Talked to an old timer at the feed store and it made me rethink my whole setup

I was grabbing some layer pellets at Tractor Supply last Saturday and this guy in his 70s started chatting me up. He said he's had chickens for 40 years and never once bought a heat lamp, just uses deep bedding and lets them huddle up. It hit me different because I've been stressing over my coop's wiring and bulb placement every winter since I started 3 years ago.

2 comments

2 Comments

the_henry21d ago

40 years ago was before we knew half the things we know now about poultry respiration and moisture buildup in enclosed coops. That old timer probably lost plenty of birds to frostbite or pneumonia and just never bothered to count. I've seen deep bedding turn into a ammonia factory real quick when the weather gets humid, and that's worse for the birds than a cold draft. A properly installed heat lamp with a thermostat and sturdy mount costs what, 30 bucks? Cheaper than replacing a whole flock because they got damp and sick.

jesse_nguyen21d ago

Read on a homesteading forum that deep bedding can actually self-combust if it gets too deep and dry in a warm coop. You ever see that happen to anyone?

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