the frozen water and my chickens just looking miserable. So last night on my way home I bought another 250 watt heat lamp and socket to add to the one all ready in the coop. This morning I was very happy to see that the water bowl didn't have a hint of ice. The heat lamps are not over the water either. I nailed them to the coop walls about five feet up on either side of the coop. It got down to 18 degrees last night so I was happy. NOW we will see what happens when the temps get to a low of zero tonight and only a high of 8 degrees tomorrow and minus 2 on Friday night. The coop is a 8 x 12 that is 8 feet high at it's peak and has 24 chickens and two caged ducks.
I think several of us are suffering through the sudden drop in temps. I know people say the chickens do not need extra heat but if it makes you feel better, creates less stress for you, and you are sure the lamps are very secure, then ultimately it's your decision. I have done the same thing at times and the reduction in stress over my animals well being more than made up for the cost to run the lamp.
I really like my radiant heater panels. They cannot catch things on fire, they can't burn the birds and so far even with sub-zero temps they have kept the coops a few degrees above freezing (I also have insulation on the ceiling and straw bales stacked 3-4 high around the north and west sides). In fact I have a Blue Andalusian with a huge single comb and so far not a sign of frostbite. I have two of the large ones in each coop. To me it was an investment I was willing to make because winters here can be brutal and sometimes looooong. Below is the link to the company I used. Very good customer service. here is a picture of them in one of the coops... http://www.sweeterheater.com/bizweb.asp
