My coop caught on fire!! *Pics added in Post 15*

[nuttyredhead]

Glad to hear the chicks are ok.

I have been pondering putting a light in the coop, I think we are going to put a normal light socket in the ceiling on a timer, for laying purposes.

 

[ams3651]

let this be a reminder for everyone to be careful with lights and heat lamps in the coming months. Make sure they are secure, pull on it and double secure it again. Glad it turned out ok for you and your birds. Id give that neighbor some eggs too

 

[JustMandy]

Yeah, I feel pretty stupid for the quick and dangerous way I put the light in there. It was supposed to be temporary until my husband could hardwire a sturdy light in there next week. Using the CFL bulbs is really smart, I'll do that when he's done.

The damage was worse then I thought it would be. The firefighters said if it had been any longer the whole thinig would have burned down. I don't doubt it!

I have baked cookies and muffins to take to the firefighters and neighbors who helped us out. My kids made cards that say things like "Thank you for saving our chickens."

We're going around this afternoon with our appriciatins baskets.

I'll try to get pics up in a bit. Do spread the word about how dangerous this really is!!

 

[Toril]

Oh, what a scare! I'm so happy that the chickens weren't hurt!

I have a heat lamp in the ceiling that is mounted in a regular fixture - a regular socket. We also have power for a fan in the summer. The heat is probably more of an issue here than the cold... I have unfortunately lost some chickens to the heat in summer - but never to predators, which is almost unheard of in this area!

Good luck with the rebuilding, and how nice of you to show the neighbors and the fire crews such gratitude!

Toril

 

[JustMandy]

So, here's the pics. This is what we saw last night:

Then when I pulled the hay away this morning. I just put fresh alfalfa in on Saturday. I think that may have saved my coop because the older dry hay below is what burned.

Here's inside the nesting box, there's actually a hole burned all the way through the floor!

And the light bulb that did it all...okay, I am to blame, not the light bulb...

Let this be a warning!! Do not just do what is cheap and convenient for lighting your coop! If my neighbors hadn't acted so quickly, this could have easily burned down and spread to my house and neighbors' houses! I'm just so blessed this is all the damage there was!!

 

[Rachel'sFlock]

Sooo sorry to hear that happened, but so grateful nothing happened to your chooks!
Am taking this remider for safety and checking the safety measures we have in our coop for its light.
Thanks for the warning!

 

[Lesalynn]

I'm sorry about your troubles, mandy. I have a thought you might be interested in? I have the outdoor christmas lights..you know the small minis, strung around my quail cages to keep up egg production. I am also going to put them up high in my henhouse. Do you think that might work for you? This will be my first winter trying it that way. I just figure that it may be safer. I can use the staple gun to put them up with, making them more secure. It's also very cost-effecient. Those regular bulbs do burn a bit more energy. I hope you're able to find a solution that works for you. Good luck.

 

[rcentner]

going out right now to triple secure my light!

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

Oh Mandy, you and your birds were so lucky. Thanks for warning everyone else out there about the potential dangers of lights in the coop. I makes it much more real when you can actually see the damage.

 

[mskittydjs]

Wow!!! Gives so much better perspective seeing the photos!! We do have a heat lamp for my 4 week old babies inside a small pen which is inside the main coop but DH has triple secured it in case of Chick-tastrophies!!! He knows how they can get into trouble without even trying! So glad yours weren't hurt and the coop can be repaired easily! What a learning lesson for us all!