Heat Lamp: Am I Doing This Right?

[WoDia]

Run some heavy wire through the holes in the fixture and secure to the chain. Also, wire the cord to the chain as well. I never trust any clip on its own. Good wishes for your babies!

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

I've changed the bulb to a red, added the split off, and just turned the heat lamp on. I have the lamp pretty high right now, but I may lower it later if it doesn't get the floor warm enough. I'm hoping it'll keep the temperature just right, and not warm the coop up too much. Outside, it's -7°F and in my coop it was 4°F. (I'm turning the lamp on now, instead of at 0°F, because of the outside temps.) I'll be planning on checking it every once and a while.

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

I just checked on the heat lamp. The temperature in the coop has dropped, so I lowered the heat lamp. I'm concerned that this heat lamp isn't going to be enough. I'm trying to figure out what to do. I'm considering removing the perches so the birds huddle together tonight (and my crooked toes hen will keep her feet covered). My hens Valerie and Beth will probably try roosting in the nesting boxes, which I will allow them to do because they should be able to keep themselves warm. (Unless that wouldn't work.) Marvalo, my undersized hen, might try roosting the nesting boxes too. If she wants to go in with Valerie, I think that would be best. On the huddle idea, I'm concerned she could get smothered by my big Orpington.

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

I lowered the heat lamp as low as I can get it, removed the perches, and blocked up the nesting boxes except for one. (Was going to let them have the nesting boxes, then remembered a thread I saw on here recently of someone whose chicken froze to death in their nesting box.) When I left the coop, the birds were starting to huddle in the same corner, which is good.

 

[aart]

The temperature in the coop has dropped

Where are you measuring the temp in relation to the lamp?
Did you put a therm on the floor under the lamp?

the birds were starting to huddle in the same corner

Under the lamp, or.....?

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

Where are you measuring the temp in relation to the lamp?
Did you put a therm on the floor under the lamp?

I have the thermometer on the wall by the feeder. I can't put it directly on the floor because of what type of thermometer it is. The shavings will ruin it.

Under the lamp, or.....?

Not under the lamp, but near it. They're huddling where the perches used to be.

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

I just come in from working with the birds. When I first went out there, they were all despersed through the coop, with a few huddled by the door. (The door would have some draft.) I collected a bunch of grain bags and some other stuff and lined two of the corners (door was one) so the hens' space would be less, and they wouldn't huddle in those places. I moved the heat lamp so it's more over the corner I want them huddling in and moved the feeder near it. I moved the thermometer closer to their corner.

By the time I left, the birds were huddling in that corner by the heat lamp. There's a side problem. Some of the birds are fighting. Tweety, an Isa Brown, is beating up my Valerie, an Olive Egger, and somebody was starting fights with my crossbeak, Amber. They seemed to calm down by the time I left, so I'm hoping there's no further troubles.

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

My birds all survived the night! I checked on them at 5:00 this morning. They were all huddled under the heat lamp. I warmed up Sarah, Marvalo, Amber, and Owl in my coat for a few minutes and Midnight sat on my lap. Both Sarah and Marvalo became more active after the warming, and I don't know how Owl was after because I left. The birds had been fighting a lot during the night. A few had bloody combs, with others having blood on them from those hens. I saw some blood on the floor, so I'm going to need to do a feet check when it gets warmer later. (I don't want to cause extra stress on the birds right now. ) Someone had laid an egg, and it was already frozen.

I checked on the birds a few minutes ago. They had laid three more eggs (which I collected) that weren't frozen. I opened up one nesting box and Tweety immediately went in. I brought in a small waterer to quench their thirst until I get their bigger waterer out. It's not on the heated base because I'm not ready to open the space up that the heated base is on yet. I'm also concerned it's still too cold for it to work enough for the bigger waterer. (The waterer was starting to freeze over when I brought it in last night. )

Later, I'll remove the bags, freeing up the extra space. (The birds are starting to get ansy now, but that could be because they need to lay eggs.) When it's warmer, I'll turn the heated base on and get a bigger waterer out there.

 

[FunClucks]

My birds all survived the night! I checked on them at 5:00 this morning. They were all huddled under the heat lamp. I warmed up Sarah, Marvalo, Amber, and Owl in my coat for a few minutes and Midnight sat on my lap. Both Sarah and Marvalo became more active after the warming, and I don't know how Owl was after because I left. The birds had been fighting a lot during the night. A few had bloody combs, with others having blood on them from those hens. I saw some blood on the floor, so I'm going to need to do a feet check when it gets warmer later. (I don't want to cause extra stress on the birds right now. ) Someone had laid an egg, and it was already frozen.

I checked on the birds a few minutes ago. They had laid three more eggs (which I collected) that weren't frozen. I opened up one nesting box and Tweety immediately went in. I brought in a small waterer to quench their thirst until I get their bigger waterer out. It's not on the heated base because I'm not ready to open the space up that the heated base is on yet. I'm also concerned it's still too cold for it to work enough for the bigger waterer. (The waterer was starting to freeze over when I brought it in last night. )

Later, I'll remove the bags, freeing up the extra space. (The birds are starting to get ansy now, but that could be because they need to lay eggs.) When it's warmer, I'll turn the heated base on and get a bigger waterer out there.

Glad to hear they survived the night!!! Hope it will be warmer today!

 

[Iluveggers]

The light on all night when they usually sleep might cause them to fight out of boredom since it isn’t dark. It was -14 in my coop this morning, (-40 with windchill), and my girls are doing great. I’m glad everything worked out ok for your girls. Maybe if they are picking on each other, put something in the coop to keep them occupied (a head of cabbage, a flock block), so they don’t pick on each other.