The chicks made it outside, but with the night still being cool, plugged in a heat lamp, but the very edge of the shade is touching the painted wooden coop door, is this a fire hazard?
There are too many stories of coops burning down from heat lamps. I would not chance it. Sure sounds like a fire hazard to me. When I occasionally use a heat lamp on cold nights in the winter I make sure that it is no closer than 2" to any wood. This includes the metal shade.