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

[Phoenixxx]

Last night was my girls 1st night in their new coop.  Im new at this so Im trying to figure everything out.  The water froze in the run, chicken poop was frozen to one of my chickens butt feathers even though they were all in the coop/nesting area.  I am limited on space so the actually nesting box/coop box is only 3 feet long x 2 ft wide by 2 ft tall.  I have 4 hens.  I had to lock them up in the box because they are unfamilier with it & kept coming back out & nesting on the hay in the run.  Im just worried.  Like I said, this is all new to me.  I am a rookie chicken owner bt I can tell you this...I love my chickens like a person loves their dog or cat.  They are my pets & I want whats best for them.  I do not, however, want to love them to death.  To much heat, not enough heat, the right feed, ect..ect.  Can anyone tell me at what temperature does it need to be to turn a heat lamp? (measurements above), do I even need a heat lamp?  Will a heated dog water bowl work ok to use for chicken water?  ect.  Any & all info is sooooo needed & appreciated.  Thanks you very much    ~Renee

That space is too small for a heatlamp. They come with warning stickers that say "place a minimum of 3' away from any combustibles". Also, a space that small would heat up too quickly and get too hot causing problems that way. I, personally, turn on the heatlamp in my coop when it gets down below -10/-15 (celsius) but only because a handful of my birds aren't "winter" breeds and half of the ones that are are currently half-bald from moulting!

The birds should be okay after being locked up for the first night. After that, they should go back in their boxes by themselves at night. Is there a perch inside the box? Chickens don't like sleeping on the floor, they like to be as high up as they possibly can be.

Some people use heated dog dishes, some use heating pads. I use an aquarium heater but only because I have extras of those anyway. As long as the device won't cause a fire or electrical hazard if the dish is spilled, whatever you choose is fine.

 

[Rfournier]

Thank you so much. I was thinking it was to small for any type of heater but when one of my Leghorns waltzed out this morning with a poopsicle dangling from her fanny feathers I grew a bit concerned. No, I dont have a perch in the hen house but it is tall enough to put one in. Im still learning & have a lot of learning to do. We rescued these girls from a local park or I wouldnt even have them but my husband & I were told that they would be put down so we decided we were going to take them & give them a good home. Thats what Im trying to do with help from you & other BYC members. Thank you very very much.

 

[Phoenixxx]

Thank you so much.  I was thinking it was to small for any type of heater but when one of my Leghorns waltzed out this morning with a poopsicle dangling from her fanny feathers I grew a bit concerned.  No, I dont have a perch in the hen house but it is tall enough to put one in.  Im still learning & have a lot of learning to do.  We rescued these girls from a local park or I wouldnt even have them but my husband & I were told that they would be put down so we decided we were going to take them & give them a good home.  Thats what Im trying to do with help from you & other BYC members.  Thank you very very much. 

Np! I'm still learning, too. This is the place to be, though, that's for sure! I'm guessing the space they're in now is only temporary? Take a look here at all the different coop designs and read some of the threads on ventilation and whatnot. Then when it's warm enough to build you'll know what you want I have photos of mine on my profile page. I spent $200 on materials, the rest (like the shingles, roofing, insulation and siding) are re-purposed materials.

 

[jerrey]

hi I have been reading your site I have 17 Plymouth rocks also I put two 250wt.light in the chicken coop at night it will be 18 to night if is 30 a night I will put one on my chicken are really spoiled they are used to the lights and sleep good a night this has been a very cold weather this year

 

[Rfournier]

The space weve got wont allow a bigger box but we plan to vent it when the weather warms up a bit. I have been learning all sorts of things on BYC. Dont know what Id do without all of you helping me. I still cant figure out why I have to go out there & put them int he box at night. Especially when its so darn cold out. Then I have to lock them in so they dont come back out & lay on the hay on the ground. Goodfballs..lol. Hopefully after doing that a few times they will naturally learn to go in there when its bedtime by themselves. I could understand it if it were hot out but it was less than 20 degrees last night. Ive got to buy a heated dog water bowl or something to. Their water keeps freezing

. Thank you for you help
you guys!

 

[JackE]

The space weve got wont allow a bigger box but we plan to vent it when the weather warms up a bit. I have been learning all sorts of things on BYC. Dont know what Id do without all of you helping me. I still cant figure out why I have to go out there & put them int he box at night. Especially when its so darn cold out. Then I have to lock them in so they dont come back out & lay on the hay on the ground. Goodfballs..lol. Hopefully after doing that a few times they will naturally learn to go in there when its bedtime by themselves. I could understand it if it were hot out but it was less than 20 degrees last night. Ive got to buy a heated dog water bowl or something to. Their water keeps freezing

. Thank you for you help
you guys!

You have 4 hens in a 2x3' box, with NO vents? Do you notice any frost buildup in the box, in the morning? It's not really surprising they want to stay out. They can handle the cold. Waaaaay colder than 20. But they don't like to be kept in a poorly ventilated, crowded box. Just by breathing, they put out a lot of moisture. And that moisture NEEDS to be vented out. The ventilation is just as important, in the coldest part of winter, as it is in the summer months. Not trying to beat you up, but the birds are trying to tell you something, by coming out of the box. They want fresh air.

 

[Phoenixxx]

What JackE said. I was going to say something similar. It only takes one night - 2 at most - to teach a chicken "home". If they're not putting themselves to bed in the box by themselves then something's wrong. Don't force them to go there if they don't like it because there's a darn good reason why; you may wind up with sick birds if you do. Build them something at least 4' high - the higher the better - or, if you have a shed let them stay there for now.

 

[Rfournier]

Omgoodness No...lol. The hole where they come in & out has a extra space about a ft long by an inch wide & they have ventilatiion in the back where we allow a space of 3 ft long by 1/2 inch wide so they can still get a cross breeze of fresh air. We need to build regular vents but its just to cold yet. We had chickens in cages in our garage with our $50,000 race car. We had to get them out asap so we couldnt completely finish the coop. Theyve only had the coop for, well, this is the 3rd day. Theyve only had 2 nights in it. Im thinking that maybe htye just dont know it so they dont use it for anything other than laying. They do lay eggs in there. I had divider walls that are approx 6-7 inches seperating the nests. And dont think for a second that I took anything negatively. I appreciate any & all info, suggestions ect that I cant get. Oh, and no there isnt any frost in the box in the mornings. See, we rescued these domesticated chickens from a local park where we had taken our dogs for a walk one day about a wk ago. There were dead chickens (eaten) & the ones we resued. I had called the authorities & they wouldnt help them so we did with their permission. We gathered them up & brought them home. They now have a home of their own where they are safe. I had no plans on running out to get chickens but God placed them with us so be it. Must have been in the grand scheme of things. Now, I love them & want whats best for them. Ive got so much to learn & I worry all the time that Im not providing them with the best life I can possibly give them. Thats why I reach out to all of you. Thank you so much!!!

 

[JackE]

The vents you describe, are not enough. I have read where, if humans were to breath like a chicken, we would have to have the respiration rate of a horse. Their little lungs move A LOT of air. In a small space, they can quickly foul the air, and I'm not even talking about their waste, I'm talking just from breathing. From what I've read here, the description of your situation, I would let the birds roost where they want, as long as they are safe from predators, and use the box for egg laying. I think they would be better off. They were living in a park, with no shelter at all. They are tougher than you think, when it comes to cold weather.

 

[Rfournier]

Thanks guys!