# Heat lamps in coops- yes or no?



## windswept (Oct 26, 2015)

We live in upstate New York and the temps can dip quite a bit. Does anyone use heat lamps in their chicken coops and if so at what temperature do you turn them on? Tonight it is going down to about 27 degrees and I have put my 175 watt lamp on and opened the vent on the backside of the coop. I used it last year with success but am always hesitant. It really is only enough to take the very bitter chill off.


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## Goats Rock (Jun 20, 2011)

I had a heat lamp for the hens, usually we had about 35-40 layers at any one time. I had a heated water bucket, a regular light on a timer and the heat lamp. It got plugged in when the temps went down below 10ºF. The girls learned quickly where the heat source was! 

Last winter at -28º, they were fine.


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## Dorioakes (Nov 13, 2013)

Electricity in a barn for any reason will end in disaster. I will never again stand helplessly and listen to my screaming animals burn to death because a conduit got a leak and short circuited or a rat chewed a wire. 
That is my farm rule #1 Electricity and barns do not mix. If something needs heat it comes in the house or the Quarantine shed. There is NO burnable material in the quarantine shed and the heater is the same Type I use in the living room. it is cool to the touch and the cord is covered with anti-chew stuff like on hog farrow pads.


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## Dorioakes (Nov 13, 2013)

There is no reason healthy adult chickens would need additional heat if inside a shelter.


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## sassykat6181 (Nov 28, 2012)

In MA it got cold in winter. Hens have enough feather to keep warm. Moisture is what you don't want. On really cold nights, I'd swipe a quick coat of Vaseline on their combs to prevent frostbite. That was it


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

I used heat lamps in my chicken coop during the winter.


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

Heat lamps seem like a good idea, BUT....if your hens become dependent on a heat lamp, and the power goes out....you can lose your whole flock in one night. I do not recommend heat lamps in coops. Only for isolated really sick birds.


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## AncientBlue (Dec 21, 2014)

I did the first year but don't now. The first year one of the girls decided to peck it and burned her beak. Honestly, I live in central Florida, so it doesn't get that cold for that long. They seem fine. If I lived somewhere that froze, I may have a different opinion.


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## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

No, I would never use them. It gets down in the single digits here at night sometimes and my chickens have never had a problem. Heat lamps are so dangerous and almost always unnecessary.


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## Rise_and_Shine_Ranch (May 16, 2015)

No. Nooooo. We tried that. We wanted to make sure our chickens wouldn't freeze. Yet, the only thing we did was set the coop on fire. Twice. The chickens knocked the lamp down and burnt a large hole on the bottom of the coop.

I suppose if you have the right coop... But still. My chickens have been fine. I just make sure to put some Vaseline on my roosters combs and I'm all good.


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

I have about 50 hens I live in Montana and have had single digit temps for the last month. I do not use heat lamps or heat of any kind. I have found that with out heat my chickens are healthier. I ran in to respiratory problems I lost several, whit out heat I don't have the problems.
That said in my brooder barn I have 7 or 8 heat lamps on for my 100, month old chicks.


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## windswept (Oct 26, 2015)

Dear fivemoremiles, My problem is that my coop is very small and I must leave the rear window open a little for ventilation. When I do I am afraid it will get very chilly. The coop is only meant to house 8 to 10 chickens. I have eight but even still the girls need the fresh air. My red heat lamp bulb is only 175 watts and I check often to make sure it is not warm in the coop. That being said I still worry. How cold was it there on Christmas? Ours was unusually warm, almost 60 degrees! Tonight it's supposed to be about 11 degrees.


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## SeventeenFarms (Dec 10, 2013)

Mine seem fine without although its up to you. Never used one. I have a small type shed for a coop that I can close up at night, and I close the wind side vent, leaving the non wind side vent partially open. Last year we had record lows below 0 for days and weeks and did not lose any. It went from 60 degrees to 11 degrees over a period of 36 hours on Sun/Monday- no problems. If they can huddle to generate heat and are not in a draft I would think they'd be ok, assuming they are adult birds. During the day I let them out but leave the door open so they can get out of the wind if they need to - usually they go out and get in the sun.


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## Goats Rock (Jun 20, 2011)

I guess all you can do is check on the chickens when it is really cold. If they look miserable, then maybe a heat source is needed. But, healthy birds can fluff up and be fine. I like the heat lamps that Premier One sells. They are enclosed and unless a hen is really determined, it is hard for them to access the bulb.


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## windswept (Oct 26, 2015)

Yes, those are the only heat lamps I use. They are the best on the market. Never seen anything else like them. Tonight it is going to be around 30 degrees and I won't need to use it but when we get into single digits I guess it makes me feel better!


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## ladyharley (Sep 7, 2012)

Hens have the ability to keep warm. They fluff up and huddle together. They do not need heat lamps. I think it does more harm than good as nature provides the necessary down under the feathers.



windswept said:


> We live in upstate New York and the temps can dip quite a bit. Does anyone use heat lamps in their chicken coops and if so at what temperature do you turn them on? Tonight it is going down to about 27 degrees and I have put my 175 watt lamp on and opened the vent on the backside of the coop. I used it last year with success but am always hesitant. It really is only enough to take the very bitter chill off.


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## sassykat6181 (Nov 28, 2012)

Here's a prime example of why you shouldn't heat your coop

http://wkbn.com/2016/01/20/purple-cats-chicken-coop-catches-fire-in-coitsville/


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## groovyoldlady (Jul 21, 2011)

Just last night I talked to a friend here in Central Maine. She got chicks last spring. They are flourishing right now - even laying eggs regularly! That, despite the fact that we've been having nights in the single digits and days in the 20's. It also gets dark here at 4:30 in the winter. She said her coop is insulated, but has no heat at all. She is amazed at how well her girls are doing!

However, I suppose there could be a breed element to their hardiness. I never asked her what breed they were...


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## GoatCrazy01 (Feb 14, 2016)

We have a heat lamp in our hen house, because it will easily dip -10 where we are. It also helps their water not to freeze, and they lay more eggs in the winter.


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## Steampunked (Mar 23, 2015)

Some chicken breeds are highly adapted to cold, anything with a pea comb is good. Cold doesn't bother them but moisture can - many frostbite issues are caused by water driplets freezing on the comb. Vaseline stops this, as does a very dry coop. Airflow is important to allow moist air from warm breathing to escape.


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