Stopped by a local feed store and saw something strange in their chicken coop setup

I was grabbing some oyster shell at Tractor Supply last weekend and noticed their display coop had a big heat lamp over the nesting boxes. I asked the clerk about it and she said a lot of new owners put heat lamps there during winter, but honestly, aren't they just asking for a fire hazard with all that dry straw? Has anyone else seen bad advice like that being pushed in stores?

2 comments

2 Comments

danielmartinez8d agoMost Upvoted

Feel you man, it's scary how much bad info gets passed around as standard practice. I've seen people set up those heat lamps right over plastic feeders too and it makes me cringe every time. A buddy of mine lost a whole coop last winter cause a bulb got knocked loose by a hen and lit the straw on fire within minutes. Stores should really be pushing safer options like heated waterers or just letting the birds adapt to the cold since theyre tougher than most people think.

black.margaret7d ago

@danielmartinez nailed it. Whole world's lost common sense, not just chicken coops.