Electricity in coop?

[Zahboo]

I want electricity in my coop. I know I'm dreaming big but here is what I want:

- A motion light on the front of the coop, nothing fancy, but good enough.
-A big light inside the coop in the storage area, probably a ceiling fan since chickens won't be in this part (told you I was dreaming)
- A small air conditioner that can go in the window, you know the cheap units that will cool down just a little? I would like one of those!

I know this sounds far fetch, but I want what I can for my chickens. Is this possible? I used an electric cord to put a light in the other coop, but how can I do something with the outlets and all that. I will have drywall or plywood walls, so the chickens can't get the wires. Any help is appreciated

 

[links_56]

Where is the nearest power source? you will need to either trench a line or use aerial tri-plex wire to run to you coop. If you live in the country you can just run romex and get away with it. It wouldn't be that hard to do a days hard work and $50 worth of materials.

 

[Zahboo]

About 30 feet from where I am building a coop there is an outlet that you can put a power cord in. It's by the gate to the chainlink run the chickens will be in. There is another one about 40 that doesn't have a outlet box yet, but you can hook one up there.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Unless you are handy with this type of thing, consider an electrician. He can figure the load you will use in the coop and size the wire and breaker. You do not want to go through the trouble and expense and wind up creating a fire hazard or have inadequate current. You may also have local laws, zoning codes,or ordinances you may or may not intend to follow.

I'd very seriously consider a breaker box at the coop. This way you can have different circuits in your coop. If you are at all handy, you can get an electrician to run the wire to the coop breaker box and you can run the rest of the wiring yourself, keeping costs down. I once ran a single line to a workshop and every time I plugged in a skill saw, the fluorescent lights went out. I now believe in separate circuits.

Also be aware of all the dust chickens create. This can seriously shorten the life of electrical motors and switches. An electrician can give you pointers about what type of fixtures to use.

 

[patandchickens]

Airconditioning the coop sounds like a very bad idea to me -- mainly because, first, you'd better make REAL sure (like, involving a licensed electrician) that both your wiring and your circuit have the capacity for such a load; and second because unless the chickens are locked indoors all summer it can be hard on their systems and cause humidity problems in the coop (I know airconditioners dehumidify the air BUT with a door open for the chickens to go in/out you will constantly be getting warm humid outdoor air coming in and its moisture condensing out).

Good luck, ahve fun,

Pat

 

[jvls1942]

If you have a breaker box at the house, it is simple to run a separate circuit to your coop.

I would not recommend going off a recepticle.. that is no different than running an extension cord.

If you run a separate circuit, you have to use quite a heavy wire.. distance traveled has a lot to do with load carried..

If you know an electrician or have an electrical supply store.. ask for advice ,,,,,,,if you plan to do this project by yourself..

measure the exact distance from your circuit breaker box to the coop..

I can tell you,, if done poperly, it will cost you more than $50.oo

 

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

Here is what we did: We put our hen house near our pole shed and burried the main wire to the hen house under ground just a bit. And with the bantam coop we just have a long wire sticking out the side of the hen house and plan on running a cord to the pole shed with that also. Here is a pic of the inside of it before we insulated. We have two switches on both sides (one turns off the heat source and the other turns out the main light in the coop. No air though

 

[flopshot]

skip the air conditioner. too much load and you'll be cleaning the intake filter everyday. skip the ceiling fan. as far as i know chickens don't sweat so they would get no cooling effect from it. if you need to you could install a small exaust fan to evacuate heat and humidity later on. at thirty feet you could wire it like a camper on a landline. a 50' # 10 extension cord and a flush mount AC plug like this one would make a clean installation.
http://www.stayonline.com/detail.aspx?ID=8718

 

[Shanay235]

I have electric in my coop. Luckily, my hubby is an electrical engineer and can do this type work so we were able to install it without hiring outside help.

More than likely, it's going to require running a specific guage electric line (guage will depend on load and distance run) and it's own breaker. Unless you've worked with electric before, I would hire an electrician. Using extension cords can be dangerous. Overloading one could cause it to melt, starting a fire in your coop.

 

[Zahboo]

i may have someone who will do it he used to be a contractor and has experience. Iwasn't going to do it but was going to hire someone.