Old barn fire changed my whole setup last winter

Lost a small coop near Norfolk to a heat lamp short. That sparked a debate here: heat lamps versus heated pads for winter. I switched to pads after that, but my neighbor says lamps are fine with proper guards. What do you all do for winter warmth?

2 comments

2 Comments

ruby5616d ago

Buddy of mine up in Maine had a lamp fall off a crossbeam a couple winters back. Caught a bale of straw on fire in under three minutes, he said the smoke alarm barely gave him time to grab the birds. He switched to those flat heated pads afterward and swears by them, calls the lamps a ticking bomb. But then his cousin runs lamps in a drafty shed with those wire guards and a chain, never had a lick of trouble. Guess it depends on your setup and how much you trust gravity not to mess things up.

roseb626d ago

Heard a similar story from a friend down in Virginia who used lamps for his goats. One tipped over in the night and singed a whole corner of the barn before he woke up. He said the smell was what got him out of bed, not the alarm. Now he only uses those infrared panels and a backup generator for peace of mind.