what temperature should I add the 250w light to keep hens warm

[sallyjayd]

Do I need to heat the hens The coop is about 3X3X2 1/2 maybe 4x4x3 1/2 has a off the ground chicken wire bottom, going to add wood panels to the bottom 4side with one small dog house hole in the front so they can get in and out for air blockage.

hen just started to lay it got colder the last 2 night I got no eggs for the last 2 night could it be from the cold and should I add a light on night it gets down to??? degrees?

to keep them warm but I don't want to cook them.. remember their coop is pretty small.

But do they need heat if so at what temp should I turn it on and what size bulb should I use for that size coop?


PLEASE ADVISE

 

[popcornpuppy]

In the true fashion of women, I can answer your question with a question:
what breed of chickens do you have? How old are your hens? What is the coldest temp you get in your area?

Some breeds are not as cold hardy as others and may stop laying when it gets cold. If your hens just started to lay, they may just be working out their laying schedule. It can take several weeks before they start to lay regularly. If that is the case, then the nite time temps are not to blame. If the cold is the problem, look for signs that they are bothered by it. Are they huddled together? Are they shivering? Most people have no problems with cold temps and don't use heat lamps. I personally do use a lamp because I have one bird that does not tolerate the cold well, and she gets special treatment. I turn the heat lamp on if the outdoor temps fall below 40 degrees. That is just me, and other folks can tell you how they manage the cold in their coops.

 

[gritsar]

What breed of hens and how old? Also, whereabouts are you located?
Our winters get down into the teens. Rarely snows, but lots of damp weather and ice storms.
I close the flaps covering the large coop windows at 40 degrees. Don't add heat.

 

[sallyjayd]

I live in central Pennsylvania. (PA) It does snow here and get down to the lower teens

I have (I thinks) 2 Red Sex-links

, 1 Barren Rock (Mix)

, 1 RIR

, 1 Cornish Rock

and 1 mallard duck (only one I'm sure of

)

(although this Cornish rock, feathers are fuller, stands higher then any of the other Cornish Rocks we had that died and she is really active, flies short distances on occasion still eats allot but stay up (activity wise) with the others,

maybe another kind

all bought from a local TSC.
all between 16 and 25 weeks I THINK most are like 20- 21 weeks

PLEASE ADVISE

 

[popcornpuppy]

I would think age is the big factor here. They are probably just working out their laying schedule. By the time they are 30 weeks things should be "regular" and more consistant. Those are hardy breeds and should have no problems in the cold.

 

[sallyjayd]

So over the winter I wouldn't have to worried about heat?

 

[popcornpuppy]

As long as the coop is draft free, they should be fine. In the winter, shorter days cause laying to drop off, not so much the cold. If you put in a lamp in the winter it may hepl them to lay eggs in the cold months by simulating daylight. Hens need about 14 hours of daylight to lay eggs.

 

[tdgill]

250W would be way too hot...

 

[faykokoWV]

after asking a similar question and reading many posts, my final decision is to get a heated waterer for winter time. It will kick on with a thermostat to keep the water from freezing. It should throw off enough heat in the coop to help raise the temp a little bit and they can get closed to it if they get cold.

Last year I used a heat bulb, but I don't plan on that this year. The post that changed my mine stated that you want your chickens to be as hardy as possible and to tolerate the cold as much as possible. What happens if you keep your coop at a warm temp and then the power goes out... the chickens will have a much bigger shock to their system than if they just got used to it gradually.

I use a solar light all the time, so this should help keep it lighter in the coop for winter to help with the laying issues.

 

[sallyjayd]

Oh, I though it was to keep them warm.

This site is so great for us newbe's

I still have the bottom open hoping to get the bottom blocked this week end to keep the cold air draft down, just starting to get cold at nights. . I love fall never know how to dress or sure if heat or air is going to be needed.


AS for the light should it be a UVB light (like for a plant or my Iguana) or is a normal light fine? and what watts are needed?