quail chicks or chicks in general what to do if power outage

[lindy]

My hubby greatly dislikes me having quail chicks in the house. I am researching ideas to have them out in the shed that i have mostly insulated. Problem. I can run an extension cord out but only one.
I am thinking of getting a sweeter heater when they are back in stock
but what to do if the power is out. Everything runs on electricity here.

Isnt there a battery backup you can purchase that would run for an hour or so. The sweeter heaters are 50 watts up to 150 watts. I have solar lights which work every other day(i havent found a better one yet that can run 4 hours a day without lossing the charge for the next day .

where the extension cord is plugged into, i currently do not have anything else running except maybe turn on the light in the pump house(where the extension cord is plugged into) once in a while. In spring i will put my fence charger back on that line.

so suggestions would be awesome.
thinking of just using plywood to build a brooder unless someone has other suggestions. possibly insulate it so double plywood type. i would like it to be easier to clean but havent figured that yet.
i will still keep chicks in the house for the first week.
I live on the coast so we do get freezing temps but, usually not ever in the high 20's at night. right now we are in the 45-35 degrees ish

 

[CliftonQuail]

If you're running electricity to the shed and only need coverage for power outages, I'd suggest a small computer Uninteruptible Power Supply (UPS). A small 650 VA UPS should run a 150 watt heater for over two hours, maybe three. Those are relatively inexpensive, too.

 

[Nabiki]

I have a Jackery generator that works for power outages to power incubator, heat lamps, etc. It came with solar panels, so I can charge it via those.

If you have an older hen, she might help as well. Back at my old place, I had some newly hatched chicks when the power went out. I also had an old hen that was destined for the pot that evening. I put her in with the chicks, and she immediately fluffed up and spread her wings a bit as the chicks burrowed under her. Grandma earned her name and her retirement brooding chicks that day.

 

[PatientType]

I'd likely go with a solar battery solution. Run the extension cord to a 600 to 1,000w solar battery. The battery will have additional plugs for other devices. Should there be a power interruption, a battery in that size range should run a small heater for a few hours.

You could also install a single, 250-320w solar panel to provide most of the power needed in spring, summer & fall. Used solar panels are inexpensive, in my area they run from about $50-$150.

Programable brooder heating plates are available now on Amazon for about $40. I have this one. It consumes 180w.

I brood my chicks indoors for about 2 weeks also. Once they are feathered, I move them outside to a pen. By then, they seem to do fine without a heater. I only brood during warmer weather. Here in California, night temps are in the 50s in spring & fall & 60s in summer. I don't brood chicks in winter.

 

[lindy]

I'd likely go with a solar battery solution. Run the extension cord to a 600 to 1,000w solar battery. The battery will have additional plugs for other devices. Should there be a power interruption, a battery in that size range should run a small heater for a few hours.

You could also install a single, 250-320w solar panel to provide most of the power needed in spring, summer & fall. Used solar panels are inexpensive, in my area they run from about $50-$150.

Programable brooder heating plates are available now on Amazon for about $40. I have this one. It consumes 180w.

I brood my chicks indoors for about 2 weeks also. Once they are feathered, I move them outside to a pen. By then, they seem to do fine without a heater. I only brood during warmer weather. Here in California, night temps are in the 50s in spring & fall & 60s in summer. I don't brood chicks in winter.

do you have any brands you recomend to a solar battery?so the heater would be running off the extension cord except when power is out and then the battery kicks in? that would be great.

 

[Nabiki]

do you have any brands you recomend to a solar battery?so the heater would be running off the extension cord except when power is out and then the battery kicks in? that would be great.

For that kind of functionality, you're looking at a UPS. Those are usually used in server rooms to give admins enough time to do a graceful shutdown of the servers or switch over to a generator, so unless you want to spend a lot of money, they aren't intended for long term use.

I've been pretty happy with my Jackery generator. They're the ones that can charge up by solar panels or electrical outlet.

 

[CliftonQuail]

The only real differences between a UPS and "solar generator" tend to be battery capacity, battery chemistry and the ability of the latter to charge directly from solar panels. Most UPS I've seen use Sealed Lead Acid (SLA) batteries which are less suited to full discharge (typically only good down to about 50% of rated capacity). Most solar generators use Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePo) batteries which can be discharged almost to 0% with no harm. For your situation, I'd probably also recommend a Jackery or comparable. I have several Bluetti products and I'm very happy with that brand, and they have some products in the same price range as Jackery, at least on Amazon.