Batter powered heater?

[skiblits]

A friend is giving me their coop with two chickens. I would like to place the coop in the back corner of the yard so that any noise from them will not disturb the neighbors. But I’m concerned about getting power out there for a heat lamp. Is there a battery powered heat lamp or heater of some kind that I could use that’s safe for the coop?
Thanks for your help! These will be my frist chickens and I want to make sure I am fully prepared.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Unless you plan to brood chicks under 4 weeks of age out there, you dont need any heat.

 

[jthornton]

You should add your location in your profile as weather makes a difference in replies usually.

JT

 

[aart]

A friend is giving me their coop with two chickens. I would like to place the coop in the back corner of the yard so that any noise from them will not disturb the neighbors. But I’m concerned about getting power out there for a heat lamp. Is there a battery powered heat lamp or heater of some kind that I could use that’s safe for the coop?
Thanks for your help! These will be my frist chickens and I want to make sure I am fully prepared.

Welcome to BYC @skiblits !

Pretty hard to power a heater off a battery, takes too much 'juice'....
....and you may not need any heat.
Tell us more about the coop(size in feet by feet with pics),
and chickens(how old are they).

....and most important...
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, (laptop version shown), then it's always there!

 

[Cryss]

Welcome to BYC!! You are doing the right thing asking questions here. Chickens can be so easy if you start out right. It only gets complicated when you have to make major changes down the road because you learned you did something wrong. Ask me how I know.
OL Grey Mare is right, you only need to heat a coop area if you are running a brooder in the coop. Otherwise I can verify chickens don't need a heated coop. It can actually be a bad thing. As seasons change chickens adapt to the temperatures. If the coop is heated they can't adapt. Then if for some reason they lose power the temperatures drop and they are not prepared for the cold. This can be deadly for them. My chickens spend all day outside in the cold and only go inside the unheated coop to lay eggs and to sleep. The cold doesn't bother them.
More important is proper ventilation. Chicken body temperature is around 106. When they poop it can be steamy. Moisture rises. If it can't escape it condenses. If it's cold it freezes. It can freeze on the chicken causing frostbite or death. If its warm it can cause mold and wet birds and respiratory infections.
Ventilation isn't the same as a draft. Drafts blow air onto chickens. Ventilation is well above their roosting heads allowing warm moist air to rise and escape.
Knowing where you are located helps us know what kind of climate you will be working with. I'm in Northwest NJ so I get snowstorms and ice storms.
Looking forward to seeing your progress and your flock! We loooove pictures here!

 

[aart]

you only need to heat a coop area if you are running a brooder in the coop.

Or live where you need want to heat a waterer in the winter

 

[Cryss]

Or live where you need to heat a waterer in the winter

true I forgot to mention that.
BUT...my first year I had no heated waterer. Every night I brought the waterer (and feeder) inside the house. In the morning I carried it/them back out. Depending on temps and weather I took a second waterer out every 1 or 2 hours. Colder temps and nastier weather meant every 1 hour. It's not the best way but it works. If I were young I wouldn't mind it so much. It was a great excuse to spend a few minutes with my new flock even in nasty conditions. I also was able to confirm that they were indeed surviving, actually thriving, in spite of no heat. But I'm an old biddy, so this year it was a heated waterer using a heavy duty all weather extension cord. I researched comparisons to get the best I could. It hangs from the run roof which is tarp covered and I added a thing that wraps around the connections to keep water out.

 

[skiblits]

Thank you for the replies everyone! I have updated my info. I love in Denver Colorado
I don’t know the exact size of the coop.
The chickens are both bantams and still lay eggs but I forgot to ask the age. I will find out more information tomorrow and ask these questions.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Or live where you need to heat a waterer in the winter

Well, "want" is a better word there.....lived in plenty of places where power was unavailable and winter brought freezing temps.....its entirely possible to not have a heated waterer

 

[aart]

Well, "want" is a better word there.....lived in plenty of places where power was unavailable and winter brought freezing temps.....its entirely possible to not have a heated waterer

True Dat...will edit