Oil radiator heater

[Kris5902]

It’s not just for the eggs... it’s knowing our chickens have good lives, and for the pleasure of working with them. It’s that there’s something intristically right about being close to your food. And the general cuteness of chickens. Just think how much the average person spends on a pet dog (food, vet bills, license, poop baggies in the city) that “produces” nothing. Makes those eggs look less pricy!

 

[Acre4Me]

I’m not pro heat/electricity, but wow! That’s an awesome set up. So clean and chicken-proof. Very professional and well thought out installation.

Thx! not likely to have occurred if the barn didn't need re-wiring, but glad to have it, and the exterior lights are great for seeing the back area, beyond the run when we are doing something back there. The girls are laying since we have light for 15 hours a day (on early and then later to give a full 15 hours - off during daylight hours, hence the timer). As for heating - it was a family compromise...hence the thermostat for that purpose.

 

[Acre4Me]

I have a similar set up except none of the heating/cooling stuff.
I did install plenty of switched and un-switched receptacles on their separate circuits along with a lighting circuit.
I wired this coop when I really didn't know what I wanted nor needed besides knowing I needed a fan and a receptacle for heated water.
I have plenty of room to expand(electrically speaking) in the future for such thing as you have there.

Very nice set up you have, crazy the amount we spend for a dozen eggs.

True that! I'm glad we waited to install electric so we could figure out what we really wanted. I knew we would - at a minimum - need to heat water, and figured we would need a light of some kind so we wouldn't kill ourselves falling over something since it is pitch dark back there. The electrician who installed this likes chickens actually, so he was pretty humored by our roosters (2) and the rest of the chickens while he was installing the electric, as he had to maneuver around the coop and run amongst the chickens.

 

[Backyard Bruce]

It’s not just for the eggs... it’s knowing our chickens have good lives, and for the pleasure of working with them. It’s that there’s something intristically right about being close to your food. And the general cuteness of chickens. Just think how much the average person spends on a pet dog (food, vet bills, license, poop baggies in the city) that “produces” nothing. Makes those eggs look less pricy!

of course I agree, was just pulling your leg..The same could be said of anyone who holds any animal for more than just livestock but more or less as pets.

 

[Kris5902]

of course I agree, was just pulling your leg..The same could be said of anyone who holds any animal for more than just livestock but more or less as pets.

Yes, the things we do for the love of chickens! Lol

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

It is a relief to know that you hard wired your coop. There are those who keep chickens and run an extension cord to the coop for lights. Plugging a space heater in this way is not safe. If you don't believe me, ask your local fire chief. I was concerned about the cold temperatures a couple of months ago myself and that's when I turned to this website. I have learned a lot and can honestly say that I agree with many other's in the BYC flock that under normal conditions heaters are not needed. I added some insulation and wrapped my run in plastic sheeting and the chickens are fine. We have had a couple of mornings all ready when the temperature dropped to 5 degrees. The chickens are fine. I use a simple LED battery operated light and a sometimes working solar light to wake the rooster up at 5:30 am and the chickens are fine and laying eggs every day. I believe my chickens are fine because of the thoughtful advice I have received from this website. I'm not here to brag about who has the most hi-tech coop, I'm hear to learn and share.

 

[Acre4Me]

It is a relief to know that you hard wired your coop. There are those who keep chickens and run an extension cord to the coop for lights. Plugging a space heater in this way is not safe. If you don't believe me, ask your local fire chief. I was concerned about the cold temperatures a couple of months ago myself and that's when I turned to this website. I have learned a lot and can honestly say that I agree with many other's in the BYC flock that under normal conditions heaters are not needed. I added some insulation and wrapped my run in plastic sheeting and the chickens are fine. We have had a couple of mornings all ready when the temperature dropped to 5 degrees. The chickens are fine. I use a simple LED battery operated light and a sometimes working solar light to wake the rooster up at 5:30 am and the chickens are fine and laying eggs every day. I believe my chickens are fine because of the thoughtful advice I have received from this website. I'm not here to brag about who has the most hi-tech coop, I'm hear to learn and share.

I quite likely would have used an extension cord for at least heated water since it was only 2 or 3 feet away from an outlet in the barn, just make a hole through the wall for the extension cord....but it turns out that the barn needed re-wiring so the coop got some attention. In fact, I would be wary of using insulation in a coop as one of the reasons we had to re-wire the barn was all the warm and happy field mice that had been living at one time in the insulated walls of the workshop area of the barn which led to chewed wiring- lots of chewed wiring. We only found this out bc we decided to just go ahead and repair the damaged (poorly maintained) wall-boards in the shop before we put everything away. Anyway, the coop is decidedly NOT hi-tech, just meets the basic needs of the chickens. Once I add some game cams that communicate wirelessly with my phone, or make it so that I can adjust the temps from somewhere else, then maybe my coop will hit "high-tech" status!.

btw, there is a current thread on rats (in predator and pest forum) and one poster has pics of the coop that had to be re-walled due to the rat infestation in the double walls of the coop (can't remember if there was insulation involved or not). Not everyone has rats or mice issues, so you might luck out.

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

Rodents aren't a problem in my coop and run. The walls are not completely double-walled so I can easily remove anything that needs removing without tearing walls apart. The run and eave vents are covered with 1/2 inch 19 gauge hardware cloth and the run is covered with corrugated roofing. There is a healthy population of owls and hawks here that do a great job of minimizing the rodents. I only have a few chickens primarily for my own egg consumption, I'm not even considering looking into making money from them. I'm retired and am enjoying life everyday - no more commuting and fresh eggs daily! And my chickens aren't running up my electric bill. Sweet!

 

[Kris5902]

One thing to note... getting back to the oil radiator issue. My mother has been using one in the building she has been staying in while we build our house. The building has single pane windows and we will be nice and say “inferior” insulation, so the heater was on pretty much 24/7. It’s a converted work shop, but I digress...

She had the oil radiator plugged into a 12foot 16 gauge extension cord. There was a power surge in the electric system here and the plug melted a hole in the cord and welded the connection together, so they are by no means “not a fire hazard”. There was exposed metal prongs through the melted plastic, and I’m surprised it didn’t start a fire with how hot the connection was when I discovered it.

And if a bird were to land on it thinking of perching, it would certainly burn their feet.

 

[aart]

so they are by no means “not a fire hazard”.

Any electrical device......and the wiring that powers it...can be hazardous.