Is it safe to put a brooding lamp in the coop?

[CallieLee103]

Were I live the summers are always nice and hot but the winters are usually very very cold so I was wondering is it safe to hang a brooding lamp in the coop during the winter time to help keep them warm?

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

If you have healthy adult birds, there is no need to provide supplemental heat.

 

[CallieLee103]

They are 11 weeks old almost 12 but they are definitely healthy. Were still in the process of building the coop and run and we just didnt know if we should make it a little bigger to put one into it or not. So how do I go about caring for them in the winter?

 

[midget_farms]

they are plenty old now to not need a light - even if it gets cold at night.

As for winter - consider that wild birds live just fine all winter - Feathers are the worlds greatest insulator!

What you do to protect them in the winter is make sure the coop is tight enough to keep the wind off of them. & feed them cracked corn - the corn has more energy & they can convert it to heat much easier.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Because there is no need for the supplemental heat I find the risks that come with using it (specifically fire due to electric/heat) to be not worth taking. A nice, draft free (but well ventilated) coop will provide your birds plenty of warmth from their own body heat. We've had our current flock out in the coop (unheated) since they were 5 weeks old, they came through a cold snap (complete with snow storm) a week after going out there just fine.

 

[CallieLee103]

Alright yeah thats what I was a worried about if I was to do it was a fire starting because of the heat being over the bedding but thank you guys I was just worried about them freezing. And the cracked corn can I just get it from any farm supply store?

 

[JackE]

I'll agree with the others to skip the heatlamp. It's totally unnecessary, all you are doing, is running up your electric bill, and taking a chance of burning your coop down. See the pic below. It was about 10 degrees when it was taken. Look where the chickens are, right up front, not cowering in the back, hiding from the cold. The chickens can handle cold weather. Just give them a nice well ventilated, but draft free building to live in.

 

[CallieLee103]

Alright thank you so much for the example I love that coop by the way! Especially the color.

 

[dheltzel]

Alright yeah thats what I was a worried about if I was to do it was a fire starting because of the heat being over the bedding but thank you guys I was just worried about them freezing. And the cracked corn can I just get it from any farm supply store?

Anyplace that sells chicken feed should sell cracked corn. It's cheaper than other feeds, but much lower protein, so don't make it the main course. Think of it as a "Snickers bar" for birds, great energy potential with all that sugar and fat, but not a main part of a balanced diet. In the winter, they will eat more calories to keep warm, that is where cracked corn is really useful.

 

[CallieLee103]

Alright thank you ill have to remember that.