Whether you are a poultry/egg farmer, or just have a small backyard chicken coop, fire can be a devastating thing. Cathy Isom continues her tips on fire prevention by giving you a few fire prevention tips for your chicken coop. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours.
Hopefully you and your farm will never have to deal with a horrifying event such as a fire. Fire prevention can help you be prepared.
Some common fire hazards for the chicken coop include heated lamps. Chickens can get rowdy and knock lamps down, clamps can come loose, and lamps can be placed too close to flammable objects. Because hens don’t typically require heat in the winter months it may be best to explore safer heating options or placing lights on a timer.
The unsafe use of extension cords can also be very dangerous. Overloading a cord or leaving cords exposed to the elements especially at connection points is a recipe for disaster. Always make sure the cord you are using is properly suited for the job and environment that your cords are in.
Straw and pine shavings are both excellent bedding options but they are also highly flammable. One alternative is sand. It’s not flammable, drains well and is fairly inexpensive.
Heated waterers are excellent tools during the winter, however, any time when electricity is a factor, it can be a fire hazard. You may find that rubber buckets work well for fire prevention as they have zero fire risk. 3-gallon shallow rubber pans can be found at many feed stores and the ice can be stomped out easily.
I’m Cathy Isom…