heat lamps, lights,water bowls, winters???

[scooby]

well i'm going to be ordering my first chicks this week and we are trying to make last minute preps on the coop, and well with winter fastly approaching i am wondering is there a diffrence between heat lamps and light that you use during winter to extend the hours of lighting or are they the same thing? also the winters here definently get below freezing and windy, i am getting all cold hardy breeds but we didn't put any insulate in the coop, will they be ok or should i add some insulation when winter hits , can anyone suggest a good insulator that is safe for them to get into, also heated water bowl are there any the do not need electricity? and also i was wondering what heat tape is and where you would get it? any advice would be helpful, i dont want to go overbord and spend more then i need to on this, thanks!!!!

and just for you info our coup is 4wx4Lx6H and with 4-6 chickens

 

[keljonma]

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If you use a heat lamp, it will also provide light. A white bulb provides more light.

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There is no commercial insulation that is safe for chickens. Your best bet would be to use a deep litter method. We usually keep the flock on an inch or two of wood chips and straw through the warm weather and then in autumn, start adding straw. Turn it once a week and keep adding straw. We usually end up with about 18 to 24 inches of deep litter in the hen house before it is removed. We have had snow on Easter, so I usually wait until close to Memorial Day to muck it all out and disinfect the hen house. We are in a very windy area too. You can put straw bales around the outside of the hen house to help insulate better. Make sure there are no drafts in the hen house, but make sure you have ventilation.

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I have never heard of a heated water bowl that doesn't require electricity, but that doesn't mean they don't exist. Heat tape is a covered electrical wire that you wrap around pipes. We have one wrapped around our water pump in the barn. It uses electricity to keep the water pump pipes from freezing. We got ours at the local hardware store.

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Another thing you could do would be to create a straw bale box inside the hen house where the hens could snuggle on a really cold night.

 

[patandchickens]

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Not really the same thing. To extend hrs of lighting (which may improve laying, although be aware it's debatable whether it's good for the birds' health in the longer run) you would just use one or two 60 watt lightbulbs. A heatlamp uses WAY WAY WAY more electricity, and is much more of a fire hazard. (Don't run a heatlamp unless there is no alternative - they cause a lot more barn fires than most people realize

not to mention messin' up your electric bill).

i am getting all cold hardy breeds but we didn't put any insulate in the coop, will they be ok or should i add some insulation when winter hits , can anyone suggest a good insulator that is safe for them to get into,

Just put in 'regular' insulation (batts or rigid foamboard) and cover it with thin plywood or etc, to protect it from pecking. Whether to insulate depends on how cold your winters are, and how many chickens are in what size of coop.

also heated water bowl are there any the do not need electricity?

If you have electric for a lamp or heatlamp then I presume you could just hook your waterer heater up to it...?

No, there are none per se that don't require electricity, although a large pan of water with an insulated lid over most of it (except for a drinking hole) and sitting on an insulated base will take longer to freeze. Really, run electric out there and use a heated waterer, they don't draw very much current and make life SO much better for you and for the chickens.

and also i was wondering what heat tape is and where you would get it?

Heat tape is a fairly effective way of unexpectedly setting buildings on fire, usually in the middle of the night or when you're away. Do not use it unless you really have no alternative, and then use it in EXACT accordance with every single word of the manufacturer's instructions.

It's designed to be wrapped (in a prescribed way) around water pipes (usually metal, always filled with water) to keep the water in them from freezing, where the pipes run through an unheated outdoor space. Don't use it for anything else. You will not need it in your coop - you probably won't have a faucet and if you do, a properly installed frostfree hydrant (that drains to a dry well at its base when it's shut off) will do exactly the same thing with zero risk of fire. Honest.

Good luck and have fun,

Pat​