Do I need heat lamps?

[Belovedturkey]

I live in Oklahoma and it’s going to be -10 F this weekend and generally below freezing for a while so I was wondering if I need heat lamps. We moved here recently so they’re in a coop that was already here and it’s basically just a shed so I’m not confident it’s going to hold heat itself. I do have one Bantam, not sure if that changes anything but I figure since she’s smaller it’ll be colder for her. Anyways I’m not used to the climate and am not sure if I should use heat lamps or not. I also have a flat floor heater that’s also a brooder but it doesn’t heat up as well as a heatlamp.

 

[50-45-1]

Are these adult birds?
Where did you recently move from?, so we have an idea what these birds are used too.

 

[ABQ chicken keeper]

I live in Oklahoma and it’s going to be -10 F this weekend and generally below freezing for a while so I was wondering if I need heat lamps. We moved here recently so they’re in a coop that was already here and it’s basically just a shed so I’m not confident it’s going to hold heat itself. I do have one Bantam, not sure if that changes anything but I figure since she’s smaller it’ll be colder for her. Anyways I’m not used to the climate and am not sure if I should use heat lamps or not. I also have a flat floor heater that’s also a brooder but it doesn’t heat up as well as a heatlamp.

BT,
Please post pic's of your coop. if it's just one Bantam you are worried about then bring it in. Do you have a laundry area or garage area out of the wind?

 

[Belovedturkey]

Are these adult birds?
Where did you recently move from?, so we have an idea what these birds are used too.

These are all adult birds, I moved from Colorado so it was cold but we had an insulated with heat sources so they were a bit spoiled. I’m mostly worried because it’s been a hotter than normal summer.

 

[Belovedturkey]

BT,
Please post pic's of your coop. if it's just one Bantam you are worried about then bring it in. Do you have a laundry area or garage area out of the wind?

I have an insulated shed I could put her in, in a kennel. I’ll get pictures when I’m home from work

 

[fldiver97]

The heat panel you describe…. Is it one that looks like a flat screen tv? Did you buy it especially for chickens? If yes, it doesn’t radiate heat like you’d think. If you mount it /place it upright near the chickens (or overhead) it will warm them when they rest against it. I switched from heat lamps for chick brooder to the panel a few years ago. They’re not a fire risk as heat lamps are. If you chickens are in a dry and draft free area they should be ok unless they’re silkies or bantams. I assume they have had a little time to acclimate to OK weather? Maybe the bantam is safer in a garage? Dry and draft free is most important to prevent frostbite, still need ventilation to keep moisture from poop down.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I live in Oklahoma and it’s going to be -10 F this weekend and generally below freezing for a while so I was wondering if I need heat lamps. We moved here recently so they’re in a coop that was already here and it’s basically just a shed so I’m not confident it’s going to hold heat itself.

What do you think the wild birds that overwinter in Oklahoma do to keep heat in? The Cardinals, Crows, Eagles, Woodpeckers, Nuthatches, Chickadees, Hawks, and such? They use their down, those fluffy bits of feathers near their skin. Chickens also have down. The advantage the wild birds have is that they get to pick their location. They are pretty much guaranteed to have great ventilation so moisture doesn't build up and they can position themselves out of any cold wind. We lock our chickens in coops so they don't always have the options to take care of themselves. So what does your coop look like? Does it have good ventilation yet protect them from direct wind?

-10 F (-23 C) is getting fairly cold. As long as they are able to get out of a wind they are not going to die but they might get frostbite on their combs and wattles, especially if your coop has poor ventilation and moisture can build up. Moisture can come from their breathing, their poop, or any open water. You do not need your coop to hold heat, you want it to get rid of moisture.

I do have one Bantam, not sure if that changes anything but I figure since she’s smaller it’ll be colder for her. Anyways I’m not used to the climate and am not sure if I should use heat lamps or not. I also have a flat floor heater that’s also a brooder but it doesn’t heat up as well as a heatlamp.

In my opinion there is nothing wrong with providing heat when it gets extremely cold as long as you can do it without starting a fire. There are some risks with any device that provides heat. To me, a heat lamp requires being firmly attached so they cannot knock it down. I would never rely on the clamp that comes with it, but instead I'd use wire or chain to securely hold it in place.

I do not provide any heat when it gets that cold and my chickens are OK, no frostbite. But some people do experience frostbite.

 

[50-45-1]

My understanding is that adult chickens can tolerate cold temps well as long as there are no drafts, and they are out of the wind.
Some feather breeds like frizzle or silky do not do well as there feather pattern and texture do not hold body heat.
My own experience with these breeds holds that to be true.
Also individual birds may just not like cold. I had a cream colored old English bantam hen (tiny bird) that huddled under anyone that would allow it. Like chicks nestling under the broody. She just had less tolerance to cold. Her sisters of the same breed were fine with it.
It was darling! I wish I had taken a picture.