we have a light set up that isnt pointing to the chicken just to give her warmth overnight will this mess her up at all? (i am not worried about egglaying we havent had one in months just a general well being question) ty
A lot of people say not to use lights at night because it throws them off on when is the right time to sleep. We use heating pads for our chickens, but the hens won't sleep in the coop where the pads are. They prefer to sleep on top of the coop, while the roo sleeps inside the coop. They'll be getting a new coop and pen this coming spring, so for now I don't worry about making them go in. We tried a couple of times, and they just keep coming back out to sleep on top. It's enclosed in the pen, so they're safe from predators. I was originally going to use a space heater, but others on here pointed out to me how dangerous that could be. I think the heating pads turned out to be a good idea. They work great, and don't let the coop get too cold. (8' x 4' x 4') I just wish the girls would sleep in there.
I would be concerned that it would disturb their sleep. I'd like to use one to keep the waterer thawed but will probably end up getting a red heat lema because it doesn't seem to disturb their sleep.
Check out the thread "Think it's too cold for your chicken's? Think again..." You may find that you don't really need anything to keep them warm.
In minnesota, we have had plenty of nights below zero.. I haven't heated the coop yet.. I just close the coop door so they are locked in at night.. I know it gets below fressing, cuz water has frozen. I have two new girls that aren't being accepted all that well by the others, so at night I but food and water up on the roost (where these two hang out). The water is always frozen by the next night. I think really, they ar edoing OK and I don't need to heat the coop... at least not yet...
I use a red heat lamp and have not noticed any disruption in their sleep. I also use a light on a timer. Many times the girls are on the roost asleep before the light goes out. Sometimes they even nap during the day...kinda like me. I'm in the camp that the light doesn't keep them awake. I'm also in the camp that thinks a light bulb is not a good way to thaw water. The exception to that would be lights in containers under the fountain...those work but certainly wouldn't bother the chickens.
