Welcome to BYC! Please make yourself at home and we are here to help. Chickens need 16-20 hours of light a day to lay eggs. However, heat lamps are actually not necessary if your coop is built properally. In fact, heat lamps are dangerous and hazardous. If your coop has proper ventilation, (see here https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/...-go-out-there-and-cut-more-holes-in-your-coop) has warm, dry bedding, is draft free and is insulated then you don't need a heat lamp at all. Heat lamps are big fire hazards and dangerous to the flock. So, to answer your question, no do not leave the heat lamp on all night. If you are wanting eggs still during these cold days then you can use a small wattage bulb just to give the flock light for laying. These are less dangerous yet still provide light and a little heat. But again, you don't need heat (except for the water) if your coop is built properly and you have cold hardy chickens. Glad you joined our community!
Thank you. No my coop was not built properly. I've been insulting it and we added a vent but there is a small crack around door and nesting boxes. I wish I could figure out how to up load pics to show you. I'm concerned about them as we are expecting another harsh winter- worse than our record breaker last year. Never been a Mama to ckickens before. They are Special Blacks Sex Link. Suppose to be hardy. Coop is approx 4x4.
To load pics you click on that little mountain box thing up by the smily face on your screen. You then should be able to choose and upload photos.
Hi Skinnette! Welcome. I am also from Wisconsin and grew up in Southwest Wisconsin. You may enjoy the Cheesehead thread. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/245700/wisconsin-cheeseheads. The only time I have used a heat lamp for my chooks was when I had chooks in the brooder. I only used broody hens to raise chicks now. We did not even give the chooks supplemental heat last winter when it was sooo cold.
Thank You my fellow Cheesehead. Good to know. What did you do about freezing water? And did you still get eggs? And nobody had any frozen giblets-I mean digits-uhm, waddles, combs, or feet?
Hello and Welcome To BYC! X3, Adult chickens usually don't have a problem with cold, and as long as they have a dry and draft free coop, they should not need a heat lamp, (unless there is a major temperature drop, like30* or more, then you might want to add some heat) ... Ventilation is really important in the winter, here is a nice article from the Learning Center on ventilation https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/...-go-out-there-and-cut-more-holes-in-your-coop and here is a nice thread from last year with a lot of tips on winterizing and dealing with water in the cold etc https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/822765/winter-is-coming-checklists-tips-advice-for-a-newbie
Anxious to see your coop, so we may offer suggestions for making it winter hardy. Welcome to the flock.