When are Heat Lamps necessary?

[woodmort]

Quote:
Exactly. To answer your question: When they are first hatched until the feather out completely. Once they reach that stage they're good to go forever without one.

 

[mdbokc]

When mine are moulting badly and it is winter, I use small heat lamps once in a while. Temperature swings of 50-60 degrees and counting the wind chills, add yet another 20 degrees to the temperature change as well, my girls feel it. If they start shaking/trembling (yep, they can), I give them some extra heat to get through the rough spot for a day or two. Haven't lost any girls yet to this practice. I suspect I would have lost a few or they might have gotten sick otherwise under these conditions. I find that if they need it, they sit under or near it. Otherwise, they ignore the heat source.