red bulbs-bad or good?

[walkswithdog]

I went from white light to red and the chickens seem happier. I spend a LOT of time outdoors at night. My chickens never sleep all night. I'm up with rescue pups several times a night, or sick rescue dogs. So I have a pretty good feel for normal.

Right now I have a deluxe kennel pad set to 85 on the floor and a 250 red light, and the water in there didn't freeze over night, but it did in the turkey coop and the well house pipes plugged.

Really cold chickens will lay on the pad for awhile - lol with the rabbit.

That's one confused bunny.

The water used to freeze but with the addition of the heating pad at floor level, not since. We'll see when the temp drops further and it's supposed to.

 

[GardenerGal]

Wings,
I doubt that the red light had anything to do with your hen's prolapse.

Last year when one of my Nankin hens decided to go broody on a clutch of eggs in January, I transferred her and the eggs to a large cage inside the poultry barn and provided a red light for the chicks when they hatched (I didn't expect them to! I thought the eggs would have been frozen before the hen could finish laying them, but all eight hatched). Despite the 24/7 light until they were completely fledged, all the chicks and the hen slept normally at night.

None of the other chickens in the barn were affected by the light, either. They always went to their roosts at sunset even with barn lights (and red heat light) on. They roost in the rafters, so maybe the light being lower than they were made a difference.

 

[jubylives]

I've never had a problem with the girls being up at night due to a red heat lamp. Plus there is no proof that red light keeps them up. I have to have some heat in the coop as my it is -18f right now and my eggs have been freezing and spliting in around 8 hours.

So for me red heat bulbs are good as long as they are properly secured to the coop as to not fall or get broken and as I said, there is no proof that they keep chickens up at night. I believe this is an old wives tale made up by anti heat or anti heat bulb people. Just me though.

jeremy

 

[slickchick]

I just bought a red heat bulb at walmart. It is 250 watt. I would like to put it in the coop today because of the cold weather. However, is there a fire issue? Does it have to be a certain distance away? My hens have stopped laying altogether this winter, and I was hoping that the lamp will help with not only warmth, but egg production. Can anyone give my advice and let me know if this red bulb will help matter? Thanks.!!!

 

[jubylives]

You need to make sure the socket in what you put it in is made of ceramic and not plastic and is rated for 250 watts or more. VERY important! I secure mine to the wall using a strip of wood over the clamp to keep it from dropping to the floor. I have 14 chickens and have been getting 8-11 eggs a day. I believe it helps to get them off their roost and in the nesting boxes. They won't lay eggs if they don't get off their roosts.

I had to move one closer to the nesting boxes as my eggs have been freezing. Funny though as it's only -18 F outside.

jeremy

 

[slickchick]

I have a brooding lamp I bought at TSC last year for my chicks when they were in the brooder. I used a white bulb then though...I think it is rated for 250 watts, but I will double check...

 

[wings]

Quote:
As long as it's not too close to the floor, it's fine.

I don't know if red bulbs affect their laying: that is what I want to know.

 

[digitS']

Here's a thread where one BYC'er was keeping track of egg production with a red light on for a few hours each day:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=102750&p=1

Her hens were doing well but she hasn't posted lately. Since Michigan's Upper Peninsula is kind of a tough place to be right now, that's understandable.

If I understand this correctly you are concerned that laying too early is a danger for your 5 month-old pullets. Most folks wouldn't be too concerned about 21/22 week-old pullets beginning to lay but I can understand why you would be really hesitant about risk after an experience with prolapse.

Steve

 

[GardenerGal]

Quote:
I didn't see it affecting my hens at all, Wings. If anything, more light will increase laying though I'm not sure whether it has to be full spectrum as opposed to red light only.

When I was a kid, red lamps were used to keep chicks and adult chickens from picking at each other in crowded poultry barns. It's odd because I'd always thought that red is an "aggression" color, so why would red light have a calming effect? Yet, it seemed to work.

 

[wings]

Quote:
I didn't see it affecting my hens at all, Wings. If anything, more light will increase laying though I'm not sure whether it has to be full spectrum as opposed to red light only.

When I was a kid, red lamps were used to keep chicks and adult chickens from picking at each other in crowded poultry barns. It's odd because I'd always thought that red is an "aggression" color, so why would red light have a calming effect? Yet, it seemed to work.

Good. I was just concerned because our favorite pullet, Little Red, just died because of prolapse, so I was trying to find the source so it wouldn't happen again.