Red heat lamp 24/7?

[peony07]

It has been pretty cold and windy here, in the teens day and night. We put a heat lamp in the coop and am wondering if it is OK to have it on all the time?
Now that it is in the low 30s, shall I take it out?

 

[Bedste]

If you use a red one and put it in a clay pot.... they can still get the heat and they will still be able to sleep. Before I knew this, I had mine on for 24/7 and knocked them out of their natural sleep cycle.

 

[ksct]

i can't say, and don't really know if there's a 100% correct answer for this.....
we did the same for a bit because our temps were well below 20 degrees F. And the wind chill made it much worse.
Ours is still on currently 24/7 becuase it's keeping the water from freezing for the most part... so until we get one, we may keep it on. I don't want to keep it on though because i've read on here that chickens are pretty hardy..... We have some insulation so it does get chilly but no where near what it is outside obviously. I don't think it's good for them for long periods of time.... messes up their sleep and knocks them for a loop i believe.... not to mention, when it gets warmer... we don't want 'fried chicken'
I think you can keep it on if the wind is bad or if the temps drop etc.... we have ours on a timer usually though. I've read they like to use each other for heat as well. And if you use a deep litter method in the coop, that helps keep some of the warmth in. (hope all that's correct - that's from reading posts on here)



~ do you have pictures of a red light in a clay pot? I don't think i understand just what you mean and/or the purpose or it....
We have ours hanging from the ceiling......

 

[mdbokc]

I'd like to see the red lamp in a clay pot too. Our temp fluctuations are so great...70 degrees 2 days ago and below 20 and WC below zero today. A couple of mine need a little boost with these conditions and no chance to acclimate to the changes. My little RIR likes to stay under the heat lamp in the coldest conditions. She does seem to get cold easily as I watch them. The others do fine.

 

[joletabey]

I agree- tell more about the clay pot thing!

 

[peony07]

By clay pot I imagine a lg. (12 ") squat pot upside down over the lamp so the lamp is facing up? What would that sit on, the floor? How does it stay upright with the shape of the lamp? Ours is in a wire cage with a metal cone around the back to deflect light/heat. Hmm, a picture would be great. Thanks!

 

[Bedste]

i read all the recent posts each time I get on BYC and I had read someone elses post about placing the heat light in a clay pot and I thought it was a wonderful idea. You can type in clay pot or claypot up on the search and it will pull up all of their posts. All you do is run a light out to the coop ... I use a red heat light bulb 250 wt.... then place a empty clay pot over it.... the clay post holds heat and helps keep coop warm and sheilds the light..... I hope this helps. We all love our chickens so much that we want them to sleep and be happy and not have wet feet. LOL. My Rooster is in my tub in the warm bathroom coughing and sneezing because of all the rain in TEXAS and the continuous MUD on the floor of his coop. I have him on antibiotics and yogurt and I have decided to pour concrete on the floor of the coop.... Radical I know... but I am so tired of my girls wading in the mud ..... and I do not want to loose anymore to sickness..... etc They free Range all the time and they can not scratch in mud any easier than scratching on concrete and concrete is dryer....... aaaauuuugggh..... TMI....sorry.. Try the clay pot... it is great!

 

[ksct]

I Did A Search For Clay Pot And Claypot And All That I Found Was This Thread And A Bunch Of Other Things That Had Nothing To Do With It At All.

Anyone Done The Clay Pot 'heater' Idea? I'd Still Really Like To See Pics. Thanks!