Heat/Light

[BellaBlueBell]

Quick question. My 3 hens are almost 8 weeks now, living in their coop. We are going to be having some very cold nights for May, dropping into the low 30's. Currently, there is no heat source in the coop - thought we would not have to deal with that until next fall. I have a yellow trouble light I can put in if needed. What wattage and color should my bulb be?

Thanks!!

 

[SamuelMcF]

I always get the heat lamps that cost around $10 at my local feed store and have the 250 watt bulbs. They get very hot and one can keep a decent amount of hens warm on a cold night. I get the red bulbs so they aren't so bright and I want to say those are around 6 dollars. You can get the clear bulbs for cheaper but I hate sleeping with lights on so I always imagined my chickens would be the same way haha.

 

[blackdog043]

They will be fine without heat in the coop, for the rest of their lives. If your coop is well ventilated, the heat will go out anyway. On cold nights chickens will puff their feathers out to trap air, which keeps them warm.

 

[rosemarythyme]

They will be fine without heat in the coop

x2. 30 isn't that cold, and they're old enough to have a good coat of feathers now.

 

[aart]

They will be fine without heat in the coop, for the rest of their lives. If your coop is well ventilated, the heat will go out anyway. On cold nights chickens will puff their feathers out to trap air, which keeps them warm.

x3.

You will need/want to heat your water in the winter tho,
or change out the waterer several times a day.

 

[Mamatomany123]

Oh gosh, my chicks spent the night in colder weather at 4 weeks old. Yours will be fine without any additional heat.