As I really am not supposed to have eggs (high cholesterol), I do not encourage my 2 hens to keep laying. They are just pets. I did have a heat lamp in their small 4 x 4 foot house, but then I saw a $20 heater that just blows warm air, about the size of a shoe box (at Walgreen's). I put this in the hen house, just for the nights it gets into the 20s. Is this okay? Even my duck moved into the house with the hens, which is a new thing, when I put the heater in their house.
Anonymous, The "fan" type heaters will surely cause respiratory illness or death of some of your birds, maybe not immediately, but by the end of winter into spring. Chickens release and scratch up such very fine dust that it coats everything in your coop. The fan circulates this dust all night, while the birds are on the roost, and would not be sending it around, as they do during the day. I used these little heaters (a wall mount one was especially nice to use, has plugs that hold it right on a wall socket, and so was never knocked over or taking up floor space) for several years. Will ever regret the loss of one cockerel, especially, of quality in his variety that I have never had again. The breathing problems simply did him in! And a number of the birds sneezed and wheezed, but did not die, but did not recover normal breathing. And in summer, I never use fans for "cooling" without ALL windows and doors open for the same reason.
Anonymous, The "fan" type heaters will surely cause respiratory illness or death of some of your birds, maybe not immediately, but by the end of winter into spring. Chickens release and scratch up such very fine dust that it coats everything in your coop. The fan circulates this dust all night, while the birds are on the roost, and would not be sending it around, as they do during the day. I used these little heaters (a wall mount one was especially nice to use, has plugs that hold it right on a wall socket, and so was never knocked over or taking up floor space) for several years. Will ever regret the loss of one cockerel, especially, of quality in his variety that I have never had again. The breathing problems simply did him in! And a number of the birds sneezed and wheezed, but did not die, and did not recover normal breathing. And in summer, I never use fans for "cooling" without ALL windows and doors open for the same reason.
Wow! I'm not the original poster but you guys have answered the "dust question" that's been bugging me for a long time. The inside of my coop is SOOO dusty. I could never figure out why. The dirt ground is layered thick with wood shavings.
Sunni, You got it!!! Allergic to chickens? That fine dust and dander (even teeny down and feather bits) floats and fills the coops, settles on every bit of wire, twine, window sill etc.) is doubtless the reason. White deposit on the nostrils of your birds?? Maybe from circulating dust??? You may need better ventilation, not air circulation. It's a problem that we in the Northern states have in winter. CJR
I made my own heater. I took a 4 foot legnth of 8 inch stove pipe and into one end I fitted an inverted aluminun pot with a light fixture, bulb facing into the pipe, and capped off the other end with an old aluminum pie pan. I have a 250 watt heat bulb in it and the whole contraption is supported on the wall of my small brick chicken house just above their heads where they roost. This way I hope never to see frost bitten combs! I turn this on only at night - this and their electric heated water bowl (which I did not make).
Dory, that is very interesting! Any chance you could make a scale drawing or a picture and let us have it?
And please, Dory, what is a heat bulb versus a light bulb? Could you please describe it for me? Thanks, Anny
Hi Anny,
Hello again,
Dory, thank you very much for the explanation. I think I understood allright and I will get to it as soon as I have some time. I think I have just the right stove pipe up on my attic. Anny
i live in an area that can get down to -25. i built a new coop,cement floor lots of bedding,insulated walls and ceiling,do i have to heat it(its about 12X6) do i use a oil filled radiator or does a heat lamp do the job. I have all heavy feathered breeds. Thanks for any advise.
Eirobert, I also live where -25 to -30f is usual. I use the oilfilled radiator heaters. I have 3 houses andmost of the winter l heater in each at fairly low setting keeps the houses 35-40f except at the floor. But I have "day roosts", so the birds do not have to be on a cold floor (covered by cedar shaving) all day. The floors of 2 of the houses are also insulated under plywood--and the water, even though elevated, will often freeze in the one uninsulated house. Your cement floor will be very cold, even with good bedding, and when temperature rises, may be damp under the bedding. If sometime in the future, you desire, you might add the solid insulation and a layer of 1/2" plywood. It stays completely dry and after some years, just sweeps clean and almost like new after every cleaning: 3 or 4 x a year. A heat lamp will not do the job, only heats that which the light touches, and not the air or anything out of range. In a small area such as a very small bathroom, the room will get warm, if closed up--(and no air circulation is not a good thing!) The air in a chicken house will not get warm, only the objects the light touches directly. If you lay a thermometer in various places, you can confirm this. On a wall, out of range of a heat lamp, it will not be warm enough. Acutally a couple of 100W incandescant lights may do better than a Heat lamp and heat the air and the whole house. The oil filled radiators need to be located where the birds will not be able to perch on it. I have alleyways in my houses, between pens and I set it on the bare floor. During prolonged cold spells, it will get very hot. Thermostatically controlled with many settings, it goes on and off as necessary. Air circulation is necessary for the birds and some ventilation required so there will be no moisture build-up, frost inside windows, etc. There have been other discussion on heating where needed, and you may find it by searching on KEY WORD to the left of the messages. Good luck, CJR
By Cjeanr on Sunday, January 7, 2001 - 11:44 am:
Since I now use oilfilled radiator heaters, there have been no problems, the heat is even and thermostatically controlled. You might wish to reconsider your heating options. While heat lamps only heat the spot that the light touches--not the space of the coop, unless very small,--I do not use them, but prefer regular 100W incandescant light bulbs that will heat an entire area,ei. for chicks, where higher temperature is needed just in their area. But it is a matter for each to decide. CJR
By Cjeanr on Sunday, January 7, 2001 - 11:45 am:
Since I now use oilfilled radiator heaters, there have been no problems, the heat is even and thermostatically controlled. You might wish to reconsider your heating options. While heat lamps only heat the spot that the light touches--not the space of the coop, unless very small,--I do not use them, but prefer regular 100W incandescant light bulbs that will heat an entire area,ei. for chicks, where higher temperature is needed just in their area. But it is a matter for each to decide. CJR
By Sunni (Sunniten) on Sunday, January 7, 2001 - 12:49 pm:
Every day (even in winter) I leave the door open to the coop to air it out while I'm gathering eggs and cleaning up, trying to make the air fresher. In the summer I sometimes leave the door open all day. I cannot believe how much dust accumulates!
By Cjeanr on Sunday, January 7, 2001 - 03:01 pm:
By Dory on Monday, January 29, 2001 - 09:43 pm:
By anny cauwenberghs (Anny) on Tuesday, January 30, 2001 - 03:49 pm:
What is an "INVERTED" aluminium pot? May seem stupid but I can't help it, I'm flemish ("synonym for stupid" the walloons say), I was born that way.
I am using an infrared lamp but that gives a lot of light and eventhough it is red light, it seems to make the hens quite nervous.
I suppose your system could also be controlled by a thermostat? Anny
By anny cauwenberghs (Anny) on Wednesday, January 31, 2001 - 04:36 pm:
By Dory on Wednesday, January 31, 2001 - 11:54 pm:
By inverted I mean the light fixture is sticking out of the bottom of the pot (beneath it) and the wire is in the pot itself. When you put the pot into the stovepipe you can then drill a couple of hole thru the pipe and pot to hold everything in place. I wish I could make a drawing, I guess it is hard to picture what I mean. I suppose you can use a regular light bulb but I happened to have a 250 watt heat bulb (looks like a floodlight). A regular bulb may make it too hot to the touch, I haven't tried one so I don't know. As to a thermostat, I only use this at night and it doesn't give off much heat, just takes the chill off their heads. I have it plugged into an outlet that's controlled by a wall switch so it's easy to turn on and off. The water bowl is also plugged into this outlet. I live in Pennsylvania and our winter nights average between 10 - 20 degrees F. and so far I've had good luck. Hope you do too!
By Dory on Thursday, February 1, 2001 - 09:54 am:
I forgot to mention this - don't use a plastic light fixture, use a ceramic one, for safety's sake. Bye.
By anny cauwenberghs (Anny) on Friday, February 2, 2001 - 03:40 pm:
By Eiroberts on Monday, June 11, 2001 - 10:47 am:
By Cjeanr on Monday, June 11, 2001 - 11:17 am: