Coop fire due to heat lamp

[wamtazlady]

Just read that this happened in Helena MT a day or two ago. A heat lamp in a chicken coop caused the coop to catch fire. Chickens and rabbits were killed. Then the wind spread the fire to a storage building filled with hay. Hay is a total loss. From there the fire went to another building where vehicles and other items were stored. Many thousands of dollars in damage because someone wanted their chickens to be warm. It hasn't even been that terribly cold around here.

 

[townchicks]

Oh, that's so sad. Such a good reminder, though.

 

[wamtazlady]

I figured it wouldn't be a bad thing to remind people that heat lamps do cause real fires and kill chickens.

 

[MROO]

I figured it wouldn't be a bad thing to remind people that heat lamps do cause real fires and kill chickens.

And cars and wallets and bank accounts ... and people, if it's not stopped in time. Please, everybody, be safe!

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'd like to know why they had the heat lamp out there. Were they brooding chicks, trying to keep water thawed, or providing heat to grown chickens that would probably be more comfortable without the extra heat. In a former location the lady behind me burned down a shed with a space heater, she had plants in it and was protecting them from the cold weather. The fire department put that one out before it could spread.

I'd also like to know how that heat lamp was set up. There are right ways and wrong ways to do these things. That's true of any heat source, they all need to be set up properly.

I agree it is a great reminder to be careful with any heat source, inside your house or in any out-building. And it is really a shame if heat were being provided that was unnecessary.

 

[Shamo Hybrid]

I have a feeling it's a member on BYC..... let's wait and see.

 

[BrandonVercnocke]

I know I’m guilty of supplemental heating but I spent the small amount of money on a cozy coop radiant heater, that I hardly ever turn on. Heat lamps seem like such an archaic tool nowadays.

 

[perchie.girl]

chickens really dont need heat .... Chicks could be kept indoors OR warmed under a warming plate.... Designed for chickens.

 

[MROO]

chickens really dont need heat .... Chicks could be kept indoors OR warmed under a warming plate.... Designed for chickens.

It really depends on your locale, too. While most of us can get around adding heat to our coops, we have some members in northern Canada and other deep-freeze regions. If they don't put heat in during the winter, they get pre-frozen chicken patties ... without the patties, and with all feathers intact! Like any tool ... supplemental heat is all about proper use and safety. Avoid it if you can, but if you must ... be CAREFUL!

 

[chickens really]

I live in north central Alberta, Canada and I have heat lamps but definitely have them probably and securely attached in my Coops. Absolutely no way mine will cause a fire. We get extremely cold here at times and I have Silkies that would definitely die in the cold. I also have Call Ducks that appreciate the lamp when the weather gets biter cold.
2 days ago it was -26C with the windchill...