Winter heating help!

[Ladies4]

I have 4 Bantams in a tractor style coop in Northern New York. I am concerned about the heat source for the winter months. They need 14 hours of daylight I am told in order to lay eggs. My question is, how warm do I need to keep the coop to and how much lighting do I need to provide the needed hours of daylight? THANKS!!!!!
P.S.
These are my first chickens, they are very precious to me.

 

[thebanthams]

they will huddled together during winter, just keep the cold draft out and they will be fine. I dont recommended heat lamps, if power goes out they will die unless you have backup generator.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

You just need enough heat to keep the water from freezing.
Don't worry about heating the coop itself.

 

[RedStarLady1207]

Keep the wind off them and add extra bedding in the roost area. You can buy a heater for the waterer or use a heated dog bowl. I have a tractor and I am raising mine off the ground for winter (on pallets). I don't want wet litter all the time in the run area. You will get probably lots of snow in your area. I plan to have straw handy all winter to put out if it snows, so they don't have to walk on the snow. I'm not doing lights. I have this notion my chickens will lay longer if they get to slow up in winter. They only have so many ova. I have sex-links so they will lay anyway - but not as much. Extra light is hard to do in a tracter isn't it?

 

[coolcanoechic]

If you want to add light to get eggs in the winter, you can put it on a timer. Then you won't have to remember to go out and turn it off and on.

 

[MarineCorpFarmr]

I do use a light in my coop even living in the south but I do have it on a timer and its only on from 5 to 8pm. Long enough for the ducks to figure out where to go after the turkeys chickens and guineas have gone to roost.

 

[Ladies4]

Yes Thank you!

 

[MarineCorpFarmr]

P.S.
These are my first chickens, they are very precious to me.

My best advice is let them do what is natural to them. They will slow down laying over the winter, and pick back up in spring. Honestly bantums aren't the best egg layers to begin with(1-3 eggs a week)