller, i now have a 4x6 chicken coop with 7 oegb's in it and don't plan on using heat more than a couple times this winter, i know people around here who have kept their birds outside in unprotected aviaries all winter and only lost one or two. birds are tougher than alot of people give them credit for. i usualy don't start heat unless it's below zero or there are other factors involved.

It was 20 degrees here last night, (Northwest Florida panhandle). I have an infrared light that clamps to the ceiling 2x 4s on a timer. Remember you do not want it "warm" , you just want it to keep from freezing. I have a thermometer inside and outside the coop for handiness. (The one light will not make it hot anyway). You have to be very careful to keep your light safely secured because it could be a fire hazard if it got into the litter or against the wood. I also have a rheostat built into the lights control box. With this the lights intensity can be varied. This is very handy. Chickens with their feathers are well adapted to freezing temperatures but they can get frostbite if they are exposed to wind chill.

My automatic chicken door malfunctions in the cold. The plastic coated wire cable becomes less pliable and slips on the pulley.

I've got a smaller coop with some RIR, 3 Silver Sebrights and 3 Silkies. I don't use heat and it's been pretty cold here in Rhode Island. 10-30F at night lately. The sebrights are always some of the first to come out into the cold in the morning. I do have a cookie tin water warmer so maybe that gives off a little heat but I've never had any frost bite issues or anything. Although I can't say I've been concerned about them and tempted to put a space heater out there or something. Especially for the sebrights and silkies. They seem to be taking it well. None of them will touch the snow though. They all go under the coop and won't go into the run even after I'd shoveled it for them. The tiniest bit of snow seems to be off putting to them.

I don't have a thermometer in the coop but I have an infrared instant thermometer and I took it out to the coop and took some temps. The pine chips on the floor registered about 14*F. The roof measured about 19*F I have two brooder lamps with 250 watt clear bulbs in the coop. The coop is not insulated and does have some small openings where the roof meets the walls. The coop is about 5'x5' and about 4' high at its highest point. I have a Rooster and five hens in it.

Our outside temp gauge says its 9*F out but its sheltered from the wind. I pointed the infrared thermometer at one of the outside wooden walls of the coop and registered -6*F temps. Its pretty windy here right now.

Initially I wasn't going to put heat lamps in the coop but when they issued temp warnings for outside animals I decided I had better do something. We also have snow on the ground. I tried partially opening the door for them to come out during the day but they only came out for a few minutes and went back inside. They act like its too cold out for them. They are RIR's.

My Rooster has had some type of respitory problem since I got him in June. He sneezes a lot but otherwise acts normal. But with this cold weather he seems to have gotten a little worse. That is the other reason I felt like I need to add some heat to the coop.

I don't know how much sleep they are getting with the lights on all of the time. Hopefully it will warm up soon so I don't have to worry about it.

Wayne

What temp is considered too cold?

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Maybe 30 below. If the birds are in a well ventilated coop and out of drafts they'll do find at least to 25 below--that's as far down as mine have gotten. BTW, that's not wind chill cold--it is what the thermometer read inside the coop. Only reason I know is that I had to go to the coop to feed the chickens who didn't seem to mind it any way as much as I did.