Light in Coop?

[MissPrissy]

Lowes has them for under $5 in some brands. Home Depot has a slightly different one.

 

[lilshadow]

Okay, so I don't need a heat lamp with light on it for night time...what type of bulb do I get for my girls to stay warm up here that is all I want. How hardy are chickens? I am sure they didn't have all this heat warming stuff back in the pioneer days.

 

[MissPrissy]

You don't need to heat your hen house. Chickens are remarkable in their ability to adapt to the climate they are in and to survive very well.

A nice enclosure free of drafts with warm bedding is all they need. You can give them a ration of cracked corn late I the evening to up their body temps. It takes a lot of work for them to digest the corn thereby creating internal heat. Roosting and huddling together they will be toasty warm. There are many studies that have measured the BTU's of heat produced by properly housed chickens to be as much as 8 btu's per chicken per hour. If the weather is extreme some people recommend a little vaseline on the combs to prevent frostbite as vasoline will not freeze.

For added light to help with egg production you only a small light, 4 watts is plenty, like a night light. Add the light in the VERY early mornings not in the evening. The chickens need to roost as nature intended when the sun goea down.

Too much light for too long leaves not only confused chickens on an unnatural daily habit but will burn their egg making out and end their productivity far too soon.

 

[spottedtail]

lilshadow, I live in MN too and it got to -12 here last night. This morning all the hens are fine and healthy. And I'm expecting 10 to 13 eggs from these 16 hens today.
Supplemental heat is not needed. Just good ventilation and elimination of drafts. Giving un-necessary heat just lowers natural hardiness. Keep em tough and strong I say.

For winter egg production we use 2 timers with a 40 watt bulb, plus a 7.5 watt bulb for dimming. Both morning and evening hours are extended for a daily total of only 12 hours.
Giving additional light both in morning and evening means you can set the timers in the Fall and never have to adjust after that.

Good luck,
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