# Chicken Coop



## Wrangler3878 (Apr 6, 2013)

Just finished insulating a 10 x 12 shed to be used as a chicken coop, I wired it for 110V (light, inside receptacle, and outside receptacle to plug extension cord into). Then I picked up a couple 45 watt Coleman solar panels from Costco in hopes that they would be a good alternative to a 12 or maybe even 10 ga extension cord run from the shop. Only problem is I have no idea if they will do the job we want...


I got a battery from work and other than it being the HEAVY SOB I've ever carried, thats all I know about it.

The specs are as follows:
Made by the "Power Battery Co."
140Ah @ 20 Hr rate
to 1.75Vpc @ 25 degrees C
12 Volt, VRLA Non-Spillable
Float Voltage: 13.62-13.8 V @ 25 degrees C
Retourque Annually: 120 in-lbs/13.6 N-m

Not sure if this battery will do the trick or not, but it was free so not a big deal if it won't.
Any help to get me started would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks in advance...

Curt


----------



## TnAndy (Sep 15, 2005)

Wrangler3878 said:


> Only problem is I have no idea if they will do the job we want...


So what IS that job ??


----------



## wy_white_wolf (Oct 14, 2004)

What do you plan to power? How many watts does it use? How many hours a day will it run?

As Andy asked, what is the job?


----------



## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

If you want to power a *tiny* light for a* few* hours, it *might* work.
Personally, I'd bury some underground REAL power to the coop


----------



## LadyHawk77 (Oct 11, 2011)

I know people that have bought "solar kits" from big box stores for their coops. You get around 50w of panels with a cc and (2) 12v lights. They get a sealed battery and run the lights on a timer for the birds. Works great!


----------



## Gray Wolf (Jan 25, 2013)

What you've got is a good start but.....

To get from 12 volts DC in your battery, you will need an inverter that will change it into 120 volt AC. What size you'll need depends on the peak loads you intend to run. 

You also should get a charge controller to limit the power from the panels from overcharging your battery. A small one should do.

Depending on the state of charge, one battery will run a cfl bulb for long enough to check on chickens and fill food and water and fuss around. NOT for space heaters, brooders even with a bigger system.

It will run small power tools for a short time. A short time! For instance, a handheld power drill just runs for a few seconds at a time. Same for a skill saw. The starting surge to run small motors like this is probably going to be the peak load when sizing your inverter.

And then you come to wondering how charged your battery is. This is an easy one. Get the cheapest volt meter you can find. Under $10 should do it. Used batteries are most likely 'used'. More batteries is always better if you can swing it.

Now that I've muddied the water, solar can work quite well. We run our 3,400 square foot house, and a 8x20 chicken house, on solar. It's just on a larger scale.

Internet is your friend. Check places like Backwoods Solar for info and parts.

Enjoy!


----------



## Gray Wolf (Jan 25, 2013)

Well, if the picture was right side up you would see our chicken house and the panel that tuns the electric fence and two light bulbs. Sorry about that.


----------



## Jim-mi (May 15, 2002)

No telling if the bat is "used up" or not 
Can you get more of the same . . .??
You need a decent multimeter to check bat with..


----------



## Wrangler3878 (Apr 6, 2013)

WOW, thanks for all the answers and questions. Sorry for being so vague, I had this post on another forum and got ZERO info in about a month. I also was limited on characters so I had to edit my wording...
The job is just to run a light for max 4 hrs in the winter (as we don't get a pile of daylight in the winter up here) to extend the hens laying time. We will keep the chicks in the shop until its warm enough out there for them to do on there own. I have a 100 watt heat lamp, would THAT be able to run on these panels for any amount of time? Otherwise I was thinking I would buy one of those fancy new LED bulbs to run just for light.
Here's the link to the panel(s) I bought:
http://www.costco.ca/Coleman®-45-W-RV-Solar-Kit.product.100031439.html

I really only have access to one of these batteries so if you don't think it will do the trick I will look for something else, and I have no problem buying 2 or even 3 if you think I need it. I don't know much about batteries so I figured I'd give all the specs on it.

Thanks again for all the replies, looking forward to learning more as I browse through this forum.

Curt


----------



## Gray Wolf (Jan 25, 2013)

Looks like the kit has all the parts I mentioned. Recharge time won't be fast but it should work. More panels is better. More batteries is better. More sun is better. Winning the lottery would be even better - that's my plan!

I'd forget running a 100 watt bulb for 4 hours and get a 13 watt cfl or like led to nurse your power.

How does your system shut down at a preset voltage to avoid completly draining the battery, and ruining it? We have a quite sophisticated system that allows lots of settings for various things but yours may not. Keep an eye on it with your meter until you get used to it.

How will you charge the battery if the sun doesn't shine long enough? We have backup generators. You should too.


----------



## Jim-mi (May 15, 2002)

A 100watt bulb is out........
If the battery has any life left in it a 12vdc timer and a LED lamp would work.. . . .on what you have . . . providing you get enough sunlight.


----------



## Wrangler3878 (Apr 6, 2013)

OK so it looks like I will need to run an extensin cord to run the heat lamp until they are big enough/it warms up outside enough. Then I will run just a light, my wife is the chicken rancher so I'm just regurgitating what she said, max 4 hrs in the winter (5 months) and then less obviously the more daylight hourse we have. I don't know how critical the light is in the summer (2.5 months).

Gray Wolf, what would I need on my system to automatically shut the light off at a certain voltage to not bugger up my batteries? Do you think I should get MORE panels? At this rate it migh just be easier/cheaper to run sub-surface 10ga extension cord and call it good?


----------



## Gray Wolf (Jan 25, 2013)

Let's start over.

What state are you in/how many hours sun do you get summer - winter?

How far is it from existing power to the coop?

Do you want solar for reasons other than avoiding the cost of wire?

What is your budget for solar?

Will you be doing the wiring yourself?

Without knowing the answers, if the decision maker is cost, and the coop is close enough to run an extension cord to, forget solar.

If it is cheaper or you just want the coop to be off-grid for personal reasons, solar is the only way to go.

Helpful huh?


----------



## Wrangler3878 (Apr 6, 2013)

Well one of the reasons I thought about going solar is portablility, in case we want to move the coop to another spot in the yard. Our acreage is only 2 yrs old so theres a chance we may be moving things around to make everything functional. I doubt buying some 10ga sheathed cable will run me a pile of money so I may have answered my own question!! lol

As far as the solar panels go though, I think they were a pretty good price and may still come in handy at some point (Barn, camper). I don't think I would be able to get the panels and all the stuff set up in time at this point anyways for the chicks once they go into the coop.

Thanks for the insight you guys/girls, I am still interested in solar energy, and will likely swing by and harass you all again in the near future!!

Curt


----------



## Jadepony (Feb 14, 2013)

I am working on my chicken coop now, and as an experiment I plan on using a solar soda can heater (youtube has some great videos) for day heat..I know summer isn't the best time to test this, but maybe can have the kinks worked out by winter.


----------



## SolarGary (Sep 8, 2005)

Jadepony said:


> I am working on my chicken coop now, and as an experiment I plan on using a solar soda can heater (youtube has some great videos) for day heat..I know summer isn't the best time to test this, but maybe can have the kinks worked out by winter.


Hi,
I'd consider using the collector design that uses two layers of screen as the absorber rather than the cans. Its quite efficient and much faster and easier to build.

This is a comparison of heat output for several solar air heating collectors, including the screen absorber collector:
http://www.builditsolar.com/Experimental/AirColTesting/Index.htm

Details on the screen collector: http://www.builditsolar.com/Experimental/AirColTesting/ScreenCollector/Building.htm

The screen design also makes a good thermosyphon collector as long as the vents are large enough -- seems like a thermosyphon design with no fan and controller would be an advantage for the chicken coop. Like this shop collector: http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/SpaceHeating/solar_barn_project.htm


Gary


----------

