Can I use a plastic storage bin with my heat lamp?

[BalesBgarb]

Hot hubby building the coop. Much bigger than I thought. Gonna weather proof. Gonna put it in this area of the barn with concrete pad and put it on top of this chicken wire thing for extra protection. Can I put a radiant heating pad in and get my chicks in or too soon?

 

[rosemarythyme]

You can raise them inside the coop if you want. The coop has no windows though so you'll need to provide light inside it.

 

[BalesBgarb]

Thank you! So the coop can go out in the barn now and they can go in? I know they still need constant heat so how about a radiant heat pad hanging in there? I can leave the asphalt top off temporarily and put chicken wire over it so no predators can get in and then they’ll have light until they are ready to come out full time during the day and then just use the coop for sleeping at night. We’re going to chicken wire fence our big garden and let them right out to hang out there during the day when they’re ready(a few weeks from now)....I hope I’m making sense

 

[rosemarythyme]

Chicken wire definitely isn't coon proof, so keep that in mind with your plans.

Not sure how hot the radiant heat pad gets or if there's instructions on how to use it as a chick heat source. As long as it gets warm enough and the chicks can access it when needed, I don't see why it wouldn't work. Do you have a link to the product?

 

[QuackerLuv]

Hi everyone I’m super new to this. Thank you for your help. I’m not loving the cardboard boxes and the chicks are getting bigger anyways. I’d really love to use a nice big plastic storage box but I’m afraid of the heat lamp attached to it. Any experience or ideas would be greatly appreciated. Can I do it? Here’s the lamp

I would

 

[BalesBgarb]

Chicken wire definitely isn't coon proof, so keep that in mind with your plans.

Not sure how hot the radiant heat pad gets or if there's instructions on how to use it as a chick heat source. As long as it gets warm enough and the chicks can access it when needed, I don't see why it wouldn't work. Do you have a link to the product?

will the coons bother them during the day? Ugh. I’m already worried bout the cats. At night they’ll be locked in the coop.

 

[GC-Raptor]

Could I put that in a barn stall and have them sleep in it at night? That’s what I want. Locked up safe from the cats mice groundhog and raccoon. They all get in there.

I would not put your chicken coop in the barn with a Raccoon, cats, and mice.

will the coons bother them during the day?

I have had cameras around my coops for more than 3 years. I have never seen a coon during the day.
My cameras show Raccoons come around after sunset till sunrise, but my coops and cameras are not in a barn. In a barn who knows, a Raccoon could be active during the day.

That Coon and cats need to be gone and barn needs to be predator proof before I would put chickens in there. GC

 

[rosemarythyme]

will the coons bother them during the day? Ugh. I’m already worried bout the cats. At night they’ll be locked in the coop.

Coons are less likely during the day but as with all things, there's no guarantee there won't be some active during day time.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

will the coons bother them during the day? Ugh. I’m already worried bout the cats. At night they’ll be locked in the coop.

We lost a chicken late in the afternoon, early evening, I guess you would say right at dusk, as they were going into the coop to put themselves to roost. It was still light enough to see by and this one was lagging a bit. The raccoon got her and tried to drag her through the fence (2"x4" welded wire field fencing). He failed, but the chicken, between 3 and 4 months old, did not survive. So ... I guess I am saying raccoons may not hunt in broad daylight, but neither do they wait until pitch dark either.

 

[MountainWoman73]

Plastic tote + heat lamp = Easy bake brooder.

This got me wondering about my set up. I have a plastic tub with a lamp about 9" above it on one end. I usually just monitor temperature by chick behavior. Today I threw a thermometer in there to check. A thermometer left directly under the lamp for an hour read 102 degrees. (Clearly too warm). The middle of the tub was 88, and down by the food and drink end was 75. This is in a basement, ambient temperature about 67. My one week old littles sleep fanned out around in a semicircular pattern around the lamp, probably finding those spots where it is a perfect 90 degrees.

Thanks for prompting my curiosity.