Always with a need to know

[TomK]

Good morning to all and a happy Valentine's day...nippy one again..the snow really crunching underfoot this morning...And this brings me to my question. My coop is not that large, being on a trailer, perfect size for the quantity of birds i have at present. Properly vented, predator proof (until something chews its way in) and tall enough for my frame to get around in for maintenance. But these last few days have taxed the girl's ability to stay warm so i hung a heat lamp inside to take the edge off the cold. I've read sooooo much about this being a hazard but I dont see it. What am i missing?

[WLLady]

The hazard is if the heat lamp falls it can start a fire. Then you lose birds and coop and barn if you are in a barn etc etc. I have used many heat lamps in the past. Still do when its ridiculously cold for a long period of time. Or if we get a very cold spell earlier in the year before the down is in. Some people will simply hang the lamp on a hook....i double wire everything. So it cant fall. Its not difficult but a lot of people dont do it.
There are guards that go over the lamp part so if they fall they are not in contact with the bedding....

[ross]

Good points Kathy , also i put a 1/2" poultry wire screen over bottom of lamp when using flammable bedding ( brooder) in case bulb explodes , ive had it happen , to stop large pcs of hot glass from falling in bedding . I do not use any heat in barn just 24/7 feed with corn . Also depending on how your hydro to lamp is rigged , rodents chewing on cords is another hazard causing fire .

[SandyM]

I will only use the guarded lighting. I could not handle it if my crew and coop burnt to the ground because of my laziness. I also extra extra extra secure it. And it has to be really cold for me to use it.

[TomK]

Yeah, thats what i thought...did all that except for the finer screen to prevent glass shards should the bulb explode..i just havent got any at the moment...thanks folks

[baronrenfrew]

Heat lamps? Don't waste your money unless you're brooding chicks. I've kept coturnix quails (on shavings on floor) and they have no problem with -20 let alone chickens. My chickens are in tin shed with an open window (the window faces east and there's a building blocking the east wind when it happens)... No problems yet.

[Home Grown Poultry]

Baron my cots are outside exactly the same as they were in the summer... on wire. those crazy little birds are soooo tough!

[WLLady]

I have to admit i will only use one in the winter if i notice visible shaking from cold and have no room t relocate to warmer climes (like the basement). Livestock really is tougher than we are lol. At least way more than i am!! My mare is shedding. And perfectly happy at -20. All my chickens are basking in the sun inside the windows-some even spread out like its summer! Yes-explosion hazard on the bulbs especially if the birds peck or splash water on them.

[Ontario Chick]

I am going to play devils advocate again
Unless you are raising very small bantams or the Very Rare new silent and completely naked breed of chickens, the heat lamp is a very expensive way to make yourself feel better.
The heat lamp only heats surface of things, not the space, so bird under the lamp is pretty toasty and out of the range just as cold as the rest of the coop, in and out of the heat like that has got to be way more stressful then letting the birds sleep under their feather duvet at night and find a sunny spot to defrost in the morning.
Just saying. :)

Keeper of Blue & Columbian Wyandottes, Blue Ameraucanas

[kenya]

Yeah it's a sad fact, the biggest ones hog the heat lamp and no-one else is allowed to use it, in fact the weakest one will probably never be allowed to use it.