Do You Need A Heat Lamp For Chickens In The Winter

Every single winter someone s chicken coop catches fire due to an improperly used heat lamp.

Do you need a heat lamp for chickens in the winter.

In most cases chickens don t need heat in winter except if you live in a very cold environment such as parts of minnesota or canada that can easily reach 30 degrees f. But in barns or garages which may run 60 degrees chicks need supplementary heat until they are fully feathered at six weeks of age. If home temperatures range around 75 degrees you won t need a heat lamp past week four. They put out 435 plus temperatures making them an especially risky way to heat your coops and brooder because they re dusty places to begin with and bedding is quite flammable.

Using a heat lamp in the coop is just not worth the risk no matter what. Most chicken care experts will agree your average dual purpose chicken breed will do just fine without any supplemental heating as long as they have a way to stay dry and out of the wind. So if you want your birds to produce through the winter in cold climates specifically keep your coop s temperature within your chicken s comfort zone for best results and happy hens. Make sure to read on to learn how to take care of your hens during the coldest months of the year.

Keeping chicks during summer months can be easier than winter because your house may be hotter. I m just plain not a fan of chicken coop heat lamps. These fires not only wipe out entire flocks they can spread to other outbuildings homes and even woods causing incredible destruction. Most of the time chickens don t really need heat lamps anyway.

If you must use a heat lamp double and triple check that you are not creating a fire hazard. Unless you re brooding chicks you don t need to keep a coop toasty warm but i do suggest keeping your coop around 40 f.