I'm worried about my hens in this weather! -20

[joebryant]

Quote:
How about these? http://www.apelectric.com/Thermo-Cube-s/25.htm?gclid=CNfKsanUx5cCFQNHFQodbAJLSQ they're not perfect, but.....

I forgot to mention that I also went to several electrical supply stores hoping to buy a T-2 Thermocube, but none of them carried them. It was too late to order one over the internet. Hopefully, these black lights will do the job. I've changed the red heat lamp to a black 60 watt bulb. The temp in the coop is dropping, so I'm going to have to watch it closely.
Sure hope the 60 watt black bulbs will keep it warm enough (above 15*F). I might have to switch back to the red light if not.

 

[Lunachick]

Joe, how long do you leave the red light on? Just for the night? I ordered some of the red bulbs and the wire thingy with the deflector, but I haven't gotten it yet.

Whatever lousy weather you guys out west have, we eventually get it. Single digits and windy......

 

[NRacine]

My 4 girls are sleeping in the "Garage Hotel" this week. Last night was -10 or so. The garage shares a wall with the house, so it usually stays above freezing in there. I keep them in a metal dog crate with pine shavings on the bottom and a tarp around most of it with ventilation holes. Every morning and every night I pick them up one by one and run them like fluffy footballs between the garage and the run (which is covered with foam insulation right now). They seem to be doing fine, in fact I think they like it!

 

[joebryant]

Quote:
Lunachick, I just now called TSC and asked how many watts my red bulb is since it's not written anywhere on the bulb. It's 250 Watts. No wonder it was so warm in there for Pete's sake. I'm sure the chickens didn't like that bright-red light being on all night; that's why I've changed it to a "Reptile Rays GE Blacklight Nighttime Heat Light" that I bought two of for about $8 each. I'm going to be very curious to see how well it does in the west coop with Orpingtons. The black light in the silkies south coop is doing great; the temp seems to hover around 32* when it's 15*+- outside. It's going down below 0*F tonight and tomorrow, so I'm anxiously hoping that the black lights will bring the temp up between 10* and 15*; that'll make me very relieved; otherwise, I'm going to consider buying another red bulb so that I can have one for each coop during extreme cold spells like we're going to have this week.
If I do have to use the red light again though, I'm going to figure out some way to hide the light so that the coop can be fairly dark (somewhat) at night.

 

[Lunachick]

Thanks for your reply Joe. My soon-to-arrive red bulbs are also 250. I thought the red made it NOT so bright? But you gave me an idea.....

I think I'll build a little wooden box near the ceiling and hang my bulb thingy there facing away from their roost so they don't get all that light directly on them.

Boy, chickens sure have us humans going crazy making everything fine for them! It's fun though. Keeps me out of trouble.

 

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

mine don't seem to mind the red light at all. I have two going in their 8X8 coop all day and night. I used to only have one right above their waterer and during our cold snap (-20F) I added another one facing their bottom roost. Well they all usually sleep up on the high one. When I went out to check on them it felt pretty warm in there and every last one of them were on the bottom roost right under the heat lamp LOL WIMPS!

 

[joebryant]

It's 10:46 P.M. right now, and the temperature outside is 8*F . The coop with the four blue and black Orpintons is 21*F, and the coop with the two silkies is 19.4*F. I think the 60 watt black bulb in each coop is going to work. Sure am glad I added that roll insulation between all the studs when I was building the coops. I also bought some 75 watt black bullbs at Menards today; there they were only about $2.50 each. Those others I bought were a rip off at $8. Oh, well, live and learn.
If it gets -8 * later this week as predicted, I just might use both the 60 watts and the 75 watts in each coop. I'm really impressed with just how much heat a bulb puts out for warming a coop. Glad that I didn't but a heater now.

 

[FrontPorchIndiana]

My birds don't mind the red bulb at all. Maybe they're just used to it?

I'm so glad we insulated our coop. Otherwise I'd probably have 25 chickens in the house with me tomorrow.

 

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

Otherwise I'd probably have 25 chickens in the house with me tomorrow.

I was thinking the SAME thing with our crazy wind chills of -55 knocking on our back door. It's SO cold out there! You know when your nostrils stick together when you breath in that it is COLD! LOL​

 

[joebryant]

Update:

Thursday morning at 5A.M. the outside temperature is exactly zero degrees (0*F)

Inside temperatures of the two coops

East coop with Orpingtons 14.4*F
Three hens and rooster roosting five feet up
Temperature transmitter on wall five feet up

South coop with two silkies 11.7*F
Two silkies roosting on the floor
Temperature transmitter on wall up 18 inches

One 60 watt, black bulb can raise the temperature an average of 13*F in a well-insulated/ventilated 4' wide X 8' long X 8' high coop.
I wonder what the temperatures would have been if I had used the 75-watt black bulbs instead of the 60-watt ones.
*******************
Therefore, I am seeing a difference of 2.7*F in the two coops temperatures that are being transmitted to my living room.
Facts pertinent to the discrepency in the two temperatures
A. These two coops have the exact same size, design, and insulation.
B. Two different brands of thermometers with transmitters
C. Four large black/blue Orpingtons emit much more body heat than the two small silkies.
D. It would naturally be cooler at the 18 inch height than at the 5 feet height.

Notes: The 60-watt bulb in the metal clamp deflector is positioned two feet above the floor for the silkes, i.e., if they want they can get directly below the heat source. That could be much higher than the temperature for the entire coop.

The 60-watt bulb in the Orpingtons' coop is clamped to the ceiling 2X4 by the front door, eight feet from where the Orpingtons are roosting.