Infrared Heat Emitter Bulb 250 Watt - yes or no?

[BlueEggs4Life]

Has anyone had any experience with these bulbs (Ceramic Infrared Heat Emitter Bulbs, 250 watts)? They are manufactured for terrariums I believe - lizards/turtles and that sort of thing, but are also for sale at ShopTheCoop.com for chicken coop heat. I am wondering if the chickens will need to be very close to the bulb (no light emitted, only infrared heat) to feel anything or if the largest available, 250 watts, will emit enough to raise the ambient temp in the coop slightly as well. My coop is approx 11x18 feet - a wooden garden shed with insulation on the roof. I've not used anything for heat in the past but this year I have several small birds going into winter and two turkens which worry me with their naked necks. Also, I should mention I'm in Michigan where heavy snow and wet COLD long winters are common. I like the idea of the infrared heat bulb as infrared is a very healing wavelength for all animals besides the nice toasty feeling it will emit.

I'm just not sure if the $30 bulb is worth it for the winter as a small heat source or not - Not looking to keep the coop actually WARM, but taking the bitter edge off this winter with my little ones and turkens running around sounds like it might be a good idea.

Any thoughts are welcome - thank you!

-Stephanie

 

[owl]

Hi, I've got a similar question. I've got a floodlight hanging above where the chickens roost. Our neighbor's rooster got frostbite on his comb last year and died. I don't want the light to keep them laying all winter. What kind of light should I use. I also wondered about covering it with auto taillight tape so it wouldn't be white light, but I don't know if that would do it.

Thanks, Carol and the flock

 

[BlueEggs4Life]

Hi Carol, I agree, I don't want any light on all night because I like them naturally laying less in winter - seems like that is what nature intended so I would not want to mess with that. Not sure about the auto tape. Does the flood light give off any heat that you notice in the coop? I'm hoping someone else replies soon with more experience with this. Thanks!

 

[owl]

It does give out heat, and they sometimes squabble over who gets to be closest to it.

 

[teach1rusl]

I don't know anything about the infrared heat emitter bulbs, but seeing that you have more than just a few birds, you might consider two lamps with much smaller wattages (spread apart if you have one long roost). Off course I've only used the red heat lamp bulbs, so maybe the bulbs you're talking about don't come in low wattages???

 

[Schroeder]

I tried the 250 w heaters twice, and had the same bad experience both times. The ceramic bulb broke at the bend between the stem and the round head, and was hanging from a few wires. It looked very dangerous. It would have been impossible for a chicken to fly up to the bulb and hit it. I've used other bulbs in the outlet since, and have never had any issues so I am convinced it was a problem with the bulbs. Maybe they are not designed to be left on for hours at a time.

 

[elmo]

Careful. Those ceramic bulbs get wicked hot. I almost started a fire in our house with a 60 watt one when I carelessly placed the fixture down on a table top while cleaning out an amphibian tank. Even though the bulb was not in contact with the wood, it started to smoke and burned the table top, all in a matter of a few minutes. I shudder to think of using one of those in a coop full of pine shavings.

If you've got a large coop, consider one of the portable oil filled radiators. I used this one last winter, and I'm very happy with it. At its lowest setting, it kept our 8 x 8 foot insulated coop about 10-15 degrees above outside temp, and it never got so hot that I couldn't put my hand on any part of it. I set it on patio blocks inside a bird cage with a couple of tiles on the top to make sure none of the chickens roosted on the top of the cage and pooped down on the heater.

 

[BlueEggs4Life]

Thanks for the suggestions. It sounds like this ceramic bulb is not the safest way to go. I'll be looking into the portable radiators you're talking about... do you know what brand yours is? Thanks so much!

 

[chickee]

I use these all the time and have never had an issue with them

They are so much safer than the regular heat lamp bulbs. They last 5 years so they are worth the extra cost

 

[elmo]

Quote:
Mine is a DeLonghi, and I got it at Lowe's last year. I think it cost somewhere around $40 for 1300 watts.

P.s. just thought I should mention: if you do buy this type of heater, you need to run it at full setting to burn off the coating on the radiator before you put it inside the chicken coop. There's some odor during this process and you wouldn't want to risk toxic fumes inside the coop. I ran my radiator outside in on our breezeway for a full eight hours, and by the end of this period, the coating was gone and there was no more odor.