Looking for suggestions for Solar Powered Heat Lamps

[MeepBeep]

The biggest problem I see with heating a chicken house? The chickens are used to being warm . . . And then for some reason the electricity goes out . . . . Now your chickens will be COLD.

I consider this a fallacy... As I have said in multiple threads there is a huge difference from heating to prevent frostbite and heating to toasty temps... I heat my coop to 35°-40° thus my birds are acclimated to the cold, just not the below freezing... But, the same could be said for the birds in unheated coops in my area... A small coop with a large bird density and/or a small coop in the sun will regularly get as warm if not warmer than my coop many winter days due to the birds own heat generation and sun shining on it...

Also IMO it's illogical to claim chickens can handle the cold then say they can't handle a temporary power outage that reduces the temp, cold conditioning comes into play but it's not the end all either they can handle the cold or they can't... Also at the end of the day I don't see a difference in a temporary power outage for a few hours compared to a natural period of moderate 30s and a sudden cold front moving in... It's not like the chickens enjoying the moderate 30s all week are conditioned for the Arctic blast that drops the temps the next day...

For me the 'what if' power outage is mostly a moot point, if the electricity goes out my house doesn't have heat either thus the reason I have a backup generator that will restore heat to both....

Two major problems of adding heat to birds that are detrimental to birds:
1. The risk of fire due to improperly wired coops, and extension cords, and or flammable bedding too close to the heat source.
2. In an effort to trap the heat, one traps the moisture and ammonia created by the birds, by making the coop air tight.

I would not call them 'problems' instead they are issues that should be properly addressed, if one chooses to heat... Both can be dealt with, the same way almost all commercial chicken farms do...

I know from experience that humidity and ammonia build up are not a problem in my coop during the winter months, there is still sufficient 'ventilation' to keep both in check, and a lot of that has to do with the fact I'm not trying to keep a toasty coop, just one above freezing...

My fire risk is also mitigated with proper wiring, plumbing and daily furnace maintenance that includes extra filtration on the furnace that is checked an or replaced daily as well as weekly checks for dust build up in side the furnace...

I always endorse that if one chooses to heat they do it properly and safely, don't cut corners...

 

[Mrs. K]

You know what BeepPeep - I think you should heat your coup.

 

[the poppster]

I consider this a fallacy... As I have said in multiple threads there is a huge difference from heating to prevent frostbite and heating to toasty temps... I heat my coop to 35°-40° thus my birds are acclimated to the cold, just not the below freezing... But, the same could be said for the birds in unheated coops in my area... A small coop with a large bird density and/or a small coop in the sun will regularly get as warm if not warmer than my coop many winter days due to the birds own heat generation and sun shining on it...

Also IMO it's illogical to claim chickens can handle the cold then say they can't handle a temporary power outage that reduces the temp, cold conditioning comes into play but it's not the end all either they can handle the cold or they can't... Also at the end of the day I don't see a difference in a temporary power outage for a few hours compared to a natural period of moderate 30s and a sudden cold front moving in... It's not like the chickens enjoying the moderate 30s all week are conditioned for the Arctic blast that drops the temps the next day...

For me the 'what if' power outage is mostly a moot point, if the electricity goes out my house doesn't have heat either thus the reason I have a backup generator that will restore heat to both....
I would not call them 'problems' instead they are issues that should be properly addressed, if one chooses to heat... Both can be dealt with, the same way almost all commercial chicken farms do...

I know from experience that humidity and ammonia build up are not a problem in my coop during the winter months, there is still sufficient 'ventilation' to keep both in check, and a lot of that has to do with the fact I'm not trying to keep a toasty coop, just one above freezing...

My fire risk is also mitigated with proper wiring, plumbing and daily furnace maintenance that includes extra filtration on the furnace that is checked an or replaced daily as well as weekly checks for dust build up in side the furnace...

I always endorse that if one chooses to heat they do it properly and safely, don't cut corners...

 

[the poppster]

I hear it all the time....about how grandpa kept chickens and never heated the coop...well maybe they had no way to do it...I do leave a heat lamp on in my coop, a red one 100w...when the temps here drop to below freezing...it keeps the coop in the 30s...constant cold will stress your birds just as much as constant heat...people always complain that they don't get any or few eggs from their birds during the winter months....they will quit laying in their efforts to keep warm...I have a heated waterer in there also...they need lots of water as well to keep them warm...added carbs also help.

 

[MeepBeep]

You know what BeepPeep - I think you should heat your coup.

I do heat my coop and I have no regrets in doing so or saying so, and fully believe for me based on my individual circumstances it is the absolute right choice to maintain a better quality of life and health for my birds, regardless of those that keep repeating the dichotomous 'don't heat' echo that is a false dilemma...

I hear it all the time....about how grandpa kept chickens and never heated the coop...

That would be argumentum ad antiquitatem another fallacy based argument... Because in truth almost all commercial chicken farms now heat, and they heat for a reason and that reason is not because it's detrimental or harmful to heat, quite the opposite in some circumstance...

 

[GardenofEaten]

I am looking for a way to keep baby chicks warm in Haiti. The electric is only on for a few hours some nights. I was hoping that there would be solar heat lamps to keep them warm for a few weeks until their feathers come in.

 

[kcoro]

I have the same question, this will be my chickens first winter and I want to make sure they will be warm enough. They have a nice coop but would still like to make sure it does not get below freezing without using power.

 

[kcoro]

HELP! I live in Maine where it gets to be well below freezing. I have a nice coop but worried about them being way to cold. I cant run power down there so I need suggestions??? Help??? PLease??? Pretty sure they need a little heat beyond what their body can produce.

 

[Den in Penn]

HELP! I live in Maine where it gets to be well below freezing. I have a nice coop but worried about them being way to cold. I cant run power down there so I need suggestions??? Help??? PLease??? Pretty sure they need a little heat beyond what their body can produce.

Chickens do well in below freezing temperatures. If you coop is draft free and well ventilated they will be fine. Many have chickens where it gets down into the minus double digits without extra heat. Remember they have warm down coats that they can't take off. Think of all the small birds that do well in the winter if they get enough food.

 

[B2daBlizzo]

J

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Does anyone know of a Solar Powered Heat Lamp that I can use to keep my chickens warm this winter?/img/smilies/hmm.png
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