Has anyone tried radiant heating in a coop?

[WestTexasFarmboy]

I wondered if you had a larger coop, and could put in a water heater that would circulate warm water through tubing on the floor, maybe covered with plywood and then pine shavings (or maybe do away with the plywood altogether)...if that would be a viable method to heat a coop in those really cold days. They do it on This Old House all the time. Has anyone attempted that?

I can see where maybe if thats all the heat you had, the water heater would freeze up. Or supply lines or something.

 

[LynneP]

I don't want to rain on your parade, a warm coop seems like such a great idea for us, but the smell could be prohibitive when the radiant heating starts the manure cooking, and your birds may not get a sufficient feather coat in this situation...

 

[RockyToggRanch]

I have been contimplating an outdoor wood furnace. Part of my interest would be to heat my barn. My coop will be built in the barn. I thought I might just run a pipe below my future brick aisleway. Or perhaps along one wall. I also wonder about freezing pipes and lines. I think the brick paver will have a radiant effect. I could keep extra water buckets on them as well. I'm in the planning stages. Although the brick aisleway goes in after xmas, so I'd better plan quicker.

 

[WestTexasFarmboy]

As I thought more about it, it would be a tremendous pain to clean the floor, and I do agree that cooked chickpoo might be more harmful. As my pappy used to say "There aren't any stupid questions, only stupid people..."

Seems more and more unless its dark-side-of-the-moon cold, they do pretty good anyways.

 

[snowydiamonds]

In real cold weather areas, the closest thing to that would be to lay flattened cardboard boxes on the floor of the coop and then the deep bedding method Works esp well when the coop building is larger and up off the ground, keeps air flow from the floor but you still have your ventilation up high.

 

[farmergal]

A radiant wall (instead of floor) could prevent the manure cooking problem... also radiant flooring doesn't really get THAT hot. We have it in our house, and it's not really hot so much as... not cold, if that makes sense.

Another cool (errr, I mean HOT) option could be this neat gizmo made out of old coke cans:
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/04/pop_can_solar_p.php

 

[Jenski]

In my portable mini coop I have tried both floor and wall radiant heat from very small sources ~ one radiant floor tile from Shopthecoop, and another home made wall-mounted tile with a reptile heating pad adhered to the inside. Both work great, but the droppings do cook a bit on the floor tile, especially since the ladies love to perch above it and warm their tushies.

In my newest bantam coop I tried a small sealed oil heater, and it works great. It is on a level wooden table that is bolted to the wall, though, and there is a 1/2" hardware mesh cage around it that goes all the way to the ceiling.

I would love to try a geothermic heating system on my dream coop, or even the electrically-heated tile floors. *sigh*

 

[LynneP]

Well it's a kind thought, really.
We're in the middle of an Arctic blast with a storm on the way. My birds are cold hardy and I didn't close up the coop until the interior hit -5C. I have old horse stall planks on concrete, and pine shavings on that. Flor felt quite cozy and the birds have an electric dog bowl for water. I think keeping the water liquid is the key and the bedding dry. Then it's not so much of a worry.

Jenski- I'd like those floor tiles in my bathroom!

 

[warhorse]

Where is Wilson, TX? I am located in San Antonio, and my birds are on their own with just a windbreak and have fared well with the weather. I would think that anywhere south of northern Oklahoma would be okay with just a heatlamp, if that.

 

[WestTexasFarmboy]

Wilson is just south of Lubbock, it's been pretty cold here lately, down to the teens at night, below freezing all day. We get that form time to time thru February. Then again it could be 70 in a few days, so you never know. Thanks for all the replies. I think it woul dbe way too much hassle to try over using a heat lamp and some decent insulation int he coop. I am still in remodel mode on my coop (and I don't work well in windy teen cold) so its not urgent. No chickens yet, have to wait until spring before I can get em anyway.