Heating my coop, does it make it more appealing?

[ChknMom]

I am trying to heat my coop, but I am afraid this infared bulb is causing too much heat. My coop is small, 2ft x 3ft x 3ft. My main reason for wanting to heat my coop is mainly because I am trying to lurrer my chickens into their house at night. They currently insist on sleeping on the ground in their run, which is not safe and is super cold. I was thinking that if I put heat in the coop they will want to go in at night. Any suggestions? Also, is my wooden coop going to catch fire with the hot bulb?

Thanks!

 

[J-Sanders]

Chickens come with insulation. So if you can eliminate drafts they will get along just fine with a normal incandescent bulb of about 100watts inside a protected housing in a coop of your size. Eliminating drafts is much more important than adding heat. Chickens breath out water vapor and it will make them sick if it becomes drafty in the coop as the humidity will cause them to be unable to control their body temperature.

Jim

 

[Red Barn Farms]

You can also end up making your chickens sick this winter when they go from being inside a warm coop to outdoors. That drastic a drop of temperatures can make them extremely sick.

 

[1cityslicker]

Do you have a roost inside your coop? You mentioned that your coop is pretty small, how many chickens do you have?

 

[JackE]

How long did you keep the birds in the coop, before you started letting them out? You have to keep them in the coop for 2-3 wks so they understand that's where home is. Another reason they are roosting outside, is that it's too hot in the coop, they do not like it. Get rid of the heatlamp, it's unnecessary and dangerous. Yes, you could burn your coop down. There are more than a couple of posts here about just that.
Jack

 

[wayne hulgan]

How long did you keep the birds in the coop, before you started letting them out? You have to keep them in the coop for 2-3 wks so they understand that's were home is. Another reason they are roosting outside, is that it's too hot in the coop, they do not like it. Get rid of the heatlamp, it's unnecessary and dangerous. Yes, you could burn your coop down. There are more than a couple of posts here about just that.
Jack

I agree with Jack. Heat is as dangerous as cold to chickens, too much heat will kill faster than cold. If your coop is well ventilated you will not need heat. Chickens come equiped to withstand cold, (down coat). lastly your chicks need to be locked in the coop for atleast a couple weeks to get used to it.