I only use a heat lamp for chicks in the brooder. I do add supplemental lighting in the winter to extend the day length, when the days are very short. I've used a regular light bulb, fluorescent and LEDs during the time I've kept chickens. It just depended on the technology that was most readily available at the time. LED is the cheapest to run if you have it on for any length of time. It's handy to have a light that you can just turn on in the winter, so you don't have to collect eggs or do chores in the dark. Or count chickens on the roost, to make sure they're all there. A flashlight works, though.
