In article , Ignoramus12377
wrote:

I need to buy a metal bucket (galvanized) with a cover. I will use it
in conjunction with a fishtank water heater as a water filled source
of radiant heat for a chicken coop for this coming
winter. Unfortunately, I cannot seem to find any store that sells
them, everyone now sells plastic buckets.

The reason why I want to buy galvanized is threefold:

1) it conducts heat better

Not an issue. All heat generated by the fishtank water heater will of
course reach the outside. (Conservation of energy laws. The higher
thermal conductivity of a metal bucket over a plastic bucket drops out
of the equations in the steady-state solution, as one would expect.)



2) it can be painted black (I assume plastic buckets are not
paintable) to radiate better

_Definitely_ not an issue.

3) It can be better grounded, being metallic.

The immersible water heater is already grounded. Fish tanks are made of
plastic or glass and don't cause problems, so why should a plastic
bucket?


--Tim May

lid (Ignoramus12377) writes:

I need to buy a metal bucket (galvanized) with a cover. I will use it
in conjunction with a fishtank water heater as a water filled source
of radiant heat for a chicken coop for this coming
winter. Unfortunately, I cannot seem to find any store that sells
them, everyone now sells plastic buckets.

The reason why I want to buy galvanized is threefold:

1) it conducts heat better
2) it can be painted black (I assume plastic buckets are not
paintable) to radiate better
3) It can be better grounded, being metallic.

So, where can I buy one? It does not have to have the shape of a
bucket, it can be rectangularly shaped or whatever, but it requires a
cover.

I have one that I use for an ash scuttle. It is really handy for that.
I can just scoop hot ashes into it, put the cover on and set it outside
to cool for a few days. The cover keeps the ashes from getting rained
on, so they stay dry for disposal.

I bought it at Bi-Mart, a small PNW membership discount store
headquartered in Eugene, Oregon. It is about 3-4 gallons, with a loose
fitting galvanized lid and bail handle. I have seen them in stock every
winter, so I know they are in production, and seem to be a popular item.
I also seem to remember seeing them at Coastal Farm Supply. I think you
would have a pretty good chance of finding one any place that sells a
good selection of galvanized tubs and buckets.

Farm stores are your best bet, or if you live in the PNW, just go to Bi-
Mart. The problem is that I have the impression they are seasonal
merchandise for some reason, and you may have to wait a few months for
the inventory to change.

--
http://home.teleport.com/~larryc

On 13 Aug 2003 15:03:40 GMT, Ignoramus12377
wrote:

I need to buy a metal bucket (galvanized) with a cover. I will use it
in conjunction with a fishtank water heater as a water filled source
of radiant heat for a chicken coop for this coming
winter. Unfortunately, I cannot seem to find any store that sells
them, everyone now sells plastic buckets.

Trying to heat a chickenhouse with a fishtank water heater is like
trying to heat your house with a kerosene lamp.


The reason why I want to buy galvanized is threefold:

1) it conducts heat better
2) it can be painted black (I assume plastic buckets are not
paintable) to radiate better
3) It can be better grounded, being metallic.

IPlastic will be a better electrical insulator. It's what they make
electrical tape out of these days. The color of the bucket should
have little or no impact on the rate of heat transfer. You can get
plastic buckets in a variety of colors. The two leading colors are
black and white.


So, where can I buy one? It does not have to have the shape of a
bucket, it can be rectangularly shaped or whatever, but it requires a
cover.

Tried Home Depot or Lowes or the local hardware store? Hell, call a
house painter or a building contractor, he will probably give you all
that you want in whatever color that you want..



I also own a metal "jerry can" for gasoline, but I am afraid that it
will simply rust through as it is not galvanized inside. I am afraid
to fill it with any kind of oil for safety reasons.

I am not dirt poor and I can spend $10 on a bucket.

I am aware that the alternative solution is an oil filled radiator
heater for small rooms. The problem with them is that their
thermostats are graduated starting with 50-60 degrees or so, and I
want a lower setting, just to keep the coop above freezing.

Decisions are almost never binary. There are quite a few ways to heat
a chicken coop other than the ones listed. Frankly, I have serious
doubts about heating a chicken coop with a fish tank heater anyway.

In article , Ignoramus12377
wrote:

In article , Noah Simoneaux wrote:

My wife noticed an interesting thing on a poultry message forum she
frequents. Many of the people who heated their chicken coop had
problems with cold-weather injuries in their birds, while people who
didn't heat theirs had few. The unheated coops were insulated to
varying degrees.

Did it include people in the north of the US?



You _really_ need to learn how to use Google. Though I said I wouldn't,
I did some Googling on the issue and found scads of good sites and good
information.

You are reinventing the wheel, except with some cock-eyed notions about
physics thrown in.

Use Google, for all of your varius questions here, about oyster shells,
feed stores, chicken coop heaters, metal buckets, etc.


--Tim May

On 13 Aug 2003 17:43:16 GMT, Ignoramus12377
wrote:

In article , Bob Brock wrote:
On 13 Aug 2003 15:03:40 GMT, Ignoramus12377
wrote:


Trying to heat a chickenhouse with a fishtank water heater is like
trying to heat your house with a kerosene lamp.

My "chickenhouse" is only 30 cubic feet or so. I feel tat 150 or at
most 300 watts is all that I need, given that it is already insulated
somewhat and will be even more insulated before winter.

Down here, we don't heat chicken coops. However, it sounds like a
lighbulb in a paint can that was suspended from the ceiling would work
pretty good. That's all we use to heat uninsulated well houses down
here (without the paint can of course).



The reason why I want to buy galvanized is threefold:

1) it conducts heat better
2) it can be painted black (I assume plastic buckets are not
paintable) to radiate better
3) It can be better grounded, being metallic.

IPlastic will be a better electrical insulator. It's what they make
electrical tape out of these days. The color of the bucket should
have little or no impact on the rate of heat transfer. You can get
plastic buckets in a variety of colors. The two leading colors are
black and white.

I see. Well, maybe I will just use a plastic bucket, as I think that
it can radiate enough heat anyway.

If that's the way that you want to go. Call a building contractor
though if you have your heart set on a metal can. A lot of building
materials come in 5 gal metal cans and it's trash to them. If it were
me and I was going that route, I think I'd prefer the plastic ones
though.


I also own a metal "jerry can" for gasoline, but I am afraid that it
will simply rust through as it is not galvanized inside. I am afraid
to fill it with any kind of oil for safety reasons.

I am not dirt poor and I can spend $10 on a bucket.

I am aware that the alternative solution is an oil filled radiator
heater for small rooms. The problem with them is that their
thermostats are graduated starting with 50-60 degrees or so, and I
want a lower setting, just to keep the coop above freezing.

Decisions are almost never binary. There are quite a few ways to heat
a chicken coop other than the ones listed. Frankly, I have serious
doubts about heating a chicken coop with a fish tank heater anyway.

I am open to practical suggestions.

A pile of sawdust under the coop, adding buckets of water or cement
blocks, a small electric space heater with a modified thermostat, a
light bulb in a paint can,

So far, my coop has been designed very well and is very easy to take
care of it. The fact that it is not at the ground level actually is
very helpful as it is easier to clean and retrieve eggs, and no
critters can get into it.

So I want to design the winter stuff correctly as well, so that the
coop can function with minimal intervention.

I like to design things that just keep working by themselves.

Call someone in your area with a well and find out how they keep the
well house from freezing. Whatever method that is will probably be
your best bet because they are looking for the same thing that you are
and experience has given them the best solution.

Ignoramus12377 wrote:

I need to buy a metal bucket (galvanized) with a cover. I will use it
in conjunction with a fishtank water heater as a water filled source
of radiant heat for a chicken coop for this coming
winter. Unfortunately, I cannot seem to find any store that sells
them, everyone now sells plastic buckets.


Got another idea for you. It's what my dad used to use. He just
mounted a big honking resister to a small board and covered it with an
upside-down metal bread pan screwed down to the board. I'm not sure of
the exact value of the resister, but it is not really critical. It was
one of those ceramic types about the size of your thumb. Also just
drill a bunch of holes in the bread pan so the heat can get out. It
serves as a heat shield. It can be mounted on a sidewall next to the
nesting boxes.
Big-T

Ignoramus12377 wrote:
In article , Big-T wrote:

Ignoramus12377 wrote:


I need to buy a metal bucket (galvanized) with a cover. I will use it
in conjunction with a fishtank water heater as a water filled source
of radiant heat for a chicken coop for this coming
winter. Unfortunately, I cannot seem to find any store that sells
them, everyone now sells plastic buckets.


Got another idea for you. It's what my dad used to use. He just
mounted a big honking resister to a small board and covered it with an
upside-down metal bread pan screwed down to the board. I'm not sure of
the exact value of the resister, but it is not really critical. It was
one of those ceramic types about the size of your thumb. Also just
drill a bunch of holes in the bread pan so the heat can get out. It
serves as a heat shield. It can be mounted on a sidewall next to the
nesting boxes.
Big-T



The resistor would have to be hot enough to be a fire hazard...

space heaters are nothing but resistors and blowers, by the way.


Use the type of resistor with an aluminum housing which mount directly
on a metal enclosure using heatsink compund and screws. The
temperature of the resistor needs to only be a few degrees higher than
the desired air temperature. The chance of a fire hazard even if
flamable material comes in direct contact with the resistor is about zero.
--
Lou Boyd

lid (Ignoramus12377) writes:

I am aware that the alternative solution is an oil filled radiator
heater for small rooms. The problem with them is that their
thermostats are graduated starting with 50-60 degrees or so, and I
want a lower setting, just to keep the coop above freezing.

I have in my hand a little gizmo called a Thermo Cube, that is a 15 amp
plug fixture with a thermostat that kicks on at 35 degrees. UL listed
and the whole bit. You could plug whatever you want into it, and it
would only run when the temperature got near or below freezing.

They are great for greenhouses, pump houses, etc.

--
http://home.teleport.com/~larryc

"Ignoramus12377" wrote in message
...
I need to buy a metal bucket (galvanized) with a cover. I will use it
in conjunction with a fishtank water heater as a water filled source
of radiant heat for a chicken coop for this coming
winter. Unfortunately, I cannot seem to find any store that sells
them, everyone now sells plastic buckets.

The reason why I want to buy galvanized is threefold:

1) it conducts heat better
2) it can be painted black (I assume plastic buckets are not
paintable) to radiate better
3) It can be better grounded, being metallic.

So, where can I buy one? It does not have to have the shape of a
bucket, it can be rectangularly shaped or whatever, but it requires a
cover.

I also own a metal "jerry can" for gasoline, but I am afraid that it
will simply rust through as it is not galvanized inside. I am afraid
to fill it with any kind of oil for safety reasons.

I am not dirt poor and I can spend $10 on a bucket.

I am aware that the alternative solution is an oil filled radiator
heater for small rooms. The problem with them is that their
thermostats are graduated starting with 50-60 degrees or so, and I
want a lower setting, just to keep the coop above freezing.

All the tractor/farm supply stores around here that sell chicks and chicken
feed also sell all the hardware bits for setting up and taking care of the
coop, including heaters. I think most small-coop people w.o a dedicated
heating plant just use IR bulbs in a shielded fixture, or even toaster-style
resistance heaters, hooked to a thermostat or timer. Mounted high, of
course, to avoid that smell of burning yellow fuzz.

aem sends...

Ignoramus12377 wrote:

Down here, we don't heat chicken coops. However, it sounds like a
lighbulb in a paint can that was suspended from the ceiling would
work pretty good. That's all we use to heat uninsulated well houses
down here (without the paint can of course).

Not a bad idea. You would need a thermostat for it though, to not burn
or overheat the chicken.


Chickens are not THAT stupid. You're talking about a 3'x3'x3' space.

Put a light-bulb in the space.

You are raising chickens for food .. Right. To save money ,
Right........... What is your kwh cost !!!.. Midwest USA apx
1275 out west at low .065 ... A 100 watt in midwest 24 hr x 7 is
apx TWELVE dolars a month .... EAT your chickens before they
eat YOU or they are just pets.

Do you really need to heat the whole coop? We just heated the water so
it wouldn't freeze and let the chickens heat themselves. They generate
a lot of heat and are well insulated.

--
free men own guns - slaves don't
www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/5357/

Call someone in your area with a well and find out how they keep the
well house from freezing. Whatever method that is will probably be
your best bet because they are looking for the same thing that you are
and experience has given them the best solution.

Well, if they didn't have a death wish they purchase a pump house heater.
They come in 120 or 240 volt versions and have a thermostat that cuts in
just above freezing.

On Wed, 13 Aug 2003 10:42:06 -0700, Tim May wrote:

(snip)

You _really_ need to learn how to use Google.

Some people are staying away from Google. They prefer other search engines which
don't do as much spying on them.
Anyone who thinks there is some good in everyone hasn't interviewed enough people.

Eastman's Personnel Director's Law

"mark Ransley" wrote in message
...
You are raising chickens for food .. Right. To save money ,
Right........... What is your kwh cost !!!.. Midwest USA apx
1275 out west at low .065 ... A 100 watt in midwest 24 hr x 7 is
apx TWELVE dolars a month .... EAT your chickens before they
eat YOU or they are just pets.

With 100 watts constantly on in an insulated 3x4 foot box, the chickens
would soon be cooked. Your estimates might be a tad high.

Bob

"mark Ransley" wrote in message
...
You are raising chickens for food .. Right. To save money ,
Right........... What is your kwh cost !!!.. Midwest USA apx
1275 out west at low .065 ... A 100 watt in midwest 24 hr x 7 is
apx TWELVE dolars a month .... EAT your chickens before they
eat YOU or they are just pets.

With 100 watts constantly on in an insulated 3x4 foot box, the chickens
would soon be cooked. Your estimates might be a tad high.

Bob

On 13 Aug 2003 17:38:07 GMT, Ignoramus12377
wrote:

In article , Noah Simoneaux wrote:

My wife noticed an interesting thing on a poultry message forum she
frequents. Many of the people who heated their chicken coop had
problems with cold-weather injuries in their birds, while people who
didn't heat theirs had few. The unheated coops were insulated to
varying degrees.

Did it include people in the north of the US?

Yep, there are people from all over the country posting on that forum. That
particular forum is at www.guineafowl.com, and they talk about guineas and other
poultry there.
i

Anyone who thinks there is some good in everyone hasn't interviewed enough people.

Eastman's Personnel Director's Law

well if you got to heat um birds an incandesent bulb of 100 watts
produces 90 watts heat and 10 watts light.... take kwh cost and go
figure...... I say EAT EM now !!!!

well if you got to heat um birds an incandesent bulb of 100 watts
produces 90 watts heat and 10 watts light.... take kwh cost and go
figure...... I say EAT EM now !!!!

On Mon, 08 Sep 2003 19:01:24 GMT, (Noah Simoneaux)
wrote:

On 13 Aug 2003 17:38:07 GMT, Ignoramus12377
wrote:

In article , Noah Simoneaux wrote:

My wife noticed an interesting thing on a poultry message forum she
frequents. Many of the people who heated their chicken coop had
problems with cold-weather injuries in their birds, while people who
didn't heat theirs had few. The unheated coops were insulated to
varying degrees.

Did it include people in the north of the US?

Yep, there are people from all over the country posting on that forum. That
particular forum is at www.guineafowl.com, and they talk about guineas and other
poultry there.
i

Over the last several years I've been buying old poultry books ranging
from the teens through the middle fifties in that time period when
real scientific research was being done in commercial poultry
production, but before the large confinement operations became the
norm. Free range eggs used to be the commercial norm.

Chicken house construction and cold injuries were at that time
actually a fairly well known phenomena. Chickens are much cold
hardier than people generally give them credit for and are perfectly
capable of coping with even sub-zero weather if you set their house up
properly for them.

The four most important things to do a

Protect the birds from wind and drafts. This can cause drastic heat
loss they won't be able to cope with.

Don't build the house so tight that condensation becomes a problem.
This somewhat conflicts with the first, but it can be done. Chickens
have a higher body temperature than humans and they exhale a *lot* of
moisture. If it doesn't get vented to the outside it's going to tend
to condense inside which can lead to problems and increased cold
injuries.

They need liquid water at all times, preferably not ice-water. This
can be a problem, but there are means of coping. A lot of folks just
take warm water to the hen house several times a day.

If you're not feeding them free choice grains and complete laying
ration be sure to give them a good feeding before they go to roost. A
belly full of food to digest provides much necessary warmth. If it's
really cold and laying is in a slump then try mixing up a wet mash of
ground grains and hot water. The water should be fully absorbed and
the mixture crumbly but still warm. They'll devour it. Eventually
this will plateau out, but it'll get you through a slump.

In really cold locations (Canada and the U.S. border states) choose
birds with rose combs (Wyandottes, Chanticleers, and so on) rather
than birds with single combs (Rocks, Rhodies, Leghorns, etc.) as the
rose combs are less prone to cold injuries. Frost bitten combs and
wattles will blow the bottom out of your egg production until they
heal up.

Here in North Florida most of this stuff is not needed (I do use an
occasional wet mash), but since most of the poultry books of that time
period were written by researchers at universities in the Northern
states it was discussed a lot.

With a bit of patience you can find many of these books for cheap on
EBay.

......Alan.


Post no bills

On Mon, 08 Sep 2003 19:01:24 GMT, (Noah Simoneaux)
wrote:

On 13 Aug 2003 17:38:07 GMT, Ignoramus12377
wrote:

In article , Noah Simoneaux wrote:

My wife noticed an interesting thing on a poultry message forum she
frequents. Many of the people who heated their chicken coop had
problems with cold-weather injuries in their birds, while people who
didn't heat theirs had few. The unheated coops were insulated to
varying degrees.

Did it include people in the north of the US?

Yep, there are people from all over the country posting on that forum. That
particular forum is at www.guineafowl.com, and they talk about guineas and other
poultry there.
i

Over the last several years I've been buying old poultry books ranging
from the teens through the middle fifties in that time period when
real scientific research was being done in commercial poultry
production, but before the large confinement operations became the
norm. Free range eggs used to be the commercial norm.

Chicken house construction and cold injuries were at that time
actually a fairly well known phenomena. Chickens are much cold
hardier than people generally give them credit for and are perfectly
capable of coping with even sub-zero weather if you set their house up
properly for them.

The four most important things to do a

Protect the birds from wind and drafts. This can cause drastic heat
loss they won't be able to cope with.

Don't build the house so tight that condensation becomes a problem.
This somewhat conflicts with the first, but it can be done. Chickens
have a higher body temperature than humans and they exhale a *lot* of
moisture. If it doesn't get vented to the outside it's going to tend
to condense inside which can lead to problems and increased cold
injuries.

They need liquid water at all times, preferably not ice-water. This
can be a problem, but there are means of coping. A lot of folks just
take warm water to the hen house several times a day.

If you're not feeding them free choice grains and complete laying
ration be sure to give them a good feeding before they go to roost. A
belly full of food to digest provides much necessary warmth. If it's
really cold and laying is in a slump then try mixing up a wet mash of
ground grains and hot water. The water should be fully absorbed and
the mixture crumbly but still warm. They'll devour it. Eventually
this will plateau out, but it'll get you through a slump.

In really cold locations (Canada and the U.S. border states) choose
birds with rose combs (Wyandottes, Chanticleers, and so on) rather
than birds with single combs (Rocks, Rhodies, Leghorns, etc.) as the
rose combs are less prone to cold injuries. Frost bitten combs and
wattles will blow the bottom out of your egg production until they
heal up.

Here in North Florida most of this stuff is not needed (I do use an
occasional wet mash), but since most of the poultry books of that time
period were written by researchers at universities in the Northern
states it was discussed a lot.

With a bit of patience you can find many of these books for cheap on
EBay.

......Alan.


Post no bills