Using an infrared lamp for rescued featherless hens

[VlkStinu]

I think a lil chicken jacket is in order! Lol.
I like the light idea to take the chill off esp at night and the early morning.
Be careful as some can be a fire hazard and the girls won't be able to escape from the flames nor heat.
That place must have been terrible.

I was actually thinking about a little cardigan But I dropped the idea, figured it would be more of a bother for the hens.

I think the light is optimal and I think I will just buy a lower W bulb (I think 75W) and either keep it throughout the coldest nights until the hens grow their feathers back or set some interval with a digital timer. I still feel like the light could not only help with the heat, but also with their immunity, healing any wounds and growing the feathers.

Yes, the place was absolutely terrible... I was in shock to see the conditions in which the hens are kept there...

 

[VlkStinu]

to care for these rescued hens.
Autumn is a good time to adjust to the cold imo. I would never give intermitting heat and wouldn’t add much heat either because they need to grow some down and feathers before its getting freezing cold . A few hens roost already , this is a good sign they endure the colder nights. These are birds you know and handle cold better as us humans.

If you start heating now , you probably need to heat all winter. But if the feathers don’t grow back you have a reason to worry, In that case I would add just a little warmth fi with a safe heating pad and leave it on all winter nights.

I believe they will grow their feathers back, but in the meantime, I am not sure how a featherless body with weakened muscles can hold heat during night and that's why I wanted to give them a little boost. It would be really only until they would grow some down and most of their feathers back and get their strength. Then I am sure they would be able to insulate themselves more than well and I would stop the additional heating.

 

[VlkStinu]

You got some good suggestions here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...s-can-they-make-it-in-colder-weather.1417057/

Thank you! I should've probably wrote there now that I see it again...

 

[VlkStinu]

This is how the girls looked like when I brought them home.

 

[Daisycar]

Oh dear .
I love them !!!!

 

[Folly's place]

Pathetic!
Glad they are doing better, poor hens.
Mary

 

[VlkStinu]

They are doing much better with every passing day. They were totally quiet when I brought them and now they are nicely vocal and lively and visibly cheerful and playful. I will post photos once they will fully recover!