Heat lamp

[starforever61]

So before winter, my friend gave me her 3 chickens that she needed to be taken care of just over the winter. She started with 32 but most of them died of predator attacks.
We don't have a heat lamp and I haven't gotten a single egg all winter.
Anyways, the rooster she gave us was bred for a hot environment and he froze to death because he just couldn't handle the cold. All the others are fine. So now my friend's blaming me that I didn't have a heat lamp put in the coop! My family is really apprehensive about it though because they don't want a fire or something.

I have the lamp, but how many watts should the bulb be? I want eggs too

So do they need white light for eggs and red light for heat at night? Thanks

 

[abhaya]

as long as your coop is draft free they should be fine. Tell your friend that you are afraid of fire and dont want to use heat lamp if she doesnt like it she can come pick up her chickens remember she lost most of them from predators. you are doing her a favor and getting no eggs to boot

 

[starforever61]

thanks, but i'm basically getting distracted and not asking my question, so my question is if i put in a lamp during the daytime so i get eggs, will i need one for night time because that's when it actually gets really really cold?

 

[Captain Carrot]

you don't need a light during the day time, the idea of the light is to extend the amount of daylight for the hens, you'll want a timer for the light. 2 hours before dawn and an hour before dusk start with lighting for about three hours. about 40w i believe is alright for a small coop.

The heat lamp isn't really necessary with fully feathered birds, as long as the coop is draft free the birds will huddle up and keep warm. but if you really think it's needed then go ahead with it.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

"My family is really apprehensive about it though because they don't want a fire or something.

/quote]

That says it all.

Now don't get me wrong, because I do use 100 watt bulbs in my coops when it gets down to freezing. But my family isn't against it. And boy am I careful. I've got them hung at least two ways not including the clamp.

Once I had a heat lamp explode as it was under a tarp when it was raining. Just a spatter of a raindrop caused it.

Just do what in your heart you know is the right thing for you and your family. A friend's chickens are lower on the totem pole, IMO.

 

[bantiebabe1200]

Quote:
I agree with ChickensAreSweet. You should definitly do what you feel is right in your heart. I know that can easier said than done, but I think you respect what you family feels as well (this is my own opinion, you do what you want to).

My own experience with heat lamps has been, that I used one in out in our coop nearly all winter long when I was kid, and we almost never turned it off during the day either. The reason was because we live in extreme cold conditions that would cause even the most cold hardy chickens in a well insulated coop to freeze over with out it. We did worry some about the fire hazard, but with a good ventelation system you should do pretty well. I'm actually still thinking about the heat lamp system again in my new coop but I'm looking for safer solutions too.

What Captain Carrot said about the light at night and in the morning was good advice for egg production as well.

Good luck, I hope you find a solution for these birds that suits you both well.

 

[jaj121159]

Tour friend set you up for failure, giving you a tropical chicken in a cold climate. If she wanted under a lamp doesn't she have electricity? She could have given you a lamp and offered to pay some of your light bill too. Are you sure it froze to death? If it is cold, it could have froze or just gotten rigor. I would treat it like you treat your chickens, no different. If she doesn't like your chicken sitting, tell her to take her chickens elsewhere. If you are going to light your coop for eggs, I would suggest a timer, but have it come on in the morning and shutoff at dawn. You don't to goof up your chickens roosting habits by having it come on at or before dusk.

 

[starforever61]

thanks everybody, probably gonna go without a light for a long time.

 

[bobbi-j]

If you want the light for eggs, you don't need a "heat lamp". I have a small flourescent bulb in my coop, in a light fixture in the ceiling. This is the first year I've had that. Until now, I've used a regular light bulb in the heat lamp shield. It was a 50-watt, hung over the water pan so it would stay thawed. The timer for the light is a great idea. Good luck.

 

[gavinandallison]

I purchased 2 Coleman rechargable camping lamps from ebay and have them in there from about 6.30am, and I am getting 4 eggs per day.