my coop burned down, need heating ideas

[patandchickens]

Quote:
I know what you're talking about, many people on this list have that sort of conditions.

Even with a well built coop, without heat up here your water freezes

Heat lamps are actually a really inefficient way of keeping water thawed, though. Heated bases or waterers will keep ice out with much less current draw.

My experience shows that heating is not really an option.

Fine, but the fact remains -- the more you design/modify the coop to retain heat, the less heat you need to add.

Have you considered using any of the many other measures (besides what you describe). It would be worth adding another couple inches of insulation to the walls; make an insulated hover around/over the roost or partition the roost off into its own drop-ceiling-ed smaller area to concentrate their body heat (it is estimated that a commercial white leghorn gives off approximately 10 watts of heat per bird!), build a popcan heater to raise the daytime temperature so that nighttime temps won't drop as low, deepen the bedding, etc.

If after that you still feel you need a heat lamp, *fine*, but you will not need to run your lamp nearly as *much*.

Pat​

 

[the simple life]

I am so sorry to hear about your coop and the girls.
I am glad there are some members here who have offered helpful advice.
I don't heat so I don't have any new ideas to add but I think the one Jubylives offered sounds like the best option, it looks the safest and appears to gives out some decent heat.
To heat the coop is your decision and I hope you can find a solution that will work well for you.
I wish you the best.

 

[amyquilt]

Quote:
We have moved our chickens out of the house and into the garage. This type of heater is what we use at night. We set it on low or medium depending on what the forecast low temp is for the night. They are doing great and I'm glad to have them out of my house. I love them, but they are messy creatures. By summer we should be moved to our farm, so they will be in a coop then.

 

[flopshot]

sorry about the damage and loss. good thing you were home at the time.
i've worried about this happening in my kennel. it's a divided portion of a wooden shed with bedding straw and a heat lamp. the lamp was behind the dividing fence wire away from the dogs. the previous occupant passed away a few months ago and i'm now a foster parent to my neice's two Huskies so the heater is no longer an issue. two years ago my brother came up for a visit with one of these units he was thinking about repping in his marine accesories business. very well built and from what i could see foolproof as far as safety is concerned. i suppose it would have to be to allow it in the bilge of a boat. these things AINT cheap. since i live in NC i'm not to worried about heating my hens.
as far as getting one you would need to contact the mfg as this is not an offer to sell and i am not connected with the company nor is my brother.

http://www.xtremeheaters.com/buynow

 

[jubylives]

Quote:
Well, the REAL question is how to keep the coop *warmer*, right?

but the question was:

"What are some safer heating methods that people use? My last coop was built well and insulated. I don't keep it really warm, just above freezing."





jeremy

 

[patandchickens]

Using the chickens themselves, the sun's heat, and daytime high temps ARE heating methods, jeremy. (As are other things, like the heat of decomposition, the body heat of other animals, geothermal heat, etc, they just didn't seem as relevant since most people won't use them). Electricity is not the only *kind* of heat!

You utilize ANY kind of heat best by keeping the it in the coop for as long as possible.


Pat

 

[jubylives]

Right. Anyway. Here are a couple possible, more realistic options. Scrol toward the bottom.

http://www.shopthecoop.com/id82.html


I've toyed with the oil fill radiant heaters also as I use them in my home. They are very cheap to use.


jeremy

 

[mygor]

Sorry for your loss. I live in central Ohio so it doesn't get quite as cold here. But the water is always freezing. Here is my solution for that.

I used an old desktop computer case. I stripped everything out of it. Then I took a some aluminum flashing and made a ring inside the case. I used pop rivets to mount it around the opening where the power supply came out. Then I used spray foam insulation to fill in the surrounding area in the case and, put the cover back on. I then used sheet metal screws to mount the case to the outside wall of the coop after I cut a hole in the side wall the same size as the opening on the back of the case.

Then I used silicone sealer to seal up the edges against the wall and fill any openings on the case inside the coop. Then I cut a piece of plywood larger than the hole that was on the outside of the coop. Now I used a piece of that threaded lamp post you can buy at the hardware store and a couple of nuts for it. And a lamp socket. Drill a 3/8" hole in the plywood to attach the lamp post to so that it will sit in the middle of the ring you made in the case. I used an old extension cord to hook up the light socket at the end of the lamp post. It went right through the lamp post to the socket.

I use 40 watt bulbs in mine and, it keeps the water from freezing on most winter days. I use an extension cord to power it. It also provides a little heat for my serama coop. If I get some time tomorrow I'll post some pics of the little coop and the water heater.

 

[jubylives]

Quote:
I had a similar idea but your version sounds better thought out. I'd be interested to see the pics.

jeremy

 

[mmtillman]

We are attaching our heat lamp with a chain and even bending back the nail that holds it to the rafter, to avoid it being knocked off.
I too am scared to death of a fire.
Will even have a smoke alarm in there just in case !! We will keep our heat lamp over a cardboard box brooder and that makes us nervous of course...but will take as many precautions as we can to prevent a fire...Good luck on you next coop. You didnt say, did your chickens survive?? Hope so...