Heating lamp in coop

Mnkytales

In the Brooder
11 Years
Aug 14, 2008
13
0
22
This is my first winter with my girls and I have been a non-heater of their coop until today when I saw that our temp in Western New York will be in the teens and then single digits over the next couple of weeks. So I treked out and bought a heat lamp and had seen on an earlier post that the red light was the best choice. I went out at 11 pm and the girls were wide awake and not even roosting, so I turned it off. Will they get used to the light at night?
 
I stuck an ordinary 100 watt bulb in mine to keep it just above freezing. Mine are youngsters still, and maybe that makes them more adaptable. No bad effects particularly, but thier bodies did decide it was spring and one has started laying. I did put food and water in there in case they got hungry, (figured if they got hungry and wanted food, and there was none, they might start picking). Also because at that point, without a thermometer, I could tell if it was margiinally warm enough by whether and how fast the water froze. (I adjusted the wattage up until it no longer froze the water at night).

It has warmed up some and so I am turning the light off at night now. Also no big deal. They see me start to close up the place and shutter the door and run for their favorite roosting spots.

I did finally put storm panes of greenhouse polycarbonate up on the covered run, and temporarily reduce the amount of headroom in the small roost area of the playhouse coop from about 3' to about 2' by adding a removable ceiling panel. I taped a couple of layers of buble wrap over the outside of the large single pane window with packing tape as well. It looks funny, and they can't see out from the roost anymore, but it insulates surprisingly well and still lets in daylight.

The upshot was that the coop is staying pretty comfortable and, no matter what changes I made they seemed to adapt ok.
 
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When I used the red light in my coop, they always partied all night instead of sleeping. I could hear them bickering, clucking etc. at all hours of the night. And if I went out there, the girls would be awake, and not roosting.

So, I bought them a radiator style heater (~$40.00) and took out the red light. That radiator heater keeps it comfy in there, (and I can tell their roof isnt insulated, because the snow is always melted off).
 
Mom2emall
Was the heater the big white accordian style one that sits on the floor? I have one of those handy. Maybe I can just keep the heat lamp on for a few hours before their roost time and then turn it off. Their water is in a heated bowl, so it doesn't freeze anymore.
 
I have a red heat lamp on 24/7. they all go to roost just fine except for the younger ones who were brooded under the red light. They seemed to get most active at night and roost during the day. They're slowing getting used to bedtime though. I just bought a second heat lamp just in case It's needed with the cold temps this week.
 
I am using a 250w red heat lamp( nights below freezing ) right
over the water can. It is low enough that it doesn't seem to bother the girls.Shortly after dark it gets very quiet in the coop.
 
I use ceramic heat lamps in my first coop; they are quite safe and provide no light. So when it's bedtime ~ it's bedtime. No grumping, bickering, moving around . . . just snuggling under the lamps.

You can get ceramic bulbs in the reptile section of the pet store. They come in 60W, 100W, 120W and 150W.
 
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As noted above, ceramic heat lamp provides heat, no light. Securely suspend so it can't touch anything and nothing can touch it (or them, depending upon how many) and then you're go to go and the feather souls will be comfy and not up past bedtime.
JJ
 
is it a red flood light or a red heat lamp? I have the 250w red heat lamp above their water and they do just fine with it, Ive used it since they were chicks so maybe they are used to it. But for what they are forcasting next week I may go out and buy one of the radiator heaters, the heat lamp doesnt work so well at those temps.
 

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