Red or white heat light for chicken house & what's the difference?

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Just wondering if anyone can tell me which light is better for the coop on these winter days/nights and also what the difference is between them. We currently use a red one for them and would like to know if this is wrong.

-- Lisa (mountainlady@imbris.com), December 17, 2001

Answers

The red ones will help cut down on pecking at each other and cannabilism. I keep a red one in my hen house also.... Barb

-- Barbara (vozarbi@sensible-net.com), December 18, 2001.

I have used both and find that the chicks seem to be calmer in red light until they are several weeks old, then I can switch to white without much trouble. The only red IR lamps available around here are 250W; the whites come in 250W and 125W. To save money on electricity, I switch to the 125W white IR lamps after three weeks or so.

You should shop around a little for your lights, too. Lowe's sells red IR's for $10.99, and Tractor Supply sells theirs for $4.99.

Mark

-- Mark in West Central Ohio (mark@marksykes.net), December 18, 2001.


White is more like natural daylight which means if you keep it on for 24 hrs./day, the chickens may get stressed out from lack of sleep.

Red supposedly will not stress the chickens and will mainly just keep them warm.

I'm not a scientist, this is just what I have always thought!

-- r.h. in okla. (rhays@sstelco.com), December 22, 2001.


If you want only heat from the light then use blue chickens can not see the color blue. Walmart sells them cheaper then Lowes.

-- rl davis (rldavis_3336@yahoo.com), December 24, 2001.

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