Coop Fire - New shed - extremely cold - seramas

[Redhead Rae]

I guess they do work for many people, so this is just my opinion. I’ve seen quite a few posts here where they were not built properly and chicks got stuck in wires, or suffocated between layers of fabric, or the thing got wet and shorted out, etc, etc. any number of issues.

But - put together safely, with the proper pad (the non-shutoff kind, good wire plug, etc), and out of any possible issues where it could get wet, etc, it could be perfect for your situation.

Just be very careful how you set it up. -- Especially with messy wet ducks

I would just get a premier 1 heater plate. They work very well. I would avoid brinsea plates. Less powerful for more money.

 

[NNYchick]

I made a mama heating pad that is more like the brooder plates. I used a wire shelf and rods for adjustable legs the heating pad is bungee underneath and I put cardboard on the top, I love it for chicks. I don’t think I would use a MHP for a grown serama or any grown chicken as they might not have the instinct to go under something like that once they start roosting. Another thought about a box type structure is humidity issues. Last year I had an xl igloo dog house in the coop I thought it would help keep the Silkies warmer at night, they wouldn’t use it so I’d go out and put them in after dark, in the morning they had condensation on them. I guess they knew better than me that was a bad idea.

 

[BReeder!]

Whatever you do, insulating the coop would help if you haven't done so already.

If you are going to heat the entire structure, another idea is oil filled electric space heaters. They put off some heat though so I would recommend some wire around it to keep the hens from trying to sit on top or bumping into the side. The heat is radiant and not as scorching as a heat lamp. The oil filled radiator will hold heat for a while after it shuts off too. They are made with built in thermostats typically. It would be safer than a heat lamp, open flame, or quartz rod space heater because the heat source is encased and indirect. If I was to heat my shed, this is what I would use.
Here's an example: https://www.lowes.com/pd/PELONIS-5-...LkIx6WNAzufX1Pvdsio5TMuThUdTbly8aAhSSEALw_wcB

 

[Spartan22]

Hi Alee,

I’m in Ohio and lives pretty close to you, maybe an hour, so we have pretty much the same temps and weather. I own one of those heat panel heater that I installed 5 years ago when I built the coop and only used it couple of times during -20 F temps, so I say don’t waste your money on heaters. I got 2 coops one 10x12 insulated shed and another 6x8 made out of recycled pallets and repurposed kids swing set not insulated at all that I built last year as breeding coop for 8 hens and a rooster. They are all fine, no frost bites without the heater as long as it’s well ventilated and not drafty.

As a matter of fact 10 of my 5-6 months old lives in the bigger coop run 24/7 protected by clear corrugated roof and clear plastic tarps on the sides, they refuse to totally roost with the older ones yet, in the coop at night. Our pop doors are open all the time to the run 24/7 since my runs are safe, I used to close and open the pop doors for a year(almost considered buying automatic door) but chuck the idea. It’s best probably you invest your money on heated waterers, so they have drinkable water all the time during frigid times. For your temporary roosts 2x4s in secured areas so they can huddle together in the coop with plenty of beddings will suffice until spring that will actually keep them warm at night. Hope these will help you, I’m sorry you lost your first coop.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I would just get a premier 1 heater plate. They work very well. I would avoid brinsea plates. Less powerful for more money.

I have been looking at them too.

 

[aart]

I guess they do work for many people, so this is just my opinion. I’ve seen quite a few posts here where they were not built properly and chicks got stuck in wires, or suffocated between layers of fabric, or the thing got wet and shorted out, etc, etc. any number of issues.

Ditto Dat^^^
Never heard of any shorting out, but any electrical cords/heating devices should be kept absolutely dry.

@Aleelupton did they determine the exact cause of the fire?
Was it the lamp falling, a wire/connection shorting, the pad itself???
What kind of pad were you using?
Very scary stuff, how fortunate the birds were not in the coop...out ranging?

 

[Aleelupton]

Hi Alee,

I’m in Ohio and lives pretty close to you, maybe an hour, so we have pretty much the same temps and weather. I own one of those heat panel heater that I installed 5 years ago when I built the coop and only used it couple of times during -20 F temps, so I say don’t waste your money on heaters. I got 2 coops one 10x12 insulated shed and another 6x8 made out of recycled pallets and repurposed kids swing set not insulated at all that I built last year as breeding coop for 8 hens and a rooster. They are all fine, no frost bites without the heater as long as it’s well ventilated and not drafty.

As a matter of fact 10 of my 5-6 months old lives in the bigger coop run 24/7 protected by clear corrugated roof and clear plastic tarps on the sides, they refuse to totally roost with the older ones yet, in the coop at night. Our pop doors are open all the time to the run 24/7 since my runs are safe, I used to close and open the pop doors for a year(almost considered buying automatic door) but chuck the idea. It’s best probably you invest your money on heated waterers, so they have drinkable water all the time during frigid times. For your temporary roosts 2x4s in secured areas so they can huddle together in the coop with plenty of beddings will suffice until spring that will actually keep them warm at night. Hope these will help you, I’m sorry you lost your first coop.

Thank you so much for your response! That gives me peace of mind.

 

[Aleelupton]

Ditto Dat^^^
Never heard of any shorting out, but any electrical cords/heating devices should be kept absolutely dry.

@Aleelupton did they determine the exact cause of the fire?
Was it the lamp falling, a wire/connection shorting, the pad itself???
What kind of pad were you using?
Very scary stuff, how fortunate the birds were not in the coop...out ranging?

We don't know what caused it. Our guess is that the lamp somehow fell and the guard came off allowing the bulb to touch the bedding.

 

[Blooie]

I am Not a fan of the MHP

I’m crushed!!

Ditto Dat^^^
Never heard of any shorting out, but any electrical cords/heating devices should be kept absolutely dry.

@Aleelupton did they determine the exact cause of the fire?
Was it the lamp falling, a wire/connection shorting, the pad itself???
What kind of pad were you using?
Very scary stuff, how fortunate the birds were not in the coop...out ranging?

So far, between BYC on Facebook and here, there have been precisely zero reports of fires caused by Mama Heating Pad. That’s since 2014, and even earlier than that with @Beekissed and Patrice Lopatin having done it long before the thread started. @aart started about the same time I did, or a little before, with her pseudo heat plate system. Granted, it’s an “odds” thing - more people use heat lamps so of course there are more possible chances. However, percentages favor Mama Heating Pad.

Anyone who has ever read a single post by me knows that I stress using a new pad, not an old rolled up one from the back of the linen closet; that all connections be off the ground and taped with electrical tape or clamshells to keep them dry and dust free; that if an extension cord must be run it be properly rated for outdoor use and again, connections protected; and that because ANY electrical thing can cause a fire, from a phone charger to a coffee pot, common sense must prevail. Safety, safety, and then more safety, no matter what is used. The pad I recommend shouldn’t be affected by normal coop dampness - it can be used as moist heat or dry heat for humans. And it’s washable.

Yes, chicks have become entangled. Yes, two chicks out of the thousands raised this way got tangled in the UNSECURED fabric and suffocated. Two out of how many hundreds and hundreds? Do a search here on BYC and you’ll find reports of chicks getting strangled on a broody hen’s feathers, in feather dusters, and even breaking their little necks in the holes of chick feeders. Chicks are amazingly inventive about ending their own lives. Yes, those Mama Heating Pad setup issues have been reported on the thread, addressed, and have been resolved IF people actually do set up instead of just throwing it together. There are two or three pages of posts where a woman reported, and provided photos, of chicks burned by Premier Brooding Plates, as well as the company’s response. Me? I’d rather touch a running heating pad than a heat lamp any day. It is a softer, gentler heat. Heating pads are designed to be used against fabrics and upholstery. I know some folks do, but I personally would never put any kind of cover over any of the commercial heating plates out there.

I’m not saying the OP has to run out and set one up. I doubt it would do any good anyway because her chickens probably wouldn’t use it. None of this resolves her immediate issue, either. But those of you who know me know that I make it clear that Mama Heating Pad is not for everyone - people know their areas, their setups, and their own personal comfort zones far better than I do and I recognize and acknowledge that another system might better suit their needs. So this post isn’t an unfettered endorsement of the MHP system, but a defense of it. I don’t mind a bit that some dislike it intensely. I do mind it when people throw out horror stories that make me feel like a monster for even thinking of it.

Now, both sides of the MHP issue have been addressed, and rather than muddy the waters more when the OP’s needs are far more pressing than the pluses and minuses of MHP, I’ll back out and shut off notifications.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Regarding the automatic door, just wanted to say that I have both the aluminum and plastic locking doors from this company: https://www.chickenguard.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI2P-C9fvx3wIVla_ICh0r6gfuEAAYASAAEgJ6TPD_BwE

I like the locking plastic door for an area with predators. These don’t require a solar panel, just regular AA batteries.