COOP HEATERS

[FutureChickenMan]

is that tile heater on some kind of thermostat? I saw a demo of those at the hardware store and the tile was so dang hot I couldn't keep my hand on it for more than about 10 seconds. I'd keep a real close eye on that thing, especially since you don't have tile on top of it (or do you?) to help dispearse the heat.

 

[KrisRose]

CovenantCreek and Lilychick- Could you give an update on your flat panel heater?? Hot to the touch? Did you mount on plywood walls? And if so how hot did it get?? How far away from them did you stand and still feel the heat?? And anything else you can thing of!!
FutureChickenMan- Thanks for the links!! Much better prices and I too hate to spend money when I don't need too. Also, how hot do the CHE's get? It looks like a burner off an electic stove! Do they put out the same amount of heat, or more , than the red heat lamps??

 

[FutureChickenMan]

The flat panels get pretty warm to the touch but not hot enough to burn. They are one of the safest heaters as the heating element is covered. The ladies here at work have them under their desks as "personal heaters".

The CHE's use infrared technology so they get hot. They're typically used for reptiles in terrariums. They are very cheap (Ebay) but you do need to use the proper socket and reflector with them as well as make sure to mount them in such a way that the chickens cannot get too close and get burned.

Here's a link to CHE's http://cgi.ebay.com/ZooMed-100-Watt...184103QQihZ023QQcategoryZ116423QQcmdZViewItem

 

[CovenantCreek]

By the time I got out to the chickens this morning the temp was well above 45, so I didn't get a chance to witness the heater working. I may go out in a bit and wake the girls up just to see how/if it's working with that new fangled outlet. I haven't had a chance to figure out where to mount it, so for now it sits on its feet. I have it placed near the water so I don't have to buy a separate heater for that.

I haven't done anything with the ceramic tile heater yet. I may put it in my smaller coop if I decide to use it as a grower house for some early broilers.

 

[Lilychick]

Quote:
Still waiting for mine to arrive in the mail.... stay tuned.

 

[chickflick]

Thanks guys for all your replys!! Thanks for the links FutureChickenMan. I ordered the flat panel from ebay last night. I hope it works. It's frustrating to want to keep your chickens safe and warm and not find what you need!! I had one little heater that did nothing. I'll let everyone know how it works! Krisrose, get going and order yours! And thanks for the link, cuz I saved lots of money!!

 

[CovenantCreek]

I can now report that my flat panel heater works well enough to keep the water in the coop from freezing (it's about 18" away from the heater), and seems to have kept the girls from all crowding into the nest boxes for warmth (2 floor eggs this morning buried in the litter). Yet, after being on all night I could still touch it while wearing leather gloves. I couldn't feel a whole lot of warmth just standing in front of it, so I feel good about it being so close to the shavings and hay.

I wish I could have gotten it for the price of the one on eBay, but since I didn't even know such things existed before seeing it at Shop The Coop I don't feel too bad about spending what I did. I got what I paid for and I'm content with it.

 

[chickflick]

Thanks for the info covenantcreek. You put my worries to rest. How big is your coop? How many chickens do you have?

 

[CovenantCreek]

The coop is an 8'x12' section of my 30'x12' hay shed. I only have poultry wire separating the coop from the rest of the shed, so to some degree the heater is warming the whole space.

At this point, I only have 5 hens (and 35 eggs in the incubator).

 

[chickflick]

Great! The heater should do just fine. Good luck with the hatches!