Cold weather blues

[Shnookie]

Today the temperature is near 0 but it's really windy - windchill about -3. Here's how the Serama boys in the barn are doing.

[Jaye]

They don't seem the least bit stressed.
Do you have an idea of how much the heat lamp brings the temperature up in there?

[Kbr42]

Looks great!

[Shnookie]

I walked in to check them this morning and smelled something burning. The black and white one was standing on the roost with his 2 long tail feathers on the hot bulb. He burned the end off both of the feathers. Another reason, besides the expense, that I don't like having heat lamps on.

[Jaye]

Good thing you caught it when you did. Have you considered buying heat bulbs instead?
example:

[Shnookie]

I looked into ceramic bulbs before. I think I found that they can't be used in the cold temperatures I have in my building.

[Kbr42]

You could try a flat panel heater. That might work for you. In the end my Seramas lived inside for the winter.

[Happy]

I have a heatlamp on for my big naked ladies. Most are at the tail end of their molt but 2 just dropped 80% of their feathers this week. I have 2 old English bantams that are half bald and using my brinsea electric hen with a cat bed under it. My bantams are not much bigger than seramas. I keep a very close eye on them during the winter. I do heat my coop when it hits -15c outside.
I've also had several of them inside. Sherman had a wattle turn purple and started mouth breathing during a cold snap. He was fine at lock up and an hour later he had gone down hill quickly. I'm not ok with losing combs or wattles to frostbite if I can prevent it. I've not had Seramas but I'd be very careful of your little ones in the sort of temps you experience Snookie. My wee ones are affected much faster than my big girls.

[Kbr42]

I agree with @Happy ,I have a heat lamp set up in one of my coops. As the girl need they all wander in and out, warming up, then going out. I can't remember where i read that having a warming room for your hens seems to help them through the winter. My banty's get colder quicker as they age. One of older banty's Cochins has been making a funny noise lately and doesn't want to come out of the hen house. So, she is in the warm house. Everyone seems fine. Thank goodness its going to be warmer this week.

@Jaye the heated perch was a hit! They sort of looked under to figure out where the warmth was coming from, but settled in for the night.

[Jaye]

We leave our flat panel heater on in the coop when the night time temps go below -15 and when the day time high remains significantly below zero. We turn it off during the day when the high is above zero. And we may see several of those days this week - YAY!

Thanks for the heated perch update, @Kbr42 . Looks like that will be my next DIY project, when I can find the time. If your "littles" use it, I'm sure Wallace and Gromit will too.