Heat lamp or no heat lamp????

[Chickenconcernd]

Would they keep on laying well if it freezes hard with no heat lamp?

 

[TrystInn]

Not generally, no.

 

[greenmulberry]

I don't use a heat lamp, and it gets down to -20F here. Interestingly, the only time my chickens have suffered frostbite was my very first winter, the one winter that I did use a heat lamp.

I do run a compact flourescent light, so they have 14 hour days, and that keeps them laying.

 

[donrae]

Would they keep on laying well if it freezes hard with no heat lamp?

Temperature does not effect laying as much as hours of daylight. If they're first year pullets they'll usually lay through the first winter without light anyway.

I would not put a light in a coop that small, you can easily over heat them and they have no way to get away from the heat. All the breeds you chose are good hearty breeds, derived from birds developed for your area long before there was electricity! That small a coop, they'll keep each other nice and warm and you won't have a risk of fire. Plus, as mentioned, I always wonder what folks who give heat will do if/when the power goes out? I know if that situation the very last thing I'm gonna do is worry about keeping my babied birds warm. Currently, my birds wouldn't know if the power went out (at least until the emergency water supply ran out, but that's another story!).