chicken coop heater pictures

[Carolina Chicken Man]

Quote:
You don't need to heat your coop in NC, not even in the mountains. Honest!! Realio trulio.

Most electric heaters will be a serious fire hazard (heating element plus dust equals combustion). The sealed oil-filled ones are probably safer, although of course also more expensive. They will run up your electric bill something fierce and provide no actual useful service for your chickens, in addition to being a fire hazard. (E.t.a. - they draw a BIG LOT of current and you would need a substantial-sized, i.e. expensive, solar panel system to run any electric heaters)

If you truly think your chickens are at risk of frostbite on the coldest nights, just hang a regular ol' lightbulb -- can be red -- in a heatlamp fixture above the roost. This puts targeted heat where it is needed (rather than attempting to heat the whole coop).

Pat

Agreed. I'm in NC and never use any heat for adult chickens, and my coop is not insulated. I just close up the windows, in the summer I just have hardware cloth wire over the window openings.

I think I remember seeing a post on here from someone in Alaska who did not use heat, but just had an insulated coop, and had some type of heater to keep the water from freezing.

I mean think about, you see a lot of wild birds in the trees in the winter time.

Hot weather is a lot harder on most chicken breeds than cold.

 

[Tamidon]

I got this one from Randall Burkey

good price but I only have 8 hens, so it's a good size for me

http://www.randallburkey.com/prodinfo.asp?number=10020

 

[mamarosa]

I also live in southeast michigan
I researched heat options for my 10 x 8 coop and have bought
ceremic infrared emitter bulbs which I bought from my local pet store, they are usually used for tanks that reptiles live in.
The trick is to make sure the housing unit is watt compatible and the wiring in the coop is able to handle the load.
keeping the unit away from anything flamable.
I have mine on a thermostat which we purchased from Home Depot set to go on when the temp goes below 32 and off when the temp goes above 45. We hung them in the ceiling rafters which are cover by chicken wire....there is no insulation in the ceiling. hope this helps
mamarosa

 

[MissPrissy]

The amount of dust accumulated in a coop makes it an extreme fire hazard to put some of these heaters in there.

Chickens are cold weather equipped.

Only on the extreme of cold weather will they need help in keeing warm. Then you would safer with a red heat lamp and a light timer for the coldest parts of night and morning.

 

[JohnL11935]

Everyone considering a solar panel for an energy source needs to keep in mind that solar panels by themselves have no means of storing electricity.

Once the sun goes down they are kapooey.

To store electricity you will need at least one deep cycle battery, the cost of which will need to be factored into you 'savings.' Like one other poster stated, heaters will draw quite a bit of juice.



.

 

[ametauss]

Since I was planning on finishing my coop this weekend and installing lighting and heating... this is a very timely and informative post...

My coop is 8x6x6. I was planning on putting in two outlets one for regular light for me to see to clean/gather eggs and the other for a bit of heat on those single digit nights... I have a thermo outlet that I was just planning to plug into the "red" heat lamp but I saw the ceramic ones and wanted to know ya'lls opinion on the pros/cons of each type.....

 

[jubylives]

Electricity comes with risk. I myself have accepted the risk and have electricity in my coop. The dust is a factor but you need an ignition source as in a spark or flame. The only way for that to happen is in a short or a bulb breaks. I doubt there is concern for the dust being a major issue as in an explosion as is what you get with dust and flammage. There could be the hazard of the bedding or insulation or whatever but it is a risk that is minor if it is done properly. Use GFI (ground fault interrupter) and make sure all connections are secure and lighting is secure. Yah yah I know chickens in the past never got heat but people like for their pets to be comfortable as is not necessarily the case for me. The heat in my coop is strictly for my own personal comfort and ease. I do not heat it at a comfy 70 degrees but just enough to keep the water from freezing and to keep me from freezing when I'm out there (I'm skinny and freeze through easy).

If you want heat add it. If you are scared of fire then don't heat it and buy them chicken sweaters.

jeremy

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
Not quite.

The commonest way for heat lamps to cause barn fires -- and they are really a pretty COMMON cause of barn fires, right up there with heat tapes -- is for the heat lamp to fall or be knocked down. The hot lamp ignites combustibles such as bedding, and you're off to the races.

Arcing is another not-uncommon cause of barn fires. For instance you have a cord plugged into an outlet, something tugs or bumps the cord, it backs partially out of the outlet, and you get a spark jumping across. This can cause a fire even in a house but in a dusty place like a barn, even more so.

The risk of fire is not the main reason (for most people) not to heat a coop, though. First, it is a waste of electricity... not only does it run up your bill, it adds incrementally to the crud that power plants pump into the air we have to breathe. Secondly, chickens that are used to a heated coop are not necessarily going to do so well when you have a power outage (winter storms often cause *both* cold temperatures *and* power outages...)

It is, as you say, a personal choice. It is not, however, as simple as "a-feared o' fire versus wanting chickens comfy".

Just sayin',

Pat

 

[jubylives]

Yes but as I suggested if all is done correctly and smartly there would be a reduced risk. I'm no Al Gore so the waste of electricity and pollution don't sway me. Me not using a red bulb is not going to stop the coming flood.. Good thing I'm in Iowa. I'll have some prime ocean side real estate on my hands.

Jeremy

 

[jubylives]

Quote:
Not quite.

Arc is a spark and I addressed the other potential hazards also. I'm contributing to this thread not competing.

jeremy