Chook Me!

How warm do chickens like their coop?

I have a chicken coop that is about 6x4. It is getting cold so I placed a heat lamp in the coop. I went in there about 30 min later and the coop was like an oven. I'm planning on putting a smaller light in but I was just wondering...does a chicken produce better because it is warm or because of the light? How warm do chickens like their coop to be?

Public Comments

1. Actually checkens make thier own heat. I have NEVER heated a coop... only for baby chicks. chickens produce better because of the feed. scratch is good but lay mash is best for eggs. Remember they all have a down jacket on .
2. After they are 4-5 weeks, they do not need a heat lamp. It is the light that makes them increase/decrease the laying, not the heat. By providing a heat lamp, you make them unable to adjust to the cold themselves. Should your lamp break, or the power goes out, they could freeze. Therefore, they should be allowed to adapt on their own.
3. Unless it's freezing chickens don't need extra heat. Chickens produce fewer eggs in the winter because of the temperature and the shorter days. The only way to keep them producing at their peak is to keep them in a heated room with no windows, which isn't a very good solution.
4. In the winter, it is good to have a light in there (it helps them produce better while keeping them warm in the process). In the summer I wouldn't recommend putting a light in there, they will get too hot! Chickens like their coop to be a little warmer than room temperature, but a chill won't hurt them, they will keep each other warm by huddling up. As long as it's not very VERY cold, your chickens should be fine.
5. chickens dont need a heat lamp unless they are baby's. mine are fine through the night with -3 Celsius and when the water has a thin layer of ice over it during the night....although we always have the sun during the day even when its cold (last winter got down to -8). so they really dont need heat lamp but I think it is Essential for the sun to come out if it haas been really cold. Longer daylight hours (like if you had a light) will help them lay better.
6. I NEVER use heat in my henhouse. If the birds have been allowed to get use to the weather on their own,they will do just fine unless you live in Siberia at which point I guess I would put some heat in the henhouse. I have 1 Rooster and 10hens and never in 4yrs have I ever had to heat the henhouse and I use stray to line nesting boxes and to give added warmth for cold or rainy days. Late Fall and Winter time is the time when Chickens are finishing up their molting and as the hours get shorter they will produce less. . . .a chicken needs a minimum of 14hr light daily to help promote laying. The man I got my first bunch of chickens from turned on a light in his henhouse every morning at 3am (on a timer) to encourage his hens to lay. I have never needed eggs this badly to do what I only call "stressing" the chicken by making her lay during a period that was intended for resting. IF chickens get too hot as in HOT summer days,they tend to stress and they slack off of laying.