Winter is coming--Don't turn on your heat lamps!!!

[PioneerChicks]

I understand that there are many different opinions related to chickens. Right now, I'm sharing mine with you. I'm not going to force you to accept this. But I would like you to use this knowledge to make good and educated decisions for your flock, whether or not they conform with these ideas.
I'd love to hear your own opinions! But please keep all discussion friendly.

Don't use heat lamps over the winter! Here's why...

1. Chickens should not be used as egg machines. They need a vacation from laying every once in a while, and nature intends for winter to be that vacation. There is a rumor that making their days longer with artificial light will shorten their lives. Whether or not this is true, making them lay over the winter will certainly cause them stress!

2. Your chickens will adjust to the extra heat. If there was a sudden power outage in your area, they would freeze, possibly to death!

3. They don't need it. Nature gave birds an extraordinary invention called feathers that keep them warm in freezing temperatures! As long as they are allowed to adjust naturally to the colder weather, and your coop is more ventilated (more about that below), they will be fine!

4. Heat lamps are fire hazards. However, if you do choose to use a heat lamp, please make sure it is very secure!!!

5. If they don't need the extra heat and it could possibly cause them harm, what is the point? It uses electricity, and you have to pay for that!


But I will admit, I use heat lamps occasionally. I use them for chicks, because I'm too "cheep" to buy a fancy heat source (but I would like to get one eventually). And I sometimes use them when my silkies get soaking wet in the snow or rain and it is predicted to go below freezing that night. But my point is that I don't consistently use heat lamps for adult birds. See the difference?


Just make sure your coops are well ventilated. If there are no cracks in the coop then the moisture from your chickens' droppings will build up and make them wet. That can be dangerous in below freezing temps! But good ventilation is different from drafts, which can also be deadly. Don't worry, it's not as complex as it seems. As I tell people (not rudely) "Use your common sense!" Read more about ventilation here: Chicken Coop Ventilation - Go Out There And Cut More Holes In Your Coop!

How To Overwinter Chickens Naturally

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I live in Wisconsin. Winters can get brutal here. I never provide extra heat except for a heated watering bowl. Chickens are very winter hardy birds.

 

[CaliFarmsAR]

Thank you for writing this! My parents like they chickens to have a heat lamp and there’s nothing I can do, but I definitely do agree with a lot of the points you wrote down! Like winter is for them to rest, I 100% agree! But I know my parents won’t let them go without a heart lamp because they think the chickens will be cold. I mean, my ducks don’t have/need a heat lamp, so I’m pretty sure the chickens are just fine! Actually, I know they are fine because I have a small flock who don’t go in the coop at night so they sleep outside with my ducks!! Anyway, thank you so much for writing this all out! It’s greatly appreciated

 

[BesideStillWaters]

My mom wants to provide a heat source for our chickens, and I said no for these reasons. I thought they would be fine this winter... but I have several who don't have their feathers in from their molt yet and it's supposed to be in the 20's on Thursday. I'm seriously contemplating taking them out of the flock and making them spent a night indoors, and putting them back out with the flock in the morning. Won't 27 degrees with bare skin cause frostbite in a chicken? If their feathers were grown back in, I wouldn't be concerned...

 

[HumbleAmerican]

Chickens will be chickens.

Do birds at the equator need a winter break?

My birds have 8 hours max of dark. They go to bed with the sun, wake up 8 hours later. They stop laying for their molt. Then back to eggs mid/end of December.

I will agree about the lamp. Use a thermometer and check ambient air. Then lay it next to skin. Temps 10-15F and my chickens burn at 102 +/-

Most important thing is lots of ventilation and no draft. Think of a large refrigerator box. Top is open and airy, bottom is good and tight. Pop door stays open into secure run overnight? Lock yourself in and make sure it’s not a wind tunnel.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

My mom wants to provide a heat source for our chickens, and I said no for these reasons. I thought they would be fine this winter... but I have several who don't have their feathers in from their molt yet and it's supposed to be in the 20's on Thursday. I'm seriously contemplating taking them out of the flock and making them spent a night indoors, and putting them back out with the flock in the morning. Won't 27 degrees with bare skin cause frostbite in a chicken? If their feathers were grown back in, I wouldn't be concerned...

Even my molting birds do fine at those temperatures. I personally wouldn't remove them. They could overheat sitting indoors.

Frostbite happens from too much moisture, or direct drafts. Sometimes when temperatures drop very low frostbite will occur no matter what you do. Generally I don't see frostbite until temperatures fall below -10 to -20 Fahrenheit.

 

[BesideStillWaters]

Even my molting birds do fine at those temperatures. I personally wouldn't remove them. They could overheat sitting indoors.

They would be in our cabin, which we keep around 40 degrees in the winter. (Currently have one rooster who roosts in a cage in there and he's been fine. He had a leg injury and I never moved him back outside permanently. Plan to do that soon before it gets too cold.)

Frostbite happens from too much moisture, or direct drafts. Sometimes when temperatures drop very low frostbite will occur no matter what you do. Generally I don't see frostbite until temperatures fall below -10 to -20 Fahrenheit.

That's very encouraging. Thank you. I won't remove them then. It's only supposed to be 27 degrees I think, not even below zero.

 

[cluckmecoop7]

Very true. Thanks for sharing! Heat lamps are also fire hazards if not used properly. Whole coops burn down every winter because of heat lamps!
Also, "Nature" should actually be "God".

 

[DickMidnight]

Also, "Nature" should actually be "God"

don’t do that.

 

[cluckmecoop7]

don’t do that.

Excuse me? It's true. Why can't I say something that's true? Even though some people don't like to think it's true - it is. And there is nothing they can do to stop it. If you're offended please keep scrolling