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The owner who thinks that chickens will be comfortable in winter inside an insulated barn is very mistaken. During severe frosts, the bird needs additional artificial heating, otherwise egg production will decrease. When the indoor temperature drops below freezing, the chickens catch colds and may even die. No one will do real heating in the barn, but an infrared lamp for heating the chicken coop will help solve the problem of heating in the winter.
Why is it important to keep your hen house warm?
If the owner wants the chickens to constantly rush even in severe frosts, it is necessary to provide comfortable conditions indoors. First of all, the bird needs constant warmth, light and balanced nutrition. In order for a constant temperature inside the chicken coop, one must start not with the arrangement of artificial heating, but all the cracks must be carefully repaired. It is through them that the cold penetrates in winter. When you close all the manholes, do not forget about the floor. To prevent cold from coming out of the ground into the coop, lay several layers of bedding. Straw, any sawdust or peat will do.
It is important that the hen house has an insulated ceiling, because all the heat is at the top of the room. This must be taken care of even at the stage of building a barn. The ceiling is lined with plywood or other similar material, and any insulation is placed on top of the sheathing.
Compliance with these measures will help maintain a positive temperature in the hen house, but with mild frosts outside. But what should be the optimal indoor temperature? At 12-18aboutThey rush perfectly from the chicken, and they feel comfortable. With increasing frost, artificial heating is turned on to heat the chicken coop in winter. This is where you need to not overdo it, especially if infrared heaters are used. You can not warm up the room above 18aboutC. In addition, you need to monitor the humidity. IR heaters do not dry the air much, but the optimum humidity in the chicken coop should be 70%.
When using infrared heaters, it is necessary, on the contrary, to make several slots in the chicken coop. Fresh air will flow through them. To prevent chickens from sleeping cold, the perches are raised from the floor by at least 60 cm.
Coop lighting
Daylight hours for layers should be from 14 to 18 hours. Only in such conditions can a high egg production rate be expected. The solution to this problem is simple. Artificial lighting is installed in the chicken coop. Traditional incandescent lamps cannot provide the required light spectrum. Fluorescent housekeepers do an excellent job with this task.
Sometimes poultry farmers hang red lamps to heat their coop, thinking that they can simultaneously replace artificial lighting. In fact, red light has a calming effect on hens, but it is not enough. From about 6 to 9 in the morning, and from 17 to 21 in the evening in the chicken coop, white lighting should be turned on, which can only be given by fluorescent lamps.
Artificial heating of the chicken coop
With the onset of cold weather, poultry farmers begin to think that it is more profitable to choose for heating the chicken coop. You can make a potbelly stove, carry out water heating from the house or put electric heaters. There are many options, but which of them is better for the owner himself to decide. Although numerous reviews of poultry farmers say that for heating a chicken coop in winter, it is better to choose infrared heaters that run on electricity.
Red lamps
Many in stores saw large red lamps with a mirrored bulb inside. So they are the most popular heater for birds and animals. This is not a simple light source that emits heat, but a real IR lamp. Its power of 250 W is enough to heat up to 10 m2 premises.
Let's look at the positive aspects of using an infrared lamp for a chicken coop as heating:
- The rays emanating from the red lamp do not warm the air, but the surface of all objects in the chicken coop. This allows you to maintain optimal humidity, as well as constantly dry a damp bed of straw or sawdust.
- It is not scary if you forgot to turn off the IR lamp for heating the chicken coop in time. Let it burn all night. Its red light has a calming effect on the hens without interfering with their sleep.
- The red lamp, unlike other heaters, does not burn oxygen. Its efficiency is 98%. About 90% of the energy is used to generate heat, and only 10% goes to lighting.
- The red lamp is very easy to use. It is enough to simply screw it into the cartridge and apply voltage.
- Scientists have shown that the emitted red light helps to strengthen the hens' immune system and the digestibility of feed.
In addition to the positive qualities, it is necessary to take into account the negative aspects of using red lamps. Poultry farmers complain about high energy consumption. In fact, there is such a disadvantage. But, most importantly, with a noticeably high cost, the service life of red lamps is short. Although the second statement can be disputed. Poor-quality red lamps of unknown manufacturers quickly burn out. They also tend to crack when water gets on the flask. This is more the fault of the owner himself, who does not follow the rules of exploitation.
During installation, you need to take care of safety measures:
- Each breed of chickens has its own habits. Curious birds are able to hit the flask with their beak, which will cause it to crack. Protective metal nets will help to avoid this.
- All red lamps are rated for high wattage, so they are screwed into heat-resistant ceramic sockets.
A dimmer will help to make heating the chicken coop economical. Using the regulator will help to smoothly change the intensity of heating and lighting.
Installing a red lamp will not cause any difficulties. They are manufactured with a standard threaded base. The lamp is simply screwed into the socket and then fixed over the heated object. In large chicken coops, red lamps are staggered, while trying to place it closer to the center of the room. According to this scheme, uniform heating occurs.
The base of the red lamp must be 100% protected from contact with birds and splashing water. To do this, the cartridge is securely fixed with a suspension to the ceiling, and a metal mesh fence is created around the lamp. To reduce the likelihood of water getting on the flask, the drinkers are moved away from the lamps.
Infrared heaters
The optimum temperature in the hen house in winter can be maintained with infrared heaters. In terms of popularity, they are in second place after red lamps, although they work on a similar principle.It is not the air that heats the IR heater, but objects that fall within the reach of the rays.
For safety in the chicken coop, infrared devices are used that are mounted only on the ceiling of the barn. In the store, you can pick up different models with a capacity of 0.3 to 4.2 kW. To maintain the optimal temperature inside a small home chicken coop, an infrared heater with a power of about 0.5 kW is enough.
They hook IR heaters to the ceiling with suspensions, placing them at a distance of 0.5-1 m from the heated object. Although the accuracy of removing the device must be learned from its instructions. Heaters are produced in long-wave and short-wave, therefore the method of their installation is different.
If we make a general description, then an infrared heater for a chicken coop is able to heat a room with minimal energy consumption. In this regard, the devices are economical, especially if they are equipped with a thermostat. It will allow you to fully automate the heating process, and will maintain the set temperature in the hen house. Infrared heaters work silently, besides, they have a high fire safety class.
What is better to choose
It is difficult to advise which device is better to choose for heating a chicken coop. Each host has their own preferences. Judging by the popularity, Philips' products are in the first place. The company produces red IR lamps with a tempered glass bulb and regular transparent models. The first option is the most in demand. Such lamps have a long service life, and allow you to adjust the luminous flux.
Nowadays, IR mirror lamps of domestic manufacturers have appeared on the market. They are produced with a transparent as well as a red flask. In terms of quality, they are not inferior to imported counterparts, and can last up to 5 thousand hours.
As for infrared heaters, any ceiling model is suitable for a chicken coop. with thermostat... Don't buy expensive imported models. The domestic device BiLux B800 of the AIR series has proven itself quite well. The power of the 700 W heater is enough to maintain the optimal temperature in a chicken coop with an area of up to 14 m2.
Choosing an IR heater for a chicken coop, you need to correctly calculate its power. Usually about twenty layers are kept at home. For such a number of birds, they build a shed with a size of 4x4 m.If the chicken coop is initially well insulated, then even a 330 W heater is enough to maintain the optimal temperature.
In the video, testing an IR heater:
Testimonials
Let's see what poultry farmers have to say about infrared heating of a chicken coop. Their feedback will help you choose the right equipment.
I saw a photo ged IR lamp in a fish tank and remembered my experience. I made a lamp in a chicken coop and hung it on a chain at a distance of about a meter above the surface, at a smaller distance it is not effective, does not heat the surface. Well, so that the chickens would not kill her, he made a shade out of an old pan.
I watched the factory ones, they were very expensive for me.