Electricity in coop?? Advise please

[Araucana]

Hi,

We have our first six chicks and they are doing great! We're working on their henhouse and we insulated it and covered the hard insulation with tongue and groove. Having a great time with the design but can't make up our minds about spending the extra bucks to bring electricity to the henhouse to have light in the winter, perhaps some added heat and an electric water heater, which seems like a real convenience. We have COLD winters. We may be able to run an extention cord, but it's a bit tricky for a number of reasons.

Any advise, or experiences, would be greatly appreciated.

THANKS!

 

[SoccerMomof7]

My DH ran power to mine and I love it. SOmetimes I don't get out there to "visit" until after bedtime and it's nice to have the light. Plus the outlet to plug in a heater when it gets cold at night.

 

[papadekaitlyn]

I have 25 biddies in a brooder I built that is about 40 feet from the house. I left a good over hang at the edges of the roof so I just ran an extension cord out there then coiled up the excess and hung it on a screw hook that I put in the side of one of the rafters. I drilled a hole at the top and ran the cord through, then plugged the excess space with expanding foam to keep snakes from possible finding it to be a convenient way in.

It has worked wonderfully for me, just do not leave the cord ends exposed to the elements (by which I mean water)

 

[Half-a-dozen]

Definately a must for us anyway....

We ran a rather long extention cord out to the coop. It beats the flashlight and nice to have when needed....esp. for the babies in the coop.
Eventually hoping to have real electric and running water out there too.

 

[jorgey]

I'm in the process of building a new coop as well and I plan on running electricity to it. Everything is so expensive, I may have to hold off until fall to do it, but I certainly think that electricity in the coop will be worth it in the long run.

 

[rodandbrandy]

We get very cold here so we ran an extention cord not for heat but for the heated waterer, I have heavy breed birds and they do well, they were out everyday in the snow this past winter and we never gave them extra heat or light! Did I mention we got eggs all winter long!

 

[patandchickens]

I would DEFINITELY spend the extra $/effort to run electric out there -- preferably run properly, not an extension cord snaked dangerously across the back lawn

You will most of all want it for a heater to keep your water liquid in winter. But, lights are nice too, as is the possibility of running a lightbulb on cold winter nights if you decide they *have* to be warmer (although you will probably not need that).

Pat

 

[Farmer Kitty]

We ran electricity to the coop and I'm very glad. Between the cold and the dark in the winter it sure was nice!

 

[Mrs MIA]

Gotta have it... light in the winter, heat, and it's nice to have an outlet there for the shopvac for the super-duper cleanings.

Keep it high and away from the water, and you should be good. We got one of the outlets that has the little flap-covers on it to keep dust and stuff out of it.

 

[jaku]

I live in Michigan, so I'm pretty sure I'll need heat in the winter. I built my coop next to my new barn. I put a light over the coop, and an outlet on the exterior wall. That way I can either hardwire from that outlet to the coop and put a switch for the heat lamp, or if I get lazy, just run a cord from the plug.