red warming light

[gjoyner]

ok guys...i have a 3X4X4 coop for three chickens...then they have a run. I have a 100 watt red flood light in there...and it doesnt seem to be doing hardly anything. I dont have insulation or anything. would a 250 watt be TOO hot?

 

[chickenwhisperer123]

I have been using a 250..

 

[gjoyner]

but im wondering if that is too hot in that small of a coop...wil it burn stuff

 

[ams3651]

my coop is pretty large but from what I have read on here it should be fine. In a small coop 3 chickens will generate quite a bit of warmth on their own. Just make sure there are no drafts, if you need a little extra you could wrap a tarp around the sides or place hay bales to block the wind.

 

[RocketDad]

Try holding your hand as close to the lamp as a chicken's head is likely to be. Hold it there and see how hot it feels after a while. A 250w might be too much in one spot in that small of a space, but a pair of 100's or a string of 40's would work better. The radiant heat might not warm the air, but warm air is only one "heat" effect that we perceive. The other is the heat that we radiate and the radiated heat we receive from other surfaces. That's one of the reasons why you feel cold sometimes even though the thermostat is keeping the house at 72 degrees - your radiated heat is being absorbed by the cold exterior walls, more than the walls radiating heat back at you.

Half-inch plywood has an R-factor of about 0.6, by the way. If you want the heat in the coop to stay in the coop, any insulation is better than none. I used foil-faced foam in mine, because the foil reflects radiated heat back. That effect is in addition to the insulation's resistance to conducting ambient air warmth. I paneled over the insulation with melamine-faced masonite to keep the chickens from eating the insulation and to make it easier to clean.

 

[Echos_dad]

Get a thermocube to plug the light into. Mine goes on at 32 degrees and shuts off at 45 degrees. They cost about $10. I've got a 250w heat lamp aimed at the nest boxes to keep the eggs (and birds) from freezing. It was -24 this morning. 'Tis a privilege to live in Colorado!

(edited for spelling)

 

[ArizonaNessa]

I use 250s but to answer your question..yes it will start a fire if you don't have enough space between the light and wood chips or if you have the bulb up against wood siding or whatever. I have also seen where a man didn't give enough head room between the chickens and a heat bulb and it burnt the top feathers of the birds. Sad I know but that's what happened. Just about any bedding material that I can think of that you would use with chickens will catch fire if not given enough space between it and the bulbs even the 100 watt ones. When I hang lights in my coops during cold and/or rainy weather for the younger birds I always make sure there is about a foot and a half to 2 foot clearance from anything that could burn.

 

[ArizonaNessa]

Quote:
ooooo I like this idea!! Can you set them to come on and go off at any desired temp?

 

[Echos_dad]

Can you set them to come on and go off at any desired temp?

No, they're preset, but you can get them for different temp ranges. I've seen some that are on @ 0 and off at 20.​

 

[PandoraTaylor]

I have a 250 Watt in mine, just put a Thermometer in there and watch the temp. because my temps outside drop so quickly, it ranges inside for the hens between 45 and 60.
I just got a new T3 plug (comes on at 35 F shuts off at 45) I don't want to completely ruin their winter hardiness, just keep water & eggs from freezing.

-5 outside today! The Joys & weathers varies in Alaska.