Use of flat panel heater in the coop

[3riverschick]

This is my first winter with chickens. I live in the mountains of central WV and temps so far have been in the teens at night. I have a garden coop design with an open hardware cloth covered roof over their nesting roost in the coop. It is predator proof and certainly well ventilated, but when nights are cold like tonight with temps around 10 degrees, I worry that the chickens are too cold. So far they have been fine. I am considering getting a flat panel radiant heater to install on the wall of their coop. It is about 150 watts and considered safer than a heat lamp. Some people suggest using a plain 40- 100watt bulb to give extra heat, but I don't want the extra light in the winter. I don't care if egg production drops.

I would like input about the wisdom of installing a flat panel heater. I can find very little about it on the forum. What are your thoughts? Thanks!

Don't bother. I have one in Hubby Bob's woodshop. Useless. Can't handle cold. Can't warm a
10x10 insulated room. An oil-filled DeLonghi radiator heater can heat that room in 20 minutes to
a comfortable level. Get a ceramic heat emitter instead. Look under reptile supplies online.
Best,
Karen and the Light Sussex in western PA, USA

 

[Brookliner]

Don't bother. I have one in Hubby Bob's woodshop. Useless. Can't handle cold. Can't warm a
10x10 insulated room.  An oil-filled DeLonghi radiator heater can heat that room in 20 minutes to
a comfortable level. Get a ceramic heat emitter instead. Look under reptile supplies online.
 Best,
 Karen and the Light Sussex in western PA, USA

I have a ceramic 100 watt reptile bulb in a reflector shade that I use in my small coop it doesn't do much but if they want they can snuggle in the hay underneath it. It is attached to a thermo cube outlet that turns on at 35 degrees and off at 45. This is the small coop I keep my special needs hens in 5 bantams currently. 3' x 4'. They also have an attached 4 x 8 run that is covered in plastic with a corrugated polycarbonate roof.

 

[crazychick26201]

Could you share how you installed it so it would be safe? I found one online and think it might be a good idea. It is -6 here, the my girls survived, but have spots of frostbite on their combs and wattles even tho I put Vaseline on them.

 

[AuntGigi]

So glad I found this thread!! My 18 hens have survived the NE Wisconsin low temps the past 2 days, but it hasn't been above zero-F in the coop the whole time, even with a 250w heat lamp on. I did not want to risk the bulb, but when it was -24, I really didn't feel I had a choice. I ordered the flat panel heater, it will be here, finally, TODAY- lol. But it's supposed to hit -18 tonight again. I'm trying to prepare to mount it.

I was going to suspend it from the ceiling, but you said the heat only comes out one side? Unfortunately there is a window right next to the roosts they use most, and that's the east side, the most out of the wind spot. They actually roost all around the coop though... I'm now trying to figure out where the heck to mount the heater. Seems like right in front of that window would not be such a good idea. Maybe I will still have to suspend it - but on the inside of those 2 roosts rather than the outside wall (window). I'd take a pic,,, but it's too cold. Maybe when I check on them later.

Meanwhile, I'll check the garage for brackets. I also found a roll of pipe strapping - maybe I could "cradle" the heater in strapping and then suspend it from a beam and aim it at the girls.



Would having it on the floor make any difference at all?

Thanks for any input!

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Cradling with that strapping would work good. 2 straps side to side. 2 straps up and down. yeah..I think that would work. Also...just to remind that heat rises...so if you got a lower spot available that may be the ticket. considering Insulating the Roof would hold the heat in a bit better as well.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

-17 this AM outdoor temp. The coop was 10 degrees with the lambing lamp so I pulled it out and left the flat panel running. Our Winter advisory is over at noon today.

 

[crazychick26201]

Bogtown Chick, what is a lambing lamp? And thank heaven things will warm up for you.

Aunt Gigi, I hope the flat panel heater works for you! I found that it kept the coop to 3 degrees when it was -8 outside. Still very cold.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

This Lambing Lamp is a heat lamp similar to our brooder lamps we use for chicks...only they've built this one with safety in mind and just a bit sturdier with a hard plastic. It can handle up to a 250 watt bulb.

Here's the link from Premier One Supplies (becoming one of my favorite chicken supply stores--quality stuff, get it fast, etc.) http://www.premier1supplies.com/detail.php?prod_id=18266&cat_id=173





So in their description they talk about its uses for lambing...but in a google image search I was able to find it set up for chicks. There is a hard plastic bulb cage that can open to change the bulbs...but it really has a secure latch. This thing is just tough all over. It also is larger than it appears...and when I put it up in the coop it just didn't work for my roosting space that well. And I felt it was getting flew into quite a lot...and the birds had to do some tricky maneuvers to get to their roosts and down again. ...which then led me to purchase the flat panel. I did use this though Sunday and Monday and took it out today finally. Just to help out the flat panel take the edge off....and there was an EDGE!...LOL.

Thursday at Noon it will be above zero....Have I said that already? LOL.

 

[AuntGigi]

Aunt Gigi, I hope the flat panel heater works for you! I found that it kept the coop to 3 degrees when it was -8 outside. Still very cold.

Yikes, that's not much of a temp jump. I'm leaving the brooder lamp on (250 watt) on for one more frigid night. Then I need to work on a "weather alert" plan. My coop needs more ventilation, it needs to be insulated, and the door needs to be weather sealed. This is my first winter with my adopted flock, so the learning curve has been steep. Luckily a soft-hearted farmer down the road brought me 4 bales of straw on Saturday, as I bought the last two the hardware store had. Next year I collect straw bales early and find some strong plastic for the pen.

It looks like by weekend it will be warm enough to remove all the poopsicles . Next year, something with sand under the roosts might be handy

For now, the flat panel heater is right inside the door. Secured by 2x4 pieces. I'll make sure I update when I come up with a more permanent (but removable) solution. Thank you all so much for your ideas!

That's a cement block/light bulb waterer heater inside. Had to put a 60 watt bulb in there for the cold snap, otherwise a 40 worked fine when the temps were above zero-F

 

[AuntGigi]

I really like the safety of the lambing lamp! My brooder lamp just has the metal "X" over the bulb. We've secured it to the ceiling (NOT with that lame-o clamp), but I still worry they can fly into it, or if the bulb were to suddenly break and drop down to the pine shavings (I'm not sure if that even happens, but... paranoia).

Woo-hoo for Thursday!! I'm in NE Wisconsin, so we're sharing the same storm