Red heat lamp irritating chickens?

[21hens-incharge]

My chickens haven't had any problems with staying warm in the winter. I never supplement heat in the winter. I also let mine out every day to the free range fenced in area, they have zero issues with the cold.

I think we as humans feel cold so we feel like the chickens are cold. Animals are well-equipped to handle colder weather than we are.

Yeah, mine are out and about everyday....unless there is fresh snow I haven't shoveled paths through yet.

 

[NatJ]

Last winter... one of my hens was frozen solid on the floor. It had been about -20 Fahrenheit the night before.

I'm going to assume that hen was dead, right? (Just checking...)

I agree with boskelli1571 about adding a nice thick layer of straw on the floor and then checking the temperature. You already said the floor is not insulated, so insulating it with bedding should make quite a difference.

Did you insulate the coop before or after the hen froze? If you insulated after that, you may not need to also add heat.

To second aart's question: did you add the 4 new birds about the same time as the red light? Because new birds disrupt things until they all get used to each other. (The light might still have been the problem--but we're curious about the timing of the new birds.)

 

[Matilda Belle]

Yeah, mine are out and about everyday....unless there is fresh snow I haven't shoveled paths through yet.

Same!!

 

[Ridgerunner]

There is debate as to whether chickens can see with a red light or if the red light just masks blood or the color of raw meat if they have a wound. If chickens see blood or raw meat they can become cannibals. A red light seems to reduce the chance of that happening. In my opinion, they can still see with a red lamp but they cannot see as well as with a full spectrum white light. I think red can have a calming effect because things look darker and masks blood and raw meat.

Sometimes chickens just die. It could be a stroke, heart attack, or some other defect. Maybe it broke it's neck trying to get away from another chicken if it was in a fight or it accidentally ran into something while flying down from the roost. It's very possible the cold had nothing to do with that chicken's death. It is also possible that chicken was weakened from something else and the cold finished it off. Were there any wounds on that dead chicken? I realize this was last year with fewer chickens.

I think what happened is that the light enabled the chickens to see how crowded they were in there at night and they became agitated. I'd lose the light, I really don't think you need it. Your experiences are telling you that its a problem. Do you have photos that show your ventilation after you insulated that coop?

That 16 sq ft coop (probably 4x4) is small for 7 chickens, let alone 11, though if all they do is sleep in it in the dark you might be OK as long as you don't leave them locked in there for very long when they can see. But I'd be making plans to build a larger coop as soon as reasonable.

 

[Mrs. K]

Always solve for peace in the flock. If they are getting along without the light, loose the light. They know more about being chickens than we do.

You are tight on space, but if they are getting along without the light, so be it. Not a problem, I frequently have more birds in my set up than recommended. Sometimes it depends on the shape of the coop, or the amount of roosts, you just have to go with peace in the flock, if you got it, you do. If you don't, you got to change something.

I too personally like a thickly bedded floor.

I think the hen died, then froze to the floor. We have been at -38 degrees F, and my chickens did just fine. I don't think yours froze to death, I think something else was wrong.

Mrs. K

 

[jemimarose]

I have never heard of the red light causing problems, but there's always a first time.
What type of insulation do you have in the coop?

I would also close the vent at floor level when it gets really cold - the draft from that could possibly have frozen your hen...
Keep the vents up high so there are no drafts on or near your birds.
I also would be using a small heater for the space not a red lamp if it gets really cold in there. Invest in a coop thermometer and see how cold it gets after you add the straw.

Some of the coop is insulated with 3 to 4 inch rigid insulation and some of it is R-15 fiberglass batt.

My frozen hen was in my MIL's coop which has no formal vent at all, it just isn't very air-tight.
I placed the vent near the floor of my coop because heat rises. I figured that the chickens on the roost would benefit from warm air trapped near the ceiling and be away from any draft near the floor, while still allowing air exchange in the coop. Placing a vent at the top would create more of a draft, and suck all the warm air out.

I'll insulate the floor from underneath because it's on stilts. I keep river sand on the floor of my coop for easy cleaning (like a litter box). We clean it every day and 6 inches of straw would be a nightmare to keep clean. I'll just have to scrounge more insulation.

Thanks for the tips. Maybe if I insulate the coop properly they won't need a heater.

 

[Mrs. K]

You are making the mistake of thinking keeping the birds warm. What you need to think is about keeping the birds DRY. Dry birds are warm birds. Birds exhaling and manure produces a great deal of moisture.

You want to keep the draft off the birds, and above their heads. That warmer air hold more moisture and pulls it out of the coop. The coop should not be a warm spot in cold weather, it should be a spot out of the wind.

When people start thinking keeping it warm, they tend to keep it tight. We have been told since children to shut it up to keep the heat in. Bird feathers do that for them.

Think of being in a car in cold weather with other people. Almost immediately, the car fogs up. That is what you want to prevent, and the only way to do it, is add more ventilation. Ventilation above their heads is best.

Mrs K

 

[FortCluck]

You need the ventilation to be up near the ceiling because moisture is going to get trapped in the coop which can cause mold and other nasty things to happen.

Chickens have all the insulation they need to keep themselves warm, that's what their feathers are for.

 

[boskelli1571]

Some of the coop is insulated with 3 to 4 inch rigid insulation and some of it is R-15 fiberglass batt.

My frozen hen was in my MIL's coop which has no formal vent at all, it just isn't very air-tight.
I placed the vent near the floor of my coop because heat rises. I figured that the chickens on the roost would benefit from warm air trapped near the ceiling and be away from any draft near the floor, while still allowing air exchange in the coop. Placing a vent at the top would create more of a draft, and suck all the warm air out.

I'll insulate the floor from underneath because it's on stilts. I keep river sand on the floor of my coop for easy cleaning (like a litter box). We clean it every day and 6 inches of straw would be a nightmare to keep clean. I'll just have to scrounge more insulation.

Thanks for the tips. Maybe if I insulate the coop properly they won't need a heater.

Don't put stuff like rolled insulation under the coop - mice will love it! Rigid is better. If you can't get any, block off the bottom from the prevailing winds with heavy duty plastic - staple to the coop bottom and hold in place with rocks etc. - even some old plywood for this winter then do better in the spring

 

[aart]

I figured that the chickens on the roost would benefit from warm air trapped near the ceiling and be away from any draft near the floor, while still allowing air exchange in the coop. Placing a vent at the top would create more of a draft, and suck all the warm air out.

Yes, you are trapping warm air, that is laden with moisture and ammonia.
There are ways to ventilate a coop without having any strong draft at the roost area.

You are making the mistake of thinking keeping the birds warm. What you need to think is about keeping the birds DRY. Dry birds are warm birds. Birds exhaling and manure produces a great deal of moisture.

Ditto Dat^^^