Using Electricity in the Coop:
Though I am starkly against heating the coop, I do two things, at least one of which frequently seems to surprise people: 1, I have a baby monitor in the coop at all times, and 2, I use a heated water source in the wintertime. What makes this different than heating the coop? Well, neither thing emits any heat to the coop itself. The bucket, particularly, only keeps the water within it from freezing, and I empty and unplug it every night—the coop needs no more moisture than the hens are already providing!
Because of this, and my previous post, I thought I would go over a few things to keep in mind for safety when using electricity in the coop.
Always use extension cords that are rated for outside use and able to handle the amount of electricity you plan to run through them! This seems simple enough, but is surprisingly not often taken into consideration. Also, and I must stress this, do not use one of those multiple-plug adapters in your coop! I literally have one collecting dust because I used to use it in my coop. I shudder to think! Those things are barely safe for use in one's house, let alone in the coop!
The cord check! At least twice a month, though preferably once a week or more, you should check the entire length of every cord used in or leading to the coop for any signs of wear and tear, fraying, chewing, etc. Any open wires are a fire hazard, even if they are outside of the coop, as they can short and cause issues. I've also heard of fire traveling the length of the cord and reaching the coop eventually.
Dusting! Dust is one of the major fire hazards of using electricity in the coop. After checking the cords and making sure all is well with them, be sure to dust any and all outlets, plugs (at both ends of any extension cords!), speakers, battery compartments, etc. that are involved with the coop. I usually dust mine by holding them so they point down and blowing up into them to push any dust out of them, preferably with condensed air or an air compressor or bicycle pump to avoid getting spittle up in there.
Once all is said and done, if everything is functioning properly and secure, rest easy until it's time for the next check.
Story time!
A while ago, though shamefully not in the era I like to call ‘before I knew better’, I had an extension cord incident that has stuck with me. This was before I had taken into consideration safety precautions with using electricity in the coop. The cord that went to the coop was hanging over a bucket frequently used to toss garbage in outside. Somehow, and the way it happened is unclear although there are smokers in the house and it’s easy to assume that has something to do with it, that bucket of garbage was set on fire.
The next morning, the monitor was off and the breaker thrown on the outlet that that cord was plugged into. When I checked the length of the cord to figure out why, I found a puddle of plastic and ash that used to be the garbage bucket, and open, crisply burnt wires that used to be an extension cord. That was chilling!
Check your cords frequently, folks! I think that’s what my point was with story time.
Being that I have had so little sleep and am up significantly earlier than I usually am, I don't think I can remember properly at this point.
Okay, I'm gonna try to sleep now...
I feel like I'm going to wake up in the morning, reread my posts, and have one of those 'this is your brain, this is your brain on drugs' type of moments. Yeesh...
Though I am starkly against heating the coop, I do two things, at least one of which frequently seems to surprise people: 1, I have a baby monitor in the coop at all times, and 2, I use a heated water source in the wintertime. What makes this different than heating the coop? Well, neither thing emits any heat to the coop itself. The bucket, particularly, only keeps the water within it from freezing, and I empty and unplug it every night—the coop needs no more moisture than the hens are already providing!
Because of this, and my previous post, I thought I would go over a few things to keep in mind for safety when using electricity in the coop.
Always use extension cords that are rated for outside use and able to handle the amount of electricity you plan to run through them! This seems simple enough, but is surprisingly not often taken into consideration. Also, and I must stress this, do not use one of those multiple-plug adapters in your coop! I literally have one collecting dust because I used to use it in my coop. I shudder to think! Those things are barely safe for use in one's house, let alone in the coop!
The cord check! At least twice a month, though preferably once a week or more, you should check the entire length of every cord used in or leading to the coop for any signs of wear and tear, fraying, chewing, etc. Any open wires are a fire hazard, even if they are outside of the coop, as they can short and cause issues. I've also heard of fire traveling the length of the cord and reaching the coop eventually.
Dusting! Dust is one of the major fire hazards of using electricity in the coop. After checking the cords and making sure all is well with them, be sure to dust any and all outlets, plugs (at both ends of any extension cords!), speakers, battery compartments, etc. that are involved with the coop. I usually dust mine by holding them so they point down and blowing up into them to push any dust out of them, preferably with condensed air or an air compressor or bicycle pump to avoid getting spittle up in there.
Once all is said and done, if everything is functioning properly and secure, rest easy until it's time for the next check.
Story time!
A while ago, though shamefully not in the era I like to call ‘before I knew better’, I had an extension cord incident that has stuck with me. This was before I had taken into consideration safety precautions with using electricity in the coop. The cord that went to the coop was hanging over a bucket frequently used to toss garbage in outside. Somehow, and the way it happened is unclear although there are smokers in the house and it’s easy to assume that has something to do with it, that bucket of garbage was set on fire.The next morning, the monitor was off and the breaker thrown on the outlet that that cord was plugged into. When I checked the length of the cord to figure out why, I found a puddle of plastic and ash that used to be the garbage bucket, and open, crisply burnt wires that used to be an extension cord. That was chilling!
Check your cords frequently, folks! I think that’s what my point was with story time.
Being that I have had so little sleep and am up significantly earlier than I usually am, I don't think I can remember properly at this point.Okay, I'm gonna try to sleep now...
I feel like I'm going to wake up in the morning, reread my posts, and have one of those 'this is your brain, this is your brain on drugs' type of moments.
Yeesh...
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) like the modern game bantams. That's why in a previous post a few pages back, I recommended using common sense--if a bird is ailing, unable to maintain its balance, not acting right, etc., then yes, it does need help! But this should be the exception, not the rule, and it's safer to provide heat only to those that need it rather than to the entire flock for those few individuals, just like you say you do, Brad. 
), but at least you should all have a basic level of knowledge of what to look out for and what to be prepared for if you do choose to heat your coop. That's my point.
Oh, well.
The best kind of warmth for your chickens! 
