How advantageous is having electricity to your coop?

[Scarlet Girl]

After asking the other day about wooden & plastic coops......a wooden coop it is.

We have a couple of out buildings that can be converted.....one is a current woodshed, close to the house & getting electricity to it would be simple enough (so I've been told)......problem being, it's at the bottom of a slope, we know what problems that will likely bring!

The other outbuilding is at the top of the yard at the highest point, so that's good from that point of view......but I can kiss goodbye to having electricity there.

I know which would be the better position but being new to keeping chickens, I want to get it right before we move some in.

Thoughts & experiences would be very much appreciated, thanks!

 

[AmazingRachel]

Electricity is advantageous in keeping the water unfrozen by using a heating pan, but you can always use an extension cord from from somewhere else to power it.

 

[celtsean]

The risk of fire is always something to be concerned about

 

[Birdinhand]

I ran electricity to my coop last summer and love it. it was a pain in part because of the steep slope I live on. I ran conduit and made the mistake of putting a retaining wall over it before running wire through it. well the hose kinked and there was no way to pull the wire through when I finally got to it, it was a huge frustration, so I had to run new conduit, overall it was a pain but turns out to be well worth it. it has allowed me to have an outlet for plugging in a deicer for the water and it's very nice to be able to plug in the mother heating pads in the brooder without running an extension cord and, when the hens stopped laying eggs around winter solstice, I had an easy way to add a timer and a light and, voila, I had consistent eggs all winter.

as for which building you should go with, I'd go with the best building for you and figure out how to run electricity to it. there is more than one way to get electricity to a building, you could always run it above ground by tying in a support cable from a high point on your house and running it to the side of the out building, or to pole(s) along the way. as a kid, our barn was a good 200 ft from our house and we had a cable about 20 ft off the ground running the whole distance. of course the other way is going underground. the best way I know of doing that is using conduit/tubing under ground. there is direct bury rated electrical wire but having it more protected is better, IMHO. you want to go a good 18" below the surface to avoid it getting dinged by a shovel in the future (it's good to keep in mind that you are not the last person that will ever own your house). home depot sells Liquidtight Flexible PVC of varying qualities, on up to a version that is steel reinforced but still flexible. On my second go with my run, I used the steel reinforced stuff since I have a knack for running into stuff with my shovel down the line and since the first run callapsed under the pressure of the wall. In any case, having electricity is a wonderful thing!

 

[celtsean]

LOL good on ya man. Stuff I can do and want to do, but I won't do until I know it is done proper, which means it will never be done.. but I won't be leaving landmines

 

[Birdinhand]

LOL good on ya man. Stuff I can do and want to do, but I won't do until I know it is done proper, which means it will never be done.. but I won't be leaving landmines

don't let perfect be the enemy of done... most of it is grunt work and not rocket science, you just have to take your time and use some basic safety measure, like always using a simple current tester before touching a bare wire.

 

[song of joy]

Electricity is advantageous in keeping the water unfrozen by using a heating pan, but you can always use an extension cord from from somewhere else to power it.

Exactly. During the winter, I run an extension cord to the coop for the heated base of the waterer so it doesn't freeze.

The rest of the year there's really no need for electricity in the coop, unless I'm raising chicks in the coop and need electricity for the brooder's heat source.

 

[jreardon1918]

Keeping the water liquid is the only reason we have needed electricity. The next time we brood will be in the coop and will power a MHP. No more indoor brooders for us.

 

[jthornton]

The other outbuilding is at the top of the yard at the highest point, so that's good from that point of view......but I can kiss goodbye to having electricity there.

Why do you say that?

JT

 

[Scarlet Girl]

The risk of fire is always something to be concerned about

Certainly worth bearing in mind!