Oil-filled radiator for the coop?

[DocumentedPure]

Hey so I saw this thread, even though it is old. I read through everything about an hour ago, but I still had the thread up and figured I would give you my two cents. If you want to heat your coop, you could use a 1500 watt oil heater, which is the wattage I saw online for most, or you could use a heat plate. Heat plates use between 100 and 200 watts. I read 250 watt bulbs cost about $20 per month to use. If you use the heat plate, you risk the fire damage to your house. You also save A TON of money. Chickens are cold hardy, so you do not have to heat them very much. The chicken chick even recommends a couple. Just go to amazon and search chicken coop heat plate and you will find the results. I am planning on heating my 64 sq ft chicken coop with one 200 watt heater. One of the ones the chicken coop lady recommends has an automatic starter that warms at 35 and cuts off at 45 F. If the one you buy does not have that, use a thermo cube which does the same thing and costs about 5 bucks. You will save a lot of money. The heaters cost about 50 bucks, so even cheaper initial price than the oil heaters. I have read to attach it to a wall by the roosting.

 

[kissezmychicken]

It drives me nuts when a question is asked and people start acting all high and mighty and then a know it all attitude... If you dont live in an area that gets -20 you have no experience with bitter cold.. I would not let any of my animals deal with that if i have the means to make their lives a little more comfortable.. Period.. So if you dont feel the same, fine but do not tell anyone their animals don't 'need' heat if you don't have to live in that absolute bitter, bone freezing temps.. You have no clue..

 

[aart]

You have no clue..

We have no clue where you live
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, (laptop version shown), then it's always there!

 

[Liz Birdlover]

Right now I'm providing some extra warmth in my coop with a 75W bulb.
But that needs to get turned off at night.

I was thinking of getting an oil-filled radiator to add some warmth overnight.
They are not a fire hazard as the oil is contained in a sealed unit and they provide a good amount of heat.
Relatively inexpensive at around $40.
I used to heat a tiled 12X16 basement bathroom to cozy with one of them.

My coop is not airtight, but not drafty either so I was thinking the radiator would keep the hens (& cockerel) warm in the below zero windchills we're having this week.

Is anyone using something like this?

I have used them in dusty environments for years BUT...due to the dust factor & the vents, I buy a new one every year, PLUS I set it up as far from the dust sources as possible. They provide heat at a slow steady pace & eventually the whole room is nice. I set so a coop will be about 35 to 39 degrees because when I open their chicken doors it shouldn't be such a shock when they go out, the purpose is to protect from freezing, not create a humid sauna. I've used these heaters in the woodshop with a lot of dust there as well, so in my opinion they're a better option, when compared to traditional space heaters with fans or direct heat source contact is possible. You just do not want any fans blowing dust around during the time frame you use any space heaters that are not completely sealed, and you don't want them near flapping wings. My coop has a hallway where I can set it up so no chickens are close to it. When I 1st started this journey with chickens, my 1st coop was small, no hallway, so I bought the cozy heater for them, it's completely sealed & therefore is the safest in a dusty coop, the chickens will snuggle up to that one, so it's best mounted on wall by night perch. When my chicken math happened, & I got more roosters I couldn't part with, however, more coop + more sections didn't equal more cozy heaters & more electric plugs lol, so...that's why I use the oil filled.
Hope this helps.


(Goodness, just saw how old this post was....not sure why it popped up in my feed now but with my crazy phone who knows...anyway, this the season so I will leave my 2 cents.)

 

[Kerbear43]

It drives me nuts when a question is asked and people start acting all high and mighty and then a know it all attitude... If you dont live in an area that gets -20 you have no experience with bitter cold.. I would not let any of my animals deal with that if i have the means to make their lives a little more comfortable.. Period.. So if you dont feel the same, fine but do not tell anyone their animals don't 'need' heat if you don't have to live in that absolute bitter, bone freezing temps.. You have no clue..

I totally agree with you on this one!!! Thank you for having compassion for your animals!!

 

[Kerbear43]

I totally agree with you on this one!!! Thank you for having compassion for your animals!!

 

[Liz Birdlover]

Yup, 20 degrees & below zero is No Fun for anyone, bird or human. I will used the oil filled heaters, not often, but here, I do not get teens & 20s weather consistently, months at a time either. We might get a week or 2 of below freezing, then it will warm up above freezing a few days or weeks, then drop again breifly.

I will say this, I do leave some windows open for fresh air & so humidity won't accumulate. Chickens put off a lot of moisture, much more than pigeons, so I learned...ya don't want to see any droplets of condensation on a window! I installed windows in North, South, East & West walls, so I can open & close accordingly, to prevent direct drafts or rain & snow from blowing in. I learned about basic proper ventilation many decades ago when I first got into pigeons. I remember when building my first pigeon loft, the old-timers were telling me how important ventilation is, yet you can't have direct drafts. That was rather confusing to me at first. Many built permanent open slots covered with hardware cloth, but I did not want to do that here, as we get some serious wind at times, hurricanes or Nor'easters. I figured out all I have to do is check the weather, to see what direction the wind is blowing in from, and close that particular window & leave the others open. In summer, windows are open all the way, there are screens. In winter, depending on temperatures or wind, windows are slid half shut or 2/3 shut, or whatever works to still allow ventilation.
Even below freezing, I leave something open a bit, because I do not have other ventilation built in. My coop can be totally sealed, as I made it rodent proof & considered hurricanes & tornadoes. But all windows are never completely shut, can't do that, it gets too hot & humid from the body heat & moisture chickens produce. A wet coop...you do Not want! Old timers told me long ago, a wet loft or coop, is a sick loft or coop. Wet & stinky is no good. So I strive for dry & comfortable, so far over the years, so good.

I want to add, a wonderful invention...the heater for drinking water. I set them up December, I have both types, but prefer the one that goes under the regular waterer, & made sure I got the ones appropriate for the plastic waterers. Just pay attention to the type, based on your type of waterers, whether yours are metal or plastic. I switched to plastic as I like to add ACV to water & the metal waterers will corrode if you add ACV.

Anyway, set them up Nov or Dec, or whatever, before below freezing weather hits, then they're ready, all you gotta do is plug in to turn on when temperatures drop. To me, they're worth their weight in gold. Nothing fancy here with electric, I run a very heavy duty construction grade extension cord & have the weather proof gadget wrapped around where the plugs meet. I did run electric wire & receptacles inside the coop, but the way to plug the extension cord is to another plug, under the coop. We've gotten 4 foot snow drifts, 70mph winds & everything worked, stayed dry & comfortable.

Anyway, best wishes to everyone & your flocks, winters can be brutal.

 

[Krashkop]

This is a really old post. Wondering if you ended up getting the heater that you linked? I have been considering this as well, but am looking for those that use it in a ventilated (not drafty) barn.

 

[DavetheChickenDad]

Hmmm...so far the voting is split
2 For
2 Against

I could easily dust the radiator at least once a day since I visit the coop 2X daily
I may try picking up a red heatlamp bulb from the feedstore instead since that would be a cheaper solution.

I'm no expert..but for 4 years now have used both oil filled and a small space heater to heat out two rooms chicken coop. I keep one room with no heat, and a moving blanket between them both to keep the heat in one room. Each room is 12 x 13. In the heated one, I use an oil filled heater secured on a shelf and behind a chicken wire door for easy access. I keep a small heater for the other room in standby for nights below 0...which are many here in upstate NY.
I spoil my chickens and make sure they stay at 55° when I know it's going below zero to build up warmth if the power goes out. And 45° any time below 30°. Its on a remote control and I have a big thermometer and a Ring videocam in each room..monitoring them.
Yes, the dust gets into each..which is why when I have them on during a cold wave..I make the trek out to the coops every day to say hello and bring treats and visit..and use either a handheld dirt devil vac..or a manual beach ball air hand pump to blast out the dust..which I find very effective.
We have 8 chickens, 1 rooster, and 1 pheasant.
When I know it's going to be very cold, all doors and the one vent stay closed day and night..when I visit each day that infuses the coop with new fresh air.
Not sure if that helps..

Dave