My furnace needs work and I’m afraid the burn off will kill my 60 indoor chicks. HELP

[MFountain]

I need some advice. I have 60 chicks of ages ranging from 4 mos down to 1 day olds in my unfinished heated basement. I need to get my heat exchanger replaced as the old one is failing. It has a five minute burn off of the oil applied to a new one for installation. I only have one vent in their room which I can cover and tape off plus I can close the door to their room. I just can’t find anyone who can tell me if this will be toxic to my babies and could kill them...it’s bitter cold outside so moving them is not an option. Nobody I know can help me so I turned to y’all for help. Thank you for any advice y’all may have !!

 

[cavemanrich]

The heat exchanger would have residual oil from the manufacturing process rather than something applied afterwards. If it was dangerous to some extent, then the manufacturer would have washed it off more thoroughly . The quantity is minute, and manufacturer has concerns with liabilities from the use of their product. I think you entering the chicken area with a Cuban Stogie would be worse than the heat exchanger.

 

[MFountain]

Thank you .... I just know some birds can die from just lighting scented candles so I wasn’t sure about chickens ... since they are birds (-:

 

[Sunshine Flock]

I agree with Cave Person to some extent, but as a chemically sensitive person, I also know there are tons of products that are deemed safe and yet people like me can easily get chronically sick from exposure to them.

The burn off period is likely to exceed five minutes.

And as for the manufacturer and liability, I doubt their product was designed to be used in the presence of sixty chickens, especially in a closed down space during the height of winter. So I would be very concerned about this, too.

I do know chickens are resilient, but not when it comes to respiratory problems.

When I lived in Ohio, we had a large basement with rooms. Our family room was down there, too. The utility room was on the other side of the basement, closed off, and each room had small windows. Does this sound like your setup?

 

[MFountain]

I agree with Cave Person to some extent, but as a chemically sensitive person, I also know there are tons of products that are deemed safe and yet people like me can easily get chronically sick from exposure to them.

The burn off period is likely to exceed five minutes.

And as for the manufacturer and liability, I doubt their product was designed to be used in the presence of sixty chickens, especially in a closed down space during the height of winter. So I would be very concerned about this, too.

I do know chickens are resilient, but not when it comes to respiratory problems.

When I lived in Ohio, we had a large basement with rooms. Our family room was down there, too. The utility room was on the other side of the basement, closed off, and each room had small windows. Does this sound like your setup?

I have an open finished basement with no vents and a gas fireplace I never use but it stays 68 ish. Then there is a set of fan fold doors that open into a large unfinished room with one little vent on the metal air exchanger. I can shut and tape over that and that’s the only place this burn off should be from. It’s going to blow out my vents when they first turn it on. My basement is completely under ground but I do have 3 little windows in the where my chickens are that are at ground level but at the top of the room in my basement.

 

[21hens-incharge]

What heat source do you use for the chicks?

I have an idea is why I ask.

 

[MFountain]

I have 4 heat lamps and one Brisea flat heater for my Serama chicks

 

[MFountain]

The room stays at about 70 year round.

 

[21hens-incharge]

The heat lamps are a bummer for my idea.

I was hoping you had all like the flat heater.
HMMM.....

I was thinking if you covered the brooders with sheets and opened the windows the heat would be pushing air out the windows while the sheets held heat in the brooders and made a barrier to the smoke.

 

[21hens-incharge]

The heat lamps are a fire concern with my idea.