Is it harmful to chickens to leave heat lamp on all night? How much is too much light?
heat lamp
- Thread starter skinnette
- Start date
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.
Hello there and welcome to BYC!
As stated above, chickens don't need added heat to the coop. Not only is it dangerous as they can start fires, but chickens come with built in heaters and feathers. If they have time to acclimate in the fall, they can survive the most brutal of temps. Lots of members here from Alaska keep chickens in uninsulated, no added heat or electricity what so ever with average over night lows of Minus 40.
The most important factor in keeping your birds warm in the winter is good ventilation. You want to keep your birds roosting low to the floor in quiet air and 1 square foot of vent space per bird in the eaves of your roof. While your chickens are sleeping, there is a lot of moisture building up from all the pooping and the breathing. This warm moist air needs to go somewhere. With good venting, it will rise up and catch this positive air flow and go out the roof. With out good venting, this moist air is going to fall back down on them as water or frost causing the birds to be wet, chilled and get frost bite. Keep your bedding clean and dry, remove all water at roosting time so you are not adding to the moisture in the coop. Dry drier driest. The birds themselves omit heat. So as they all snuggle up together, there is a nice bubble of heat surrounding them. Just make sure to seal all cracks around the roost bar to stop all drafts.
Never close off all venting even on the coldest of nights. If it is going to be a very windy night during the winter, you might close off a few of them to slow down the movement of air. But you still need this moist air to be whisked out of the coop.
Chickens need to get outside everyday in the winter. If your coop temp is too much warmer than the outside air, they will be stuck in the coop all winter. This will lead to all kinds of sickness and respiratory ailments.
If however, it is planning on getting down to 30 or 40 degrees lower than your AVERAGE over night low, then you can add a small heat lamp. So if your average over night low is 10 and it is planning on getting down to Minus 30, you might consider a heat lamp until the temps return back to normal over night lows. You are not trying to heat the coop, only add heat around the birds, bringing up the temp a few degrees. ALWAYS permenantly attach a heat lamp. Do not rely on the clamp as they can fall and cause a fire.
You can also tack an old towel to your roost bar in early winter. Chickens lose heat through the feet. So warm feet mean warmer birds.
Good luck on this new journey and welcome to our flock!
So just let them adjust to your temps as fall turns to winter. Your birds will do just fine if you don't try to keep them indoors too much. Let them decide when they want to come back to the coop and they will appreciate it if you shovel paths in the snow so they can get out for some exercise on those snowy days.
As stated above, chickens don't need added heat to the coop. Not only is it dangerous as they can start fires, but chickens come with built in heaters and feathers. If they have time to acclimate in the fall, they can survive the most brutal of temps. Lots of members here from Alaska keep chickens in uninsulated, no added heat or electricity what so ever with average over night lows of Minus 40.
The most important factor in keeping your birds warm in the winter is good ventilation. You want to keep your birds roosting low to the floor in quiet air and 1 square foot of vent space per bird in the eaves of your roof. While your chickens are sleeping, there is a lot of moisture building up from all the pooping and the breathing. This warm moist air needs to go somewhere. With good venting, it will rise up and catch this positive air flow and go out the roof. With out good venting, this moist air is going to fall back down on them as water or frost causing the birds to be wet, chilled and get frost bite. Keep your bedding clean and dry, remove all water at roosting time so you are not adding to the moisture in the coop. Dry drier driest. The birds themselves omit heat. So as they all snuggle up together, there is a nice bubble of heat surrounding them. Just make sure to seal all cracks around the roost bar to stop all drafts.
Never close off all venting even on the coldest of nights. If it is going to be a very windy night during the winter, you might close off a few of them to slow down the movement of air. But you still need this moist air to be whisked out of the coop.
Chickens need to get outside everyday in the winter. If your coop temp is too much warmer than the outside air, they will be stuck in the coop all winter. This will lead to all kinds of sickness and respiratory ailments.
If however, it is planning on getting down to 30 or 40 degrees lower than your AVERAGE over night low, then you can add a small heat lamp. So if your average over night low is 10 and it is planning on getting down to Minus 30, you might consider a heat lamp until the temps return back to normal over night lows. You are not trying to heat the coop, only add heat around the birds, bringing up the temp a few degrees. ALWAYS permenantly attach a heat lamp. Do not rely on the clamp as they can fall and cause a fire.
You can also tack an old towel to your roost bar in early winter. Chickens lose heat through the feet. So warm feet mean warmer birds.
Good luck on this new journey and welcome to our flock!
So just let them adjust to your temps as fall turns to winter. Your birds will do just fine if you don't try to keep them indoors too much. Let them decide when they want to come back to the coop and they will appreciate it if you shovel paths in the snow so they can get out for some exercise on those snowy days.
Last edited:
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!
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!
- Thread starter
- #3
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.
- Thread starter
- #6
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?
- Thread starter
- #7
the "Kitchen Koop"
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
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- Thread starter
- #9
Yeah, the kitchen koop is not posting. Sorry Peeps.
Similar threads
New posts New threads Active threads
-
Latest threads
-
Recovery after surgery (egg bound) - not drinking
- Started by Bawkaloon
- Replies: 0
-
-
MEATBIRDS-BREED & HATCHERY, WHAT TO BUY/WHERE TO BUY THEM
- Started by Alexxxdimmm
- Replies: 0
-
-
-
-
Threads with more replies in the last 15 days
-
-
-
-
Please Help! Eggbound & Possible Prolapsed Vent- Started by Elspeth Dinsmore
- Replies: 103
-
Can I get some help from someone with careless neighbours who own dogs.- Started by RiDaGeckoGuy
- Replies: 102
-
