Heat Lamp Substitute

[Michael8371]

Im looking at getting a silkie and i was wondering if there is a substitute for a heat lamp i'm keeping them in my unheated garage and the winters are cold in ND and one of are neighbors lost there garage to a heat lamp? Any ideas??

 

[Mountain Peeps]

Welcome to BYC! Please make yourself at home and we are here to help.

There are many ways to keep your chickens warm without using a heat lamp. First of all, warms and absorbent bedding is a must. Straw is your best option. It traps heat wonderfully. Then you have to make sure that the area where they live has proper ventilation. Proper ventilation helps keep frostbite and respiratory illnesses away. Also, straw bales act as insulation. Scratch is good to feed in the winter in the evening as it keeps the chickens warm. On extremely cold nights to should rub some Vaseline on their combs.

Good luck!

 

[Michael OShay]

Welcome to BYC. Glad you decided to join our flock. Mountain Peeps has given you some good advice. Also keep in mind that feathers are perfect insulators and Silkies are cold hardy birds. The only real winter danger to them is drafts and dampness. Dampness is far more of a threat than cold is. Provided the good warn absorbent bedding suggest by Mountain Peeps, and make sure that their coop is not only well insulated, but dry and draft free (no moisture seeping in through leaks in the roof or walls or blowing in through the coop's entrance. Please feel free to ask any other questions you may have. We are here to help in any way we can. Good luck with your Silkies.

 

[Michael OShay]

Good luck with your Silkies.

P.S. I would get more than one Silkie (you used the singular in your introduction) as chickens are gregarious birds that like company. Also, several birds can huddle together in cold weather and help keep each other warm.

 

[Michael8371]

P.S. I would get more than one Silkie (you used the singular in your introduction) as chickens are gregarious birds that like company.  Also, several birds can huddle together in cold weather and help keep each other warm.

I was thinking 2 or4

 

[Michael OShay]

I was thinking 2 or4

That sounds good--a nice even number so they can pair up is nice.

 

[drumstick diva]

Silkies tend to sleep in a pile , in a corner, on the floor. Four would make a better pile. Their type of feathers aren't really very good insulation

 

[BantamLover21]

Glad you joined us!

The above posters have given you good advice. Good luck with your future Silkies!

 

[Wyandottes7]

Welcome to BYC!

We're glad to have you.

 

[TwoCrows]

Hello there and welcome to BYC!

Some Silkies are not that cold tolerant. So definitely get this birds some buddies to snuggle with. And Mountain Peeps idea of the straw is a great idea. Straw is not all that absorbant as bedding and poop, but it does allow for heat retention when snuggling into it in the cold. Give them a nice dry area on the floor bedded in straw and good ventilation in your ceiling to release all the moisture from the pooping and breathing, and they should stay warm.

Good luck and welcome to our flock!