How do you heat the laying boxes?

Last year we had some unusually cold weather for our area, many days never reaching above freezing.

Although the birds and my cookie tin water heater did just fine, I froze quite a few eggs.

My work schedule allows me only to collect at 8am and 8pm. I lost dozens due to them freezing solid.

I have decided to heat the laying boxes.

My plan is to use seed heat mats on the bottom of the nests, covered with a heavy paper leaf bag . I use shredded junk mail as nesting material. I have been using the leaf bags and shredded paper for many years now it works very well for my needs.

The heat pads claim to raise the temperature 10 to 20 degrees.

The power will come from the light timer, on at 5:30am off at 9pm, then through a thermo cube, on at 35F off at 45F.

I would love your ideas or thoughts on this.

I would love to hear how it works for you.

Would you post a link to the heat pads you will be using?

Will you post pics of the timer and thermocube set up? Won't you need to go timer then TC, timer needs power all the time.

Do you plan on monitoring the temperatures and power usage?
Would be curious to know how it heats the shredded paper compared to a few inches of seedling soils.

Ok, here is the heating pad, 10"x20" 17 watts

Here is the timer currently used for lights

It already has 2 outlets.

Here is the thermo cube



The power will come from the house to light timer, on at 5:30am off at 9pm, then through a thermo cube, on at 35F off at 45F, then to the heat pads.

aart said:

I would love to hear how it works for you.

Would you post a link to the heat pads you will be using?

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As requested, here is the link to the pad

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hydrofarm-H...ng-/261231155965?ssPageName=ADME:L:OU:US:1120

aart said:

Do you plan on monitoring the temperatures and power usage?
Would be curious to know how it heats the shredded paper compared to a few inches of seedling soils.

Click to expand...

I have no way to monitor the power usage as it will automatically turn on and off with temperature changes.

I will definately monitor the shredded paper and more importantly, egg temperatures, during the coldest days.

I will be using 3 pads, 17 watts each, 51 watts in total.

I guestimated my 38 watt water heater cost me about $8.00 max per season to operate.

A guestimate would be the pads will use quite a bit less per season, as they will not be operational during the night, when temperatures are the coldest.

Either way, if this works, gifting perfect eggs, is priceless...

You might want to test it out somehow so you know they aren't getting really warm, tho I guess they probably wouldn't depending on how cold the ambient temps and if the hens scratch down so the egg are touching the pad or maybe I just think too much

How big are your nests? Will the pad lay flat or fold up along the sides?

It will certainly be nice for you to come home to not frozen eggs, that is always so disappointing.

RonP said:

.I have decided to heat the laying boxes.
I would love your ideas or thoughts on this.

Click to expand...

Watering
For along time I used heater tape around a bucket with chicken watering nipples. It worked excellent.It could maybe also be used for heating a nest box (never did it personally).

Ambient temperature with the thermo cube should always be below 45F.

Even if all shredded paper were gone, there will still be the leaf bag, several layers of thick paper, separating the egg and the pad, diffusing the heat.
The bags are disposable. I change them out about once a year even though they might still be good.
Every once in a while I'll get a broken egg in the nests, the bag saves me the trouble of cleaning the wooden box.

I'm more concerned that there will not be enough heat for those days below 0 like we received last year.

The pad is bendable and will cover the length of the box and ~ 3" to 4" up the back.
I haven't received them yet, but if they aren't flexible, I can be in the final design.

Hokum Coco said:

Watering
For along time I used heater tape around a bucket with chicken watering nipples. It worked excellent.It could maybe also be used for heating a nest box (never did it personally).

Click to expand...

I thought about that.

The pad seems like an easier installation and better distribution of heat.

RonP said:

Ambient temperature with the thermo cube should always be below 45F.

Even if all shredded paper were gone, there will still be the leaf bag, several layers of thick paper, separating the egg and the pad, diffusing the heat.
The bags are disposable. I change them out about once a year even though they might still be good.
Every once in a while I'll get a broken egg in the nests, the bag saves me the trouble of cleaning the wooden box.

I'm more concerned that there will not be enough heat for those days below 0 like we received last year.

The pad is bendable and will cover the length of the box and ~ 3" to 4" up the back.
I haven't received them yet, but if they aren't flexible, I can be in the final design.

Click to expand...

There ya go....can't wait to see this implemented....real curious what the temp will be, at the pad and at the egg.