Coop fire- advice needed!!!

[Aquaticember06]

I hate for this to be my first post but we desperately need some advice.

We had the coop catch fire this morning. I smelled it before I saw smoke. I didn’t get out there to let them out at my usual time because I’ve been sick and I have vertigo. By the time we got out there, one of our four girls was already dead. Two left of their own power when I opened the door and one I had to pull out myself. She also walked away but then planted herself where she felt safest and did not move after.

A sparrow had gotten in there overnight and our flock leader, French Fry, must have been chasing it to kill it and knocked down the heat lamp. It caught fire to the pine bedding but that stuff doesn’t easily go up in flames. It smoldered and created tons of smoke and now my remaining three are wheezing and sneezing.

I have one (Nugget) who if I couldn’t hear her wheezing on every breath I’d swear nothing had happened. She’s walking around the yard, scratching for food. The second (Milkshake) was walking around and pecking too… but then found a safe place and parked herself. She’s fairly alert and fluttered to get out of my arms when I picked her up. I think she’s traumatized. We have a big dog cage that was previously used as quarantine for a duck with bumble foot so I put Milkshake in there in the shed with the door open for airflow, but it’s slightly warmer in there than it is outside. Finally I have the third (Burger) in a box in the house with me. She was the worst of them, extending her neck and wheezing on every breath. I’ve used a syringe to get her to drink slowly, approximately 16ml, and in the time since the fire she has stopped extending her neck on every breath, but the wheezing in still very much there. I think she’s tired. She has settled in and closed her eyes. She perks up every time one of my cats comes to investigate.

Edit: I had to pause in writing to take care of them. We buried French Fry at the back of the yard (I couldn’t bear to eat any of them. They’re more pets than livestock to me).

I know I should be counting my blessings. There were never any live flames. None of the three left are singed or have external burns. They sound terrible and are wheezing but now we’re 3 hours past when we pulled them out and all three have eaten and had water on their own volition.

I guess my question is this: What do I need to do to support them now that they’re out and alert? I read in another post about mixing electrolytes into their water and I’m pretty sure I still have a few of those packets. We aren’t in a place right now where we are able to take them to the vet, but I happily welcome all suggestions for keeping them safe and comfortable. Are there emergency signs I should watch for?

I’ll also take any advice about winterizing their run/hen house that doesn’t involve a heat source they can knock over. We’re actually considering flipping them into the smaller duck run/house since Milkshake seemed so traumatized. The ducks wouldn’t mind switching, although it would take practice for all of them to get used to the trade.

We have several tarps, a roll of old housing insulation that my dad gave us (I want to say it’s about five/six feet long), and of course pine shavings. I know that ventilation is crucial so I won’t be sealing them in or anything… I just want to keep them warm enough that they are okay this winter. Is it better to put a heat source in where they are or deal with possible frostbite later in the season? I really would appreciate any knowledge anyone can offer on this.

 

[Eggcessive]

Welcome to BYC, and I am so sorry about your fire and loss. With smoke inhalation, they may or may not be okay. Cannyoungive us a few more details about your climate, your general location, and maybe include any pictures or description of your coop. Is there any chance of putting them somewhere tonight, such as a garage or basement where the coop could air out well? I would encourage them to drink fluids or electrolytes, and offer some wet chicken feed and scrambled egg. Tuba or canned cat food are good as well.

Heat lamps are usually not needed, and extremely dangerous. They are ao flimsy, that when I have used on, I wrap the cord around a 2x4 rafter, and double secure it. We usually read about a few fires here on BYC each year. I don’t use a lamp unless it is zero for a few days. Many never use them. Most chickens do well if the coop windows are up high, and the roost below that. I close off the windows to the top 6 inches with plastic, but make sure there is air going from end to end. The coop bedding should be warm enough for them to walk around. Hay bales can be used around the run to block wind. Let us know how they are getting along.

 

[Aquaticember06]

Welcome to BYC, and I am so sorry about your fire and loss. With smoke inhalation, they may or may not be okay. Cannyoungive us a few more details about your climate, your general location, and maybe include any pictures or description of your coop. Is there any chance of putting them somewhere tonight, such as a garage or basement where the coop could air out well? I would encourage them to drink fluids or electrolytes, and offer some wet chicken feed and scrambled egg. Tuba or canned cat food are good as well.

Heat lamps are usually not needed, and extremely dangerous. They are ao flimsy, that when I have used on, I wrap the cord around a 2x4 rafter, and double secure it. We usually read about a few fires here on BYC each year. I don’t use a lamp unless it is zero for a few days. Many never use them. Most chickens do well if the coop windows are up high, and the roost below that. I close off the windows to the top 6 inches with plastic, but make sure there is air going from end to end. The coop bedding should be warm enough for them to walk around. Hay bales can be used around the run to block wind. Let us know how they are getting along.

We live in central Ohio, USA. It hasn’t dipped even into the teens here yet and now I feel foolish for using a heat lamp at all. The girls are 2 years old now, and spent their first winter in my garage. They are currently all three in the dog cage in the shed and tonight that is where they will stay. It’s an insulated building with two small windows and two side by side doors that I can swing open. No heat source in there but it’s certainly warmer than the run or the henhouse ever was.

Tonight’s low temperature is predicted to be 18 degrees Fahrenheit, and it was at temperatures like that last year that made their combs start go black in places. That was what led me to buying lamps in the first place, and we got through the winter with straw bales stacked around the outside of the henhouse and run to insulate and block the wind. We weren’t able to get the straw bales this year, so we have used tarps to create a wind block around the run/hen house. The duck run/house is much smaller and surrounded on three sides by a cinder block enclosure, then has a tarp on top to keep the rain and snow out. I have a heat lamp hanging in the middle of their run, secured with chains, but now I question if they need it either, especially considering the fire and the fact that they are Pekins and massive. My chickens are Columbian Rock Crosses.

I expect that we will have below zero nights many times over the winter, but not every night. And truly, if push came to shove, I could convince my husband to allow me to convert the big shed into a little barn for the birds over winter. The ducks are so messy, though, which is why he’s been reluctant.

The coop is not a total loss. The pine bedding burned, but the structure did not sustain any damage beyond stinking of smoke. We are definitely letting it air out tonight, but if the chickens do not treat it as though they are afraid of it, I think we will try to button it up for the winter and continue to use it.

The girls are still wheezing a bit and sneezing every once in a while, but now they just seem to be tired. My husband went to get supplies like more bedding, and I am going to give the girls some scrambled eggs.

 

[aart]

Good ventilation, rather than heat, is what most helps prevent frostbite.
Ducks can be detrimental to that goal, why most folks keep ducks separately from chickens.

 

[Aquaticember06]

Good ventilation, rather than heat, is what most helps prevent frostbite.
Ducks can be detrimental to that goal, why most folks keep ducks separately from chickens.

Yeah, I’d heard that there are many reasons to keep ducks and chickens separated, and I can see how ducks would add a lot of moisture to an environment. I intend to keep them separated if I can.

And by the way, everyone, I appreciate the replies sincerely. My mind has been spinning in making sure my girls are okay and keeping them safe… then looking forward to how I can keep them safe in the future. They ate their eggs, and Burger ate with a lot of enthusiasm, which was very encouraging.

 

[Eggcessive]

I would try to use the shed or build a larger coop for the chickens. Those tiny coops are hardly large enough for bantams. I would not use a heat lamp in the run either. We have a small coop, in addition to my big coop which was a small barn for horses, that we use for 4-5 hens, and it is 5x7 feet and I can stand inside it. I have found that small coops can be harder to keep warm, and they need to have a good size coop in winter, in case it snows or is cold and rainy. It doesn’t have to be fancy. The straw bales might be helpful. I have used plastic tarps, and they flap so much, the chickens are scared. Some use plastic panels around the run for wind protection. Hopefully, your hens did not suffer too much smoke inhalation. I hope they recover.

 

[AGeese]

Besides bulbs exploding or failing because they were switched off and back on too quickly other than accidents like this (very sorry to hear) I have no further plans to use them. Ceramic heat emitters have a similar risk.

I didn't have an issue because when I found my pullets pecking at the lamp luckily it came with a grill over it (though I wouldn't have used one without) ...still, there are safer forms of heat.

If you must have heat, I haven't had any trouble with this, it's not the greatest output, but unless you're brooding you don't need the greatest output https://www.mypetchicken.com/catalo...er-Coop-and-Brooder-Heater-4-sizes-p1556.aspx

The sparrow senario is a possibility for sure they're a pain to keep out of everything including my roof, but my girls were tired of the lamp being on too long although I had it timed to go out at a certain hour. So they were either bored and just pecking it for fun or didn't like the light (probably both as they tend to get active with the light)

I don't use light or heat now, just a little heat for my currently isolated bird that is going through some struggles.

You definitely want them out of the wind, but with ample ventilation to keep things dry and let the stale air be replaced.

 

[Kanekoded]

I hate for this to be my first post but we desperately need some advice.

We had the coop catch fire this morning. I smelled it before I saw smoke. I didn’t get out there to let them out at my usual time because I’ve been sick and I have vertigo. By the time we got out there, one of our four girls was already dead. Two left of their own power when I opened the door and one I had to pull out myself. She also walked away but then planted herself where she felt safest and did not move after.

A sparrow had gotten in there overnight and our flock leader, French Fry, must have been chasing it to kill it and knocked down the heat lamp. It caught fire to the pine bedding but that stuff doesn’t easily go up in flames. It smoldered and created tons of smoke and now my remaining three are wheezing and sneezing.

I have one (Nugget) who if I couldn’t hear her wheezing on every breath I’d swear nothing had happened. She’s walking around the yard, scratching for food. The second (Milkshake) was walking around and pecking too… but then found a safe place and parked herself. She’s fairly alert and fluttered to get out of my arms when I picked her up. I think she’s traumatized. We have a big dog cage that was previously used as quarantine for a duck with bumble foot so I put Milkshake in there in the shed with the door open for airflow, but it’s slightly warmer in there than it is outside. Finally I have the third (Burger) in a box in the house with me. She was the worst of them, extending her neck and wheezing on every breath. I’ve used a syringe to get her to drink slowly, approximately 16ml, and in the time since the fire she has stopped extending her neck on every breath, but the wheezing in still very much there. I think she’s tired. She has settled in and closed her eyes. She perks up every time one of my cats comes to investigate.

Edit: I had to pause in writing to take care of them. We buried French Fry at the back of the yard (I couldn’t bear to eat any of them. They’re more pets than livestock to me).

I know I should be counting my blessings. There were never any live flames. None of the three left are singed or have external burns. They sound terrible and are wheezing but now we’re 3 hours past when we pulled them out and all three have eaten and had water on their own volition.

I guess my question is this: What do I need to do to support them now that they’re out and alert? I read in another post about mixing electrolytes into their water and I’m pretty sure I still have a few of those packets. We aren’t in a place right now where we are able to take them to the vet, but I happily welcome all suggestions for keeping them safe and comfortable. Are there emergency signs I should watch for?

I’ll also take any advice about winterizing their run/hen house that doesn’t involve a heat source they can knock over. We’re actually considering flipping them into the smaller duck run/house since Milkshake seemed so traumatized. The ducks wouldn’t mind switching, although it would take practice for all of them to get used to the trade.

We have several tarps, a roll of old housing insulation that my dad gave us (I want to say it’s about five/six feet long), and of course pine shavings. I know that ventilation is crucial so I won’t be sealing them in or anything… I just want to keep them warm enough that they are okay this winter. Is it better to put a heat source in where they are or deal with possible frostbite later in the season? I really would appreciate any knowledge anyone can offer on this.

A coop fire can be tragic and I'm so very sorry for your loss.

I'm a firm believer in not heating a coop, at least, not with heat lamps and not unless there are extreme temperatures. Our temps here in Wisconsin can reach in excess of -20 and I worry more about frostbitten feet than I do anything else. I have a heated floor in my coop that I rigged up using an x-large outdoor heated doghouse mat placed under a "floating floor" made from click together textured laminate wood flooring to which, I layer pine shavings on top. The casing around the heated mat and the laminate flooring are both flame retardant - which, for me, is added peace of mind. Perhaps, it's an idea that might also work well for you if you're considering a different heat option.

 

[Aquaticember06]

I have checked on the girls and to my surprise, Burger was the most active and eager to come outside! I was so worried about her yesterday but she jumped down from her perch and couldn’t wait to get out of the dog cage. I still hear some raspiness in their breathing but it’s not like it was yesterday. I’m very hopeful that they will make a full recovery.

My husband and I are heading out to find and price straw bales so we can button up the run/henhouse for winter again. If the girls aren’t scared of the structure, we’ll set it back up. If they are, then we’ll pivot and come up with a new plan. But they definitely won’t involve heat lamps.

Thank you to everyone who responded for your kind words and your advice. I’ve lurked on BYC for a while since we first got the girls and I’m so grateful this lovely community exists.