Fire Safety in your Chicken Coop & Barn - IMPORTANT!

[aoxa]

Now I know everyone thinks that it won't happen to you. I was like that as well. Yeah fires happen, but not to me.

My ignorance was quickly shattered this Monday when we awoke to our barn in full flames. Nothing at all could be done. We lost everything: Two sheep, Four turkeys, Six Ducks, Four Geese, Roughly 100 breeding chickens, 20 chicks and our Livestock Guardian Dog, Clementine.

This isn't a thread trying to get your condolences, though I really appreciate it. I am heartbroken, yes. They were my passion. My dream.

This thread is designed to make you think twice about what you do in your own barn/coop, and to open your eyes to the risks in things you may not even consider a fire risk.

• The obvious - make sure if you have chicks in the barn/coop that you have your heat lamp SECURED. Do not trust the clamps. They can slip off easily and the heat lamp can fall to the ground and catch the shavings on fire.
• Extension Cords - Please, please do not use these if you can help it. If you do have to use them, Make sure you are not drawing a lot of power from them (IE: Don't attach an extension cord to a power block and plug a lot into them).
• DUST your lights and outlets regularly. Dust is a big issue.. You know how much dust a couple of chickens can create.. If dust builds up on heat lamps, or even regular light bulbs the dust itself can catch on fire.
• If you use extension cords, use heavy duty, and only ones meant for outdoors. Make sure they are all intact and have no rips or tears in the coating.
• Another extension cord tip: Do not staple them into the wall to keep out of reach of birds. If you hit the cord itself it can create an issue
• Store baled hay AWAY from livestock. Hay/bedding storage should not be near lights, fans, electrical boxes, heaters or outlets.
• Flammable substances should be kept away from the barn. (We had 5 propane tanks stored in the loft. BAD idea.
• Improperly utilized heat lamps are a major source of barn fires. They are often placed too close to hay and bedding which may ignite quite easily from the heat. Never use extension cords with heat lamps.
• When storing newly baled hay, the temperature should be monitored. Adequate ventilation should be provided for additional drying of the hay. If too much heat builds up, spontaneous combustion can occur. (Never purchase hay that is hot - because it can mean that it was baled too wet. In addition to being a fire hazard, the hay may turn moldy, making it unpalatable and unhealthy for horses to eat.)
• Outlets and switch boxes should be made of metal and have dust- and water-tight spring-loaded covers that close when released. Ground fault receptacles should be utilized for all outlets.

• Please read the following tips other users contributed.

  • If I may, I'd like to also recommend that electrical wiring in barns be enclosed in conduit, and all permanent light fixtures be in cages, especially where the larger livestock might potentially break the bulbs by rearing or rough-housing.
  • And if you can, store hay and bedding in a separate building at least 30 feet away from your barns and house.

  
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We went from this....



To this...

Fire can be prevented. Please be aware, and pass the message along.

If I can save any of you from the anguish I feel - I have served my purpose.

 

[Jakoda]

I am so very very sorry for your loss, how devastating hugs to you
I am fire paranoid myself, won't even use heat lamps , this is good info tho for newbies especially
again, my sympathies
Diane

 

[Herducks]

I am so sorry

I know it is heart breaking. So hard to loose so many.

 

[aoxa]

Thank you guys.

We are now very cautious. Our new barn is going to be decked out with safety features. We're going to have alarms that sound up at the house if anything down on the barn catches on fire in the future.. though it took forever for the fire department to arrive.

There were explosions from the propane tanks. It was terrifying.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Thank you for this post.

We've already planned on building a barn here in the future. Now I know that I have a lot more research to do for safety.

 

[aoxa]

Thank you for this post.

We've already planned on building a barn here in the future. Now I know that I have a lot more research to do for safety.

http://www.esc.rutgers.edu/publications/farm_safety/FS608.htm
Please read over this article as well. It gives details on how to build a barn for fire safety

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

http://www.esc.rutgers.edu/publications/farm_safety/FS608.htm
Please read over this article as well. It gives details on how to build a barn for fire safety

Thanks again! I am bookmarking that page.

 

[Eggsoteric]

Mere words cannont express how terribly sorry I am for your loss.

 

[aart]

My condolences and thanks for posting.
People can be blase and careless unless they've been thru it.
Hopefully people will take this well composed and illustrated thread to heart.

I am fire 'paranoid' having experienced one years ago.
The consequences were minor but the fear was abundant and the extreme caution learned has lasted strong and long.

Would you mind sharing the origins of the fire?

 

[aoxa]

My condolences and thanks for posting.
People can be blase and careless unless they've been thru it.
Hopefully people will take this well composed and illustrated thread to heart.

I am fire 'paranoid' having experienced one years ago.
The consequences were minor but the fear was abundant and the extreme caution learned has lasted strong and long.

Would you mind sharing the origins of the fire?

The origin is undetermined, but it was electrical. Not from heat lamps.. The most damage came from the area we stored our hay - which was near the fuse panel and the majority of our extension cords (it was insane how many we had going - makes me sick).

I am trying really hard not to blame myself. I didn't know. I really didn't. If I had of known, of course I wouldn't have done it the way I did...

Almost all the pointers above I did not follow - except the heat lamps. We had the heat lamps secured.

The day it started we blew 4 fuses building a large breeding pen. That should have been our sign. If you are blowing fuses, you are using way too much power! Tone it down.