Alternative power source for chicken houses,???

[Yukonchick]

Is there anyone out there who has any info on either solar or wind power for use in chicken houses. I would like some light in our future hen house we're building soon. Up here in the Yukon the winters have short daylight hours and we live in a windy little place. Theres not much darkness in summer though but I would like some sort of power source going to the little chicks that must be kept warm.

I know there are some really small wind turbines somewhere that are reasonably priced as I don`t want to spend a fortune on the system.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Solar doesn't work here in the Pacific NW very well. We tried a solar gate opener and it failed. I would personally stay away from solar as you are even further north.

I have read that some of those windmills freeze in the winter and don't work so investigate carefully.

Frankly I'd just put a cheap woodstove in your coop if you are concerned, if you can do it safely without fire hazards and the coop/barn is large enough. Like a shop stove. And put a battery-powered light.

Woodstoves are amazing.

Just my opinion!!!

 

[wilbilt]

I have a small solar power setup (more like a "science project", really). I am not using it for coop power, although I guess I could as it is literally right next to where I am building my coop. There are some small PV panels that provide about 115 watts at 12V in full sun. I bought these on eBay. Some were used but still provide 90% of the output they did when new.

The panels are connected to a 30A charge controller, a single deep cycle battery and a 700W inverter to provide 120VAC. I set this up to provide some backup power during outages for charging phones, running laptop computers, etc. It has run 2 laptops, a DSL modem, phone chargers and a couple of lights for 8+ hours without draining the battery.

At 750W output, it is not going to run a heater, pump, or anything requiring a high starting current, but it is useful for what it is. Adding more panels and batteries along with a larger inverter would increase the utility.

 

[Yukonchick]

Ya, my husband figures just a little wood stove wood be best for heat when we need it. Buying the right breed of chickens too would be best. Rock hens seem to endure cooler weather i've heard.