Oregon

[LeslieDJoyce]

OK I have seen some discussions about heat lamps. I feel that it must be time for me to once again share a personal experience in hopes of helping others.


Coop lights. For anybody thinking about or with questions about using heat lamps PLEASE READ THIS. First let me say that for those of us in western WA & OR. We do not get enough cold weather to worry about heat for fully feathered birds. You only need to be concerned with heat if you have young chicks.
For ANY lights you use please make sure that the fixture is rated for the size of bulb/lamp you are using (or more). If you are going to use one of the common “heat lamps” they are most commonly 250 watt. DO NOT use a fixture with a rating of less than 250 watt. The cheap clamp on lights are not sufficient for this. You want a fixture with a ceramic base where the lamp screws in.
And here is my point. I have a friend who is also my FORMER feed supplier. She called me one day told me her barn had burned. She asked if I would haul the scrap metal and help clean up part of the mess. I was so shocked when I got there. This had been a barn about 60’ x 100’. The entire barn was gone. She also lost all of her breeding hogs including several pigs that had been paid for. She also lost the entire feed mill. When we started cleaning up and trying to find the cause. Everything pointed toward a heatlamp that was being used to keep pigs warm. While we were not able to determine if the fixture caught fire first and began dripping into the bedding or if the fixture fell into the bedding and then caught fire. Either way IF this had been a proper fixture and secured with jack chain or bare steel wire (tie wire or baling wire) there is a VERY good chance my friend would still have her barn, breeding hog business and grain/feed business.
SO again I ask that EVERYBODY using heat lights PLEASE make sure what you are using is safe!!! The best choice is the “brooder fixtures” with the ceramic base.
I post this in hopes of never having to see another person lose their buildings, animals and who knows what else due to using the wrong lighting equipment!!!
Rob

Yeah ... into a Western Oregon coop the other day and found three heat lamps all dangling by their power cords above the pine shaving floor of a coop holding about 50 chickens that were 3+ months old ... there were tension-wire cables also attached to the heat lamps, but those were dangling uselessly while the power cords did all the supporting. I could see how the cords were beginning to unplug from the supply so the tines were visible. To top it all off, though it wasn't exactly "warm," the heat in there was producing enough condensation it was actually dripping from the ceiling and the bedding was soggy ...

I really couldn't figure out what kind of favor they thought they were doing for the chickens in there. Heat lamps at that age are unnecessary, the arrangement was the epitome of laziness, and the whole thing was a ticking time bomb, IMO.

I offered to help the take the heat lamps down, and they agreed. Phew! I also suggested vents.

 

[chicknlove]

Hi guys! Looking to buy some good looking silkie chicks in my area. (clackamas/multnomah co) Having a hard time finding anything this time of year =/ Do any of you have anything?? I've been stocking CL but no luck.

 

[OR4-hmom]

DH felt the need for some sun yesterday so we headed for the coast.
The sun was nice but the breeze just wouldn't let up, Full moon and high tide.
Still haven't gotten used to the changes after the tsunami, where did all that sand go?


Brindie watching the man in a hat down the beach.

 

[chicknlove]

DH felt the need for some sun yesterday so we headed for the coast.
The sun was nice but the breeze just wouldn't let up, Full moon and high tide.
Still haven't gotten used to the changes after the tsunami, where did all that sand go?


Brindie watching the man in a hat down the beach.

Beautiful. Love the Beach, HATE the wind

 

[OR4-hmom]

We jumped in the van and drove to the harbor. Watched some surfers, dog walkers, seagulls, it was much nicer in the car!

 

[Noncentzter]

Yep, the beach in winter is always much better appreciated from inside a vehicle!!

 

[Oregon Blues]

Man, this cold just isn't going to let up. 0 degrees 2 nights ago and it's day after day.

Normally, I expect temperatures in the zero range to not last more than about 5 days. Then we should get a week of freezing at night and above freezing (slightly) during the day. That gives me a chance to fill all the ponds with the hose.

Ice is now over 8 inches thick on the ponds. I am keeping holes chopped in the ice, but the water level is down to the point where I am going to have to bucket water from the house. Any water that is in any container that is anywhere near bucket size is frozen into a solid block of ice.

The birds are all happy, though. The turkeys love to play in the snow. The geese ignore the snow, and my weenie Swedish ducks stay inside their night run and out of the snow.

 

[OR4-hmom]

Sorry for the cold. The worst part about the chicken chores down here is the water in the winter.
They forcast fog for us but we have sunshine! There are clouds out there also but I see blue. Hoping it lasts long enough to melt the snow.

 

[playswithfowl]

Heya! My friend has two daughters that are wanting to start 4-H and are fixating on showing Barred Plymouth Rocks and Buff Orps, does anyone have any good quality pullets or chicks that will be available this spring or know someone that does? Even a point in the right direction would be much appreciated, thanks so much!

 

[OR4-hmom]

Are your daughters thinking of using them for showmanship birds or for conformation? Young kids can show the large birds but they are heavy and if your daughters are not tall it is more difficult to keep the birds above the table so the judge can see them measuring the bird. It can be done, it is just a little harder.

There is someone in Douglas County who had some nice BR. She was listing extras on CL last year. Not sure if she is doing them again this year .