Reviews by cate1124

A good primer for newbies, with useful reminders for veterans. I would add that older hens, like older people, are less resilient to temperature extremes. I sometimes use oil-filled radiators to heat near the roost on extremely cold nights (low teens, single digits). They are safe, throw a nice radiant heat and do not emit light. Even having done so, and used petroleum jelly, my 10-year-old buff orpington got some frostbite on that big single comb last winter, when temps dipped well below zero. I learned not long after that she had cancer, which was likely also eating into her resilience. I will heat on very cold nights this winter as well, as I have another 10-year-old, and three 5-year-olds. No one is young anymore (including me)!

It hasn't been possible for Nature to take its course with domestic chickens for eons: All you have to do is look at the natural production cycle of wild birds -- no more than 2 or 3 clutches of eggs per summer -- to appreciate how the birds we keep have been bred to be production machines. The very least we can do for them in regard to artificial lighting is to at allow them the winter hiatus we have not (yet) bred out of them to suit our own purposes. The quality of their lives matters more than getting every possible egg out of them.

If I need to heat the coop during winter, I use an oil-filled radiator, which is safe and does not emit light. You can get them for about $40 at most big-box stores.