100 Broilers and Fermented Feed Project

[ChickenCanoe]

Totally agree with the cold brooding, however my EcoGlows need an ambient temp of 50F to run properly. I can only do that in one area of the barn - and I'm at capacity. I ran out of breeding pens and took over the brooders lol. I am creating another brooder shortly in the barn.

Yes - washing hands after handling livestock is a good practice, but after any animal? I don't. My dogs are always touching me so my hands would fall off if I washed them after every time I pet them.

I understand everyone's situation is different. Now that the weather has broken slightly, I have to butcher a few roosters to make more room for chicks.
I just get the impression from posts in so many threads, especially the hatch a longs, that people think chicks need to be in a place that is 90 degrees and that just isn't true.
Commercial hatcheries do so because with so many birds they don't have the space or the means for a more natural brooding.

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Well, at least before you eat.

 

[aoxa]

I understand everyone's situation is different. Now that the weather has broken slightly, I have to butcher a few roosters to make more room for chicks.
I just get the impression from posts in so many threads, especially the hatch a longs, that people think chicks need to be in a place that is 90 degrees and that just isn't true.
Commercial hatcheries do so because with so many birds they don't have the space or the means for a more natural brooding.

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Well, at least before you eat.

Oh no.. I just refuse to use heat lamps after my fire, so my situation is much different

If I was to use heat lamps, darn right they'd be out in the barn right now.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I switched to ceramic emitters so I can control day length.

Do you know exactly how the fire started?

 

[aoxa]

I switched to ceramic emitters so I can control day length.

Do you know exactly how the fire started?

It was electrical. It was so damaged that they could not tell what was the exact cause, only that it started near our fuse box and outlets that all of our extension cords were plugged into. Not only were we using a lot of extension cords, we were plugging the extension cords into a power bar and running them. It makes me cringe with all the mistakes we made.

I can hardly handle leaving lights on while I am away from home for fear of fire. having a fire changes you. A heat lamp would keep me awake at night.

 

[kuntrygirl]

 
I switched to ceramic emitters so I can control day length.

Do you know exactly how the fire started?

It was electrical. It was so damaged that they could not tell what was the exact cause, only that it started near our fuse box and outlets that all of our extension cords were plugged into. Not only were we using a lot of extension cords, we were plugging the extension cords into a power bar and running them. It makes me cringe with all the mistakes we made. 

I can hardly handle leaving lights on while I am away from home for fear of fire. having a fire changes you. A heat lamp would keep me awake at night.

I have never had a fire but I am the same way that you are. I"m so fearful when I am not home that my house will catch a fire.

I don't even like my TV and other things being plugged when I leave home. The only appliances that remained plugged in my house are the fridge and freezer. Everything else is unplugged. I am always paranoid during brooding/heat lamp season.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

It was electrical. It was so damaged that they could not tell what was the exact cause, only that it started near our fuse box and outlets that all of our extension cords were plugged into. Not only were we using a lot of extension cords, we were plugging the extension cords into a power bar and running them. It makes me cringe with all the mistakes we made.

I can hardly handle leaving lights on while I am away from home for fear of fire. having a fire changes you. A heat lamp would keep me awake at night.

Oh, I thought the heat lamp caught something on fire.
It sounds like your wire was undersized for the fuse/breaker and overloaded the circuit.
I was an industrial electrician and automation engineer.
I've used extension cords outside for years with heat lamps/emitters and as long as you size the circuit elements properly and make sure the heat source is secured, there's little chance of danger.
There was no electricity outdoors when I bought this 110 year old house. The first thing I did was to run power all over in conduit. I usually do overkill when it comes to wire size and conduit size so I can expand later. I have yet to get power run to all the chicken coops but I hope to get that done this year.

 

[aoxa]

Oh, I thought the heat lamp caught something on fire.
It sounds like your wire was undersized for the fuse/breaker and overloaded the circuit.
I was an industrial electrician and automation engineer.
I've used extension cords outside for years with heat lamps/emitters and as long as you size the circuit elements properly and make sure the heat source is secured, there's little chance of danger.
There was no electricity outdoors when I bought this 110 year old house. The first thing I did was to run power all over in conduit. I usually do overkill when it comes to wire size and conduit size so I can expand later. I have yet to get power run to all the chicken coops but I hope to get that done this year.

If the heat lamp is secured properly it can be safe.. but there are so many instances of people abusing them and fires killing animals.. One guy just lost his life rescuing his horses after his barn caught fire from a heat lamp.

http://www.wmtw.com/news/fire-levels-windham-barn-beef-cattle-escape/24580060
http://melrose.wickedlocal.com/article/20140220/NEWS/140229378
http://www.oregonlive.com/forest-grove/index.ssf/2013/12/heat_lamp_likely_caused_barn_f.html
http://www.witn.com/home/headlines/...orning-Fire-At-Greenville-Home-234054171.html
http://www.ohio.com/news/break-news/heat-lamp-suspected-cause-of-sanctuary-fire-1.467301
http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/Crew...-of-Fire-at-Dyersville-Stables-246014901.html
http://www.wral.com/durham-house-fire-started-by-heat-lamp/13363186/
http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2014/02/05/3458954/pig-barn-fire-north-of-ferndale.html

Recent fires all started by heat lamps.

My fire marshall told me never to use an extension cord with a heat lamp. The heat lamp should be plugged into a GFI outlet.

http://firesafetyinbarns.com/articles/fire-prevention-inside-your-barn/ Here is a good fire safety for barns website

http://firesafetyinbarns.com/articles/electric-appliances/ <--- very good read
Quote:

 

[LindaB220]

It was electrical. It was so damaged that they could not tell what was the exact cause, only that it started near our fuse box and outlets that all of our extension cords were plugged into. Not only were we using a lot of extension cords, we were plugging the extension cords into a power bar and running them. It makes me cringe with all the mistakes we made.

I can hardly handle leaving lights on while I am away from home for fear of fire. having a fire changes you. A heat lamp would keep me awake at night.

We were going to use a heat lamp with an extension cord running from the house to try to keep the pump from freezing. We don't have a house built for it yet. The electrician said don't because the heat lamp overloads the extension cord. Thought about you when he said it. Sorry.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

People just aren't safe or think about possibilities.
Especially when it comes to electricity or heat sources/flammables.
Mine are on GFCI.
If the extension is fed from GFCI, whether a breaker or outlet, it's protected.
GFCI protection should be on any outdoor, garage, outbuilding, basement, below grade, kitchen or bathroom outlet.

The GFCI only protects humans and animals from shock in the event of current leakage in a ground fault.
It won't protect against fire.

 

[aoxa]

People just aren't safe or think about possibilities.
Especially when it comes to electricity or heat sources/flammables.
Mine are on GFCI.
If the extension is fed from GFCI, whether a breaker or outlet, it's protected.
GFCI protection should be on any outdoor, garage, outbuilding, basement, below grade, kitchen or bathroom outlet.

The GFCI only protects humans and animals from shock in the event of current leakage in a ground fault.
It won't protect against fire.

If I was to use an extension cord, I would use a contractor extension cord.. Really heavy duty. I have seen extension cords actually burn up... The same day of the fire, my FIL told us to have an electrician come in and install new outlets.. Isn't that terrible? We knew it was unsafe, yet we didn't take more precautions. My hay was right by my power bar.

My fire was totally preventable and our fault. I know that... But I sure wish fire prevention was more publicized. If I had of heard of someone having a barn fire because of how I was setting things up, I would have done something.. But the thought NEVER occurred to me that it was extremely unsafe. I did not know the importance of keeping hay away from outlets, and overloading fuses...

My house needs to be rewired as well, and I am nervous every day. We have a fuse system that is wired weird. It has too many wires going to some fuses, and very few going to others. I am having someone come and redo everything to breakers instead of fuses. I hate fuses.