Heat Lamp

[kyrose]

i used a heat light last winter and my roos started crowing in the middle of the night.so this year im trying no heat at all.if i see any discomfort i may try a ceramic bulb.

 

[ChickenGirl3]

My heat lamp I left It on for 3 days straight and it didn't catch on fire! It one of those dimer lamps were you can dim it at night and make it brighter in the morning. Today I just turned it off to cool it down cause it was flaming! My chickens rarely go near it, but it it get very cold at night (water freezes ). I only have three chickens anyway It not like I put It so bright that its sun.

 

[tammyd57]

Quote:
If your chickens rarely go near it, you might want to reconsider using it. If they don't go near it, they probably don't need it.

JMO

 

[ChickenGirl3]

We don't get very much sun since it has been very cloudy they actually they just laid a egg today.

 

[arch_cpj]

First to qualify my statements Im a 15 year firemedic and currently a state certified fire investigator and a captain on our FD I cannot over emphasise how pointless it is to use heat lamps in the winter and dangerous... I can recall 2 recent fires caused by heat lamps one a barn full of hogs burned to death the other a barn full of equiptment and some new puppies whom the heat lamp was intended burned OH and we got to listen to em die not pleasant thing... We also had a guy tryin to keep chickens warm in a cardboard box in his house lamp bracket ( metal 0 broke and lamp fell burned a nice round hole through the carpen through the floor and the lamp was in the basement... Chickens as long as they are in dry draft free quarters and fully feathered will be fine... I raise my babied in a steel water tank and uses the lamp it is then wired 3 independent ways to keep it from falling and on a gfi outlet... All that is needed in the winter is tight quarters and a bit snug with some ventilation leave the old bedding in but add a bit of lime and fresh bedding to it mix it in the composting bedding and the body heat of the birds will keep a tight coop 20 - 30 degrees warmer than outdoors.. Also add a bit of protein to the diet not much Ive used distillers grain to do this cheap I give the flock of 50 a scoop a day 100 pd bag is 10 bucks here... it is high in protein... I also go to the local butcher and he will give me 10 - 20 pd blocks of raw suet take a stiff wire (coat hanget etc) run it through the suet and hang it in the coop birds will pick it free will and will stay very warm also a good deicer that keeps water 40 plus degrees will do more to warm your birds than any lamp... If you use a lamp in the spring for the young ones then again really wire it up and use GFI but there is NO REAL NEED of a lamp in winter...

 

[spottedtail]

Post #15 is exactly right.

Artificial heat injures the natural hardiness of our chickens.

That, plus the risk of fire, makes heat lamps a big no-no.

spot

 

[chicknmania]

I just went out to feed and with the wind chill it feels like below zero. It is brutal out there. But when I walked into the barn
it was like, "wow, it's warm in here!" Fifty some odd feathery bodies at roughly 106 degrees F each, plus two bigger ones (the
peacocks), 10 some assorted sparrows and (i'm sure) a few rats.. and probably at least one stray cat...made it pretty warm in there with the
snow covering the roof.

 

[OkChickens]

It is supposed to get about 5 degrees tonight... Winds from North at about 20-30. I have 52 chickens that are about 2 months old and 5ish months old plus I have a uninsulated coop. My coop can be drafty sometimes. What should I do?
My coop is apart of my barn 20x60 and my coop about 20x35 ft with the North wall solid with one plexiglass window. The east and west sides are wire. The south side is my barn with chicken wire walls. I have tarps on the east and west sides for wind control. Heat lamp or no?
Thanks, -Nate

 

[chicknmania]

They can't go into the barn?

 

[OkChickens]

No it has a lot of equipment in it and its a really old barn. Aka no doors that close just doors that are there to walk through.still cold in there also.