Heat Lamp: Am I Doing This Right?

[Lacy Duckwing]

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.

Thank you so much for the advice! I just ran them out some apples.

 

[BarnyardChaos]

They were fighting because with the roosts removed, they have to re-establish pecking order. I would have left the perches in place; if you haven't done so already, please put them back. The air will be warmer at elevation anyway, than on the floor. If you're worried about their feet on the perches, see if you can use 2x4's but turned so the wide side is up. Chickens don't grip with their feet anyway, and a wider space to sit on will keep their feet warm.

I'm glad to hear you switched to a red bulb - that's likely 250 watts, versus the clear one you had that was only 125 watts. The 125 would have done nothing to heat the coop in that extreme cold, it's just a bright light, that's all. The 250 will do better.

 

[BarnyardChaos]

I regularly use heat lamps in my coop during very cold weather. They are well-secured. I position them where they are not in the path of any birds flying down from the highest roost - either a few feet away horizontally, or lower in an area where they can't fly into it. It's a large coop, and my roosters have their own harems, so I use two lamps in different areas - that way, no one harem has to stay in the cold all the time.

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

They were fighting because with the roosts removed, they have to re-establish pecking order. I would have left the perches in place; if you haven't done so already, please put them back. The air will be warmer at elevation anyway, than on the floor. If you're worried about their feet on the perches, see if you can use 2x4's but turned so the wide side is up. Chickens don't grip with their feet anyway, and a wider space to sit on will keep their feet warm.

I'm glad to hear you switched to a red bulb - that's likely 250 watts, versus the clear one you had that was only 125 watts. The 125 would have done nothing to heat the coop in that extreme cold, it's just a bright light, that's all. The 250 will do better.

I put the perches back in the coop. Thank you for your advice and insight!

 

[catballou]

There is no specific temperature, but chickens can handle it surprisingly cold. Personally, I'd turn it on when it gets below 0 degrees and the birds will stay as near/far away from the lamp as they are comfortable

I turn mine on if its very windy and below zero, Fahrenheit. My coop is in my little pole barn, but it still gets very cold here in Michigan.
I use a large heated dog dish set on 2 10x10" patio blocks. It has almost frozen across the whole top three times with the polar vortex winters,but my coop is usually 15 to 20° warmer than outside with the heat lamp on. They don't need it 30 or 40°. They're fine at 20° without drafts, but with some ventilation up top to let humidity out.