Heat Lamps and Red Light

[ChickensInHugo]

A quick question about heat lamps. We have some fancy breeds that are not cold tolerant, and when it gets below zero degrees outside they do better when they have a little heat. We also supplement them with a few extra hours of light (a 40 watt bulb) in the winter to keep up egg production. I've read that chickens need at least 8 hours of dark and rest at night to stay healthy. Our mini heater from last year kept getting full of dust, so we'd like to move to 2 secure, stable heat lamps. Will the red light from the heat lamps disturb their nightly sleep or mess with their daily biology? I know that the white light helps them lay more eggs, but what effect does red light have?

 

[teach1rusl]

The red bulbs shouldn't affect their egg production, nor interrupt their sleep cycle. If you're going with heat lamps, I would advise getting the smaller wattage bulbs...you can find anywhere from 50W up to 100W bulbs in most reptile sections of pet stores. That way you can offer a warm-up spot without as much risk as the mega watt bulbs. Please make sure the housing you purchase is rated for the bulbs you choose. And it may seem like overkill, but either screw the metal 'shade' part securely to the ceiling, or attach the lamp to two different points so that if one fails, the other will save it. Also, make sure there's plenty of clearance between the lamps and any combustables, including tail/head feathers on your roosting birds...never use the clamp most lamps come with...too easy to knock loose.