Heat lamps

[Kubotabear]

Okay, tell me again adult chickens don't need heat lamps in their coops for warmth. (Not trying to supply light for winter laying)

Our outside temps have been in the low 20s and even though their coop is insulated it still gets down to 27 or so in there. We can get temps below zero where we live as the winter progresses.

Everything I read tells me as long as they're out of the wind and elements they do just fine.

But as my husband always used to tell my kids, "Put your coat on, your mother's cold".

I'm cold.

 

[boskelli1571]

No - they don't need heat As long as they have dry, draft free accommodation with lots of bedding they will do fine.
It can be detrimental to have heat in the coop. They are far more likely have health problems if their coop is heated and then suddenly - no power, no heat!
Chickens are tough little things.
Unless it gets really cold - 25F or below in the coop, they will do just fine.
We live in upstate NY and frequently have outside temps in the -10F range. The coop stays significantly warmer than the outside.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

OK. I'm telling you again. Healthy adult chickens need no heat source.
It has gotten to 20 below Fahrenheit here with no heat and no problems.
Your chickens' nemesis isn't cold, it is the lack of fresh air. Please don't do anything to limit air exchange.

A heat lamp will still provide light which is a problem at night. It only warms what it is aimed at and not ambient air. It is expensive to run which will negate any advantage of raising your own chickens.

I have never worried about drafts. I've had very healthy chickens living in trees to near zero F through rain and snow until they were taken by predators.

 

[Kubotabear]

Thanks guys. I just needed to hear it one more time.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I'm cold.

You're cold because you don't have a layer of feathers that can fluff up and trap heat against your skin. As long as the chickens can stay dry at skin level, which is why ventilation is important, their feathers will work as intended and continue to keep them warm.

 

[Acre4Me]

Generally, no, heat not needed. It really needs to be extremely cold to really consider anything.

however, every living animal has its limits, so heating/heat lamp isn’t something everyone should ignore. And even if you lived in the extremes, you could just not provide heat and the healthiest/heartiest survive. birds are pretty hearty, overall.

All that, and I do have a heat lamp in my coop. But it is connected to a thermostat to not allow it to turn on unless very cold (It is a red light, so should not disturb the birds), and it generally has only ever turned on at night. We noticed last year, during the polar vortex (High winds for a sustained period, along with very cold temps) that some of our chickens were not doing much at all. The heat lamp was on, keeping the coop close to 0F, so pretty cold inside still. We added feed in the coop to encourage them to eat, since some were not moving to go outside to the normal feed stations. It was a severe drop in temp, along with high winds. Their coop and run is protected from the prevailing winds as it sits fully behind the barn, which fully blocks the west winter winds. It is well ventilated with the entire slanted roof raised up off the walls to provide ventilation that easily moves air through the coop up and out (and above their heads). I think the heat lamp helped temper the worst of the sustained temp drop, but didn’t really provide heat as the temp stayed near zero F. Since we have a kid involved in the chicken keeping activities, we opted for a heating lamp to help lessen the worst of the temp drops, and hopefully avoid any sudden deaths. Kid understands the whole circle of life, and helps butcher birds, but gets upset when one dies suddenly/unexpectedly.

My neighbor uses a heat lamp inside his coop for his small flock of leghorns, and one male. They are all fine and lay right through the winters for him. And his coop isn’t well ventilated according to standards usually cited in here. But, he provides heat, which is likely “hotter” than my heat bc his coop is smaller with less ventilation. But his birds continue to do well.

No, heat isn’t required. It’s really a personal choice.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Read this. As Acre4me stated above, there are limits. This talks about those limits. Even below zero Fahrenheit you are not there but it might make you feel better to know what those limits are.

Alaskan’s Article

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/cold-weather-poultry-housing-and-care.72010/