Do chickens need dark to lay eggs.

[ladywhynott]

Welcome to BYC. I would think that the first order of business would be to seal up the drafty coop. Even if you used a light reflective tarp to seal 3 sides and the roof could be a dramatic improvement. You may want to do 2 lamps one with a red bulb for night time heat and one with a white bulb for daytime heat. Set them to timers or not to force yourself out there to check up on them. I would have such a hard time going out in the cold to check on them. When finances allow it may be beneficial to get some insulation material added to the coop. They have several kinds at home improvement stores to choose from. Best of luck through the winter!

 

[traceyj]

I got bales of hay stacked up around the outside of mine, acts as windbreaker and keeps in a lot of heat, -20 in bc right now, with snow on the coop roof and bales round three sides of coop and run, and it's only just freezing in there. I don't heat them.

 

[Crow hop]

Every year in the US about 50,000 - 60,000 house fires are caused by heating equipment, and many more by cooking equipment...

Most will agree that the risk of a house fire is not a viable reason to totally avoid heating and cooking in your house... Instead most will agree that steps should be done to do both safely in a house to mitigate the fire risk...

And I can't see why that same 'mitigate risk' logic appears to be lost by many when heating a coop...

There are ways to heat your coop safely and have little to no fire risk at all negating the burning down concern almost entirely...

Meeepbeep, I don't care to argue or agree with you.... There is a valid point in your words but that all reverts back to "Building Codes" and "money" and most folks don't apply much of either one to a chicken coop. Therefore, the "risk" is above that "mitigate risk" of cooking and heating a home.
I notice you like to dig around on here and pull things out of context to stir up debate. I'd appreciate you refraining from doing that because it builds strife. You are probably a great guy that is quite knowledgeable.... I'd recommend using that gift and skill to build friendships. That is my thoughts, I hope you have a blessed new year!

 

[Mflood]

I ended up putting a low wattage (125) heat lamp bulb in the coop. We keep it on all the time. We have 14 chickens and have been getting about 9 eggs a day. The chickens seem to be just fine. Hope this helps!

 

[Hokum Coco]

I ended up putting a low wattage (125) heat lamp bulb in the coop. We keep it on all the time. We have 14 chickens and have been getting about 9 eggs a day. The chickens seem to be just fine. Hope this helps!

Just a warning make sure you have a safety chain to hold the light securely if your first attachment fails. You would not be the first to burn down your coop with that same sort of set up.



.

 

[MeepBeep]

I'd appreciate you refraining from doing that because it builds strife.

And I would appreciate people stop using argumentum ad passiones and screaming 'you'll burn down your coop' every time heating a coop pops up, but I doubt either will happen...

There is a valid point in your words but that all reverts back to "Building Codes" and "money" and most folks don't apply much of either one to a chicken coop. Therefore, the "risk" is above that "mitigate risk" of cooking and heating a home.

I beg to differ, a large percentage of house fires are also caused by people not applying 'building codes' and not spending 'money' to properly do things correctly, that same risk applies universally to any structure to those that follow unsafe practices, this is why we have building codes in the first place... If done properly be it in the house or in the coop the risk of heating can be mitigated very low to a nearly insignificant levels and that is a fact that I always advocate and promote... If you don't following basic building codes or spend the money to do something safely and properlly, of course the risk isn't' going to be mitigated be it in the house or in the coop, and I never advocate that...

I ended up putting a low wattage (125) heat lamp bulb in the coop.

As said many times, generally heat lamps are not safe, it's very hard to install them safely inside a coop and mitigate the fire risk... For lighting LEDs or covered florescent fixtures are much safer, and for heating a moderate temperature radiant heater that does not get anywhere near combustion temperature is a much safer choice...

 

[Mflood]

Thank you for all of the advice. I went with the low wattage bulb, because it does not get nearly as hot. Also, I hung it from a solid rubber coated metal hook that is screwed into the ceiling. It is very sturdy. We used an outdoor extension cord and it is hanging from the ceiling. There is a cage over the bulb. It does not keep the water from freezing, but just takes the edge off of the chill and provides a little bit of light for them to lay.

 

[aart]

Thank you for all of the advice. I went with the low wattage bulb, because it does not get nearly as hot. Also, I hung it from a solid rubber coated metal hook that is screwed into the ceiling. It is very sturdy. We used an outdoor extension cord and it is hanging from the ceiling. There is a cage over the bulb. It does not keep the water from freezing, but just takes the edge off of the chill and provides a little bit of light for them to lay.

and its on a timer so it's not on 24/7?

 

[Mflood]

No, it actually is on 24/7. The chickens seem to be doing fine. They sleep at night and are acting normally. They are growing and are laying about 9 eggs a day (we have 14 chickens). I know that it is not traditional, but it is working for us right now.

 

[Ellies Egg Basket]

Patch up the coop, so drafts and breezes don't blow through. Chickens are hardy, you may look up the breed of your chickens and find out how cold of temperature they tolerate. They fluff out their feathers and keep quite warm. Breezes can cause the chickens to be cold more than just cold temperatures. You can buy a heated water dispenser so the water won't freeze in winter. You can purchase these online or in a supply store.