Heat lamp vs Heating Pad

[Kat21]

I find the heat lamp over better to be honest, at least they can move out of the heat of they get too hot. The heat pad I found creates too much heat for a bigger radius. And my chooks were constantly trying to move away from it. And yes they did peck at it too which was concerning.
The straw /lamp combo will be fine. I only use straw and have never had issue with it
Hope this helps

Also, shavings can have too many oils in it and will do damage if the birds eat it.

Thank you for answering about the heating pad; that's what I was thinking might happen.

My temps don't get nearly as cold as what yours would seeing as I'm from Australia but it'd be worth brushing up on research about your chickens breed, some birds are more winter hardy than others. Take my Australorp for example, chooses to be in the sun all day and nests under a heat lamp at night when it gets colder. But my wyandotte prefers the colder climates.

 

[YvonneBack]

Please define "chilly' in degrees Fahrenheit.
Their feathers keep them warm.
Ventilation is way more important than bedding or heat.
Shavings are better bedding, IMO.
But what bedding works best for you may depend on how you manage the manure.

Chilly here would be in the lower teens. We often get snow on the top of Mt. Diablo and have had snow on the ranch. The feathers keeping them warm, I understand. It's the chicken with little feathers that has me concerned. 'Course by the time the temps dip down to the chilly teens she may have grown all her feathers back in. Thanks for responding.

 

[YvonneBack]

Also, shavings can have too many oils in it and will do damage if the birds eat it.

My temps don't get nearly as cold as what yours would seeing as I'm from Australia but it'd be worth brushing up on research about your chickens breed, some birds are more winter hardy than others. Take my Australorp for example, chooses to be in the sun all day and nests under a heat lamp at night when it gets colder. But my wyandotte prefers the colder climates.

Australia? What a lovely place.
I will check into the hardiness of the breed(s), thanks for that.

 

[YvonneBack]

When it hits 32 degrees and the water gets ice on top, why would a chicken be a different amount cold in a different climate? They can't look ahead and say "January will be much worse, so this must be fine." They just have today's temperature, and the feathers they grew as it got cooler over the previous weeks and months.

I agree with the other people who are saying dry, out of the wind, no added heat.

Thanks for that. Do they grow more down/feathers when the weather begins to cool? The cat does, the goats do and the donkeys do as well...do chickens? Never thought of that.

 

[YvonneBack]

I would choose the shavings. They are more absorbent than straw and not prone to mold.

My roosts are 24" above the shavings.

Thank you. Everyone on here has given me much to think about.

 

[CluckerFamily]

I do a heat lamp in the coop for the -30F weeks but the lamp only comes on for a couple hours in the morning and a couple hours before roosting time. Any temperature above that, the lamp doesn't come on.

@YvonneBack I love your yorkie picture!!

 

[YvonneBack]

I do a heat lamp in the coop for the -30F weeks but the lamp only comes on for a couple hours in the morning and a couple hours before roosting time. Any temperature above that, the lamp doesn't come on.

@YvonneBack I love your yorkie picture!!

Thanks for the timing schedule, that really makes much sense.

Thanks for commenting on my Toby. You probably can't read the quote I wrote on the bottom of the pix..."I am so clever, sometimes I don't understand a single thought I have"
Sadly I lost my dear boy 4 weeks ago and I have been having much difficulty in dealing with his absence.

 

[NatJ]

Do they grow more down/feathers when the weather begins to cool? The cat does, the goats do and the donkeys do as well...do chickens? Never thought of that.

They typically molt in the fall, so that would be similar to mammals growing a their warm winter coat.

Baby chicks grow their feathers faster when it's cool, slower when it's warm. I do not know whether molting adult hens grow their feathers faster when the weather is cooler, or not. (It would make sense if they did, but nature does not always do the things I consider sensible.)

 

[CluckerFamily]

Thanks for the timing schedule, that really makes much sense.

Thanks for commenting on my Toby. You probably can't read the quote I wrote on the bottom of the pix..."I am so clever, sometimes I don't understand a single thought I have"
Sadly I lost my dear boy 4 weeks ago and I have been having much difficulty in dealing with his absence.

I am so sorry for losing Toby. I completely understand how you are feeling. I'm tearing up just typing this... but I think of this saying often: Every new dog who comes into my life gifts me with a piece of their heart. If I live long enough all the components of my heart will be a dog, and I will become as generous and loving as they are.

 

[Kat21]

They typically molt in the fall, so that would be similar to mammals growing a their warm winter coat.

Baby chicks grow their feathers faster when it's cool, slower when it's warm. I do not know whether molting adult hens grow their feathers faster when the weather is cooler, or not. (It would make sense if they did, but nature does not always do the things I consider sensible.)

@NatJ This makes sense to me now, my wyandotte chick has baby fluff everywhere and only wing feathers at 5 weeks old and it's oddly enough that my wyandottes prefer the colder temperatures. I just thought my little buckbeak was broken or attempting to be Peter pan