thermo cube

[teach1rusl]

Quote:
Hehee...Bear didn't care for playing "pony" too much either

but Dixie was an assertive little thing when she was a pullet. They'd also pick and scratch at his fur when he was laying down - thinking it was hay or straw I guess

 

[Jenski]

OP, we have tried three different heating methods in our three experimental coops. For our smallest one we tried a combination that included a reptile heat cord attached along the ceiling edges with electrical tape . . . worked like a charm, since the coop is well insulated (foil-backed foam insulation between walls).

http://www.bigappleherp.com/Big-Apple-Flexible-Heat-Ropes


We have also fastened the smaller reptile heat mats to the underside of ceramic tiles and mounted them on the walls of the coop with the same fasteners you would use for a bathroom mirror - - this keeps the tile out from the wall a bit.

http://www.bigappleherp.com/Zoo-Med-Repti-Therm-Undertank-Heaters
(these you might also find at PetCo, etc.)


I love the reptile heat options for small coops that are insulated. They are quite safe and provide good, radiant heat. Our coops are close to the house/garage, and we are able to safely hook them to power with good quality extension cords through the ventilation openings.

For my largest coop I have used a sealed oil heater with good results, but I have it mounted in a specially made cage off the ground.

I do monitor my coops with remote thermostats, cameras, etc. all year around . . .

Hope that helps.

[Ed. to add - I love my ThermoCubes - - I have three. . . ]

 

[new chick 203]

That heat rope sounds great, just for a little piece of mind. I could run it on the underside of the shelf that's under the roost. Hmmm good food for thought people.

 

[Buck Creek Chickens]

the only thing chickens do not need heat. what they need is a dry draft free house. its the moisture in the air that causes the problems not the cold. I have 8 different coops. 2 poly-dome calf hutches, a concrete block milk house, a barn that is split up and insulated, a duck house no insulation just the holes in the rafters plugged with feed bags, 8x10 shed that is insulated, a contractors shed odd size 10 x 18? insulated bad ventilation, and a lean-to no insulation. the only heat is in the lean-to and the contractors shed. the heat in the lean-to is only to keep the water from freezing and the shed is my chick house so the heat emitters that warm the chicks heats the shed. I get below 0 temps, bad north winds. I have not lost any birds to cold or frost bite unless there is a build up of moisture. last year I lost 0 and no frost bite.

 

[Jenski]

"Need" is not really an issue in my poofy setup. Note the curtains.

Seriously though, because I have few chickens to a coop, and mostly bantams, and we go from 100 to 0 degrees F within a 6 month timeframe . . . we plan for both winter cold and summer heat. Don't know how well insulated the coops are, but I had a fellow chicken person out here lose several show birds to the cold. Their long legs froze off. So heat it is for us.

 

[True Grit]

I am going to try a heat lamp in the middle of the ceiling but it is one of the heavy duty encased ones. I only have a 35/45 thermo cube so I will probably keep the thermo cube fairly high up so it doesn't get too warm. I think I will get one of those ceramic heat emitting bulbs rather than the red one. I want to try to feed and water them only outside but I don't know if they will come out if the temp difference is too great. Have to experiment a little.

 

[Jenski]

True Grit, if your pen is big enough you could make a square with hay bales and let them feed within that windbreak. I saw some other MN folks who had done that inside a plastic-lined winter pen.

 

[new chick 203]

Quote:
I was thinking of doing this with a ply-wood roof since it doesn't seem like a good idea to have the heated water inside creating moist air.

 

[Buck Creek Chickens]

Quote:
I also have show birds, d'Uccles, Booted, silkies, plus i have A class Serama's and a few micro minis. not to be a pain but leg freezing is caused by a perch that is not wide enough so the bird is not covering their legs with feathers/body heat. I have temp. swing that bad too, in fact labor day it was 85+ with high humidty, the next day it was 40-45

 

[henney penny]

I ordered the thermo cube,hope it works