Safe Barn heater?????

[misty'smom]

I am in the process of getting electric in my barn. The electrician was here and did all the wiring and put in lights, plugs, ceiling fan and outdoor lighting. He mentioned I might want a heat source which he is looking into for a safe option for a barn. Our first winter last year was a very cold one here in Va. My 2 minis were under a year old but did really well and had nice furry coats!! I would like a heater just to keep it above freezing so it is not so bitter cold.

Do any of you have heat in your barns? What would be a good safe heat?? I do store my hay on one side of my barn so no heater maybe safe enough?????? Please give me any advice or experiences you may have with heating your barns!

 

[chandab]

Barns really don't need heat, healthy adult horses do just fine with out added heat in their barns. I'd say the only exception for heat in barns would be those with early foals and debilitated horses. Heat in barns is usually for the comfort of the people in the barns, not the horses; most horses are most comfortable in the 40-60 degree range and do quite well below those temps.

My horses are outside with access to shelter 24/7 year round, including our deep freeze winters with temps well below zero. They do quite well in the cold temps.

 

[MountainWoman]

No heated barns here and not in my boarding barn either and we can get to 20 below at night. Our highs are usually around 10 in the winter. When the barn doors and windows are shut, it's nice and cozy in there from the body heat generated by the horses. I do have a heated tack room though but that's for me. The horses do fine even in the bitter cold. I use blankets as needed but they develop very thick coats. I think they enjoy the cold more than summer heat and bugs. And I free feed hay in the bitter cold to help them generate body heat.

 

[bevann]

If you think you must have something I would suggest a Kal-Glo heater or something similar over each stall.The horses can stand under it if needed but most horses don't need heat unless sick or stressed from something,.I have used mine for very early foals.If you do install them just be sure it is placed so horses can get away from it.They are plugged in as needed.

 

[drmatthewtaylor]

I would discourage heating a barn. In fact, I recommend a thermometer both in/outside of the barn so both temperatures are known. The difference should not exceed 5' and should be no where near 10'. That means water buckets should freeze on 20' days.

Temperature differences >5' spread respiratory disease.

If the barn needs to be heated for 'your' comfort, then I would recommend using a radiant heater in a tack stall or office room so you could go in to warm up.

Dr. Taylor

 

[Genie]

I agree with Dr.Taylor.

I hate the frozen pails and the freezing hands up here in the frozen north but our horses always winter well.

 

[Riverrose28]

I have to agree with everyone else, I live in MD just across the river from Quantico, VA., and my weather is comparable to yours. You won't need a heater in your barn, it will only cause problems. Horses need ventalation for their respiratory system and their hooves. The cold wont' bother them at all, besides having all that undercoat and fluff the blood vessels at the skin dialate to help warm the skin, and their long face helps to warm the air they breath. If you must have a warm place for yourself, get a small ceramic heater for your tack room, I have one, but would you believe I've never used it. Be very careful in the winter with anything that heats, people a couple of miles from me had a barn fire from a heat lamp, and another person in the next county had a barn fire from a bucket heater. My fellow trail rider friends just around the corner lost their barn and tractor when he pulled it into the barn because it was getting ready to snow, and a small piece of hay ignited on the hot muffler.

 

[amysue]

Horses do much better in the cold than the heat. If you worry about cold ponies, blanket them. If you have foals early in the year, you can securely hang a heat lamp (like the ones they hang over baby chicks) to provide safe heat. Hang it from the ceiling and raise it high enough that the animals cannot touch it or knock it over. Oil filled electric radiators in a tack room are a safe choice as long as they are regularly dusted and kept clear from flammable materials. I work with many people who keep a tack or wash room heated so ensure running water is always available. As for freezing water buckets, I like insulated buckets better than heated ones, as they are free to operate and pose no risk of fire. Smartpak sells bucket cozies at a reasonable price.

 

[Miniv]

I agree with not heating the barn and Dr. Taylor explained it well.

The only place I'd consider heating is for foaling stall(s) which can also be used if and when you have a seriously ill horse. A Kal Glo heater is spendy but awesome for those kind of needs.

We use heat lamps, but there is a safety risk with them.

 

[misty'smom]

Thanks for all the great advice! I wil not heat my barn, it kind of made me nervous anyway barn fires scare me! If the cold is better for the horses than that is the way I will go! I certainly do not mind the cold, I'd rather it be cold than hot!!

Amysue, I think I will look into those insulated buckets! Maybe our Tractor Supply or Co-Op will have them!!

Thank you again everyone for the advice and experience!!

 

[disneyhorse]

Wait... You guys mean to tell me it gets colder than 50 degrees?!?

 

[BSharpRanch]

When we lived up north (30 miles from Canada), our horses only had a run in shelter. Sub zero temps for a week or so every winter. No blankets as they just didn't need them. The only two animals that had access to bern stalls was my mini bull and my Quarab stallion. The stallion LOVED being outside and would only go in to eat. The bull on the other hand would not leave his barn stall once there was snow on the ground.

 

[Marty]

Never in a million years would I have a heated barn. Its just too unhealthy. I'm not growing orchids. However my barn is insullated although it would have to be pretty darn cold before I closed the doors completely shut. I usually always leave them part way open for air ventilation. I finally did get a hot water heater last year installed in the tack room and that is a blessing. I do not trust though heated buckets so running a hose in the barn with warm water is by far excellent.

 

[MountainWoman]

Misty'sMom, the bucket cozies are wonderful. I don't know if they are in Tractor Supply yet. They were developed by a woman who lives up here in the very frigid Northeast. I use them in the barn but I have to tell you if you have a mouthy horse or a horse who is really curious, they will pull them off and if you use the top, it takes some time for the horses to get used to them. Mine thought they were toys at first but with some training, they leave them alone. I use a solar water heater outside and the bucket cozies in the barn and I think both are great but we are dealing with some cold temperatures beyond what most people experience in winter so most people probably wouldn't need a solar water heater. DisneyHorse, 50????? Wow!! That's summer here so we're all heading to visit you this winter.

 

[amysue]

I almost forgot to mention that there are also permanent insulated bucket brackets in the farm tek catalog. They are a metal bracket that is insulated to hold a 5 gallon pail (like a Home Depot homer bucket). The plastic bucket slips right into the bracket and you can remove the handle of the bucket for safety (if you want to). The brackets are almost indestructible and permanent. They are thicker than a cozy and I have never had more than a slight skim of ice on the top of the bucket. I too have a mini who LOVES to play with his bucket cozy. I definitely love the cozies, but if I did not have a sewing machine I would be replacing the tops to them often. I did find that the cozies do not work as well if the tops are off, but it takes a bit of training to familiarize the horse with drinking out of the covered bucket. If the top gets wet (which it will) it freezes and does not insulate the bucket as well. I resorted to wrapping electrical tape around the top of the bucket cozy cover a few times, which works great, until you have to take it off. The cozies also come in a muck bucket size, which are great for paddocks where trough heaters are not an option. The cozies are available in smart pak's catalog, the muck bucket cozies are available in Dover's catalog and the permanent brackets are available in farm Tek's catalog. You can also buy thermo cube plugs to plug heaters into in the barn. They turn the heater off once the temp reaches above 32 degrees. They are also available in the farm tek catalog. Hope you keep warn this winter.

 

[misty'smom]

Thanks for all the great tips on the winter water buckets!! I will have to do some investigating and see what I can find! My 2 yearlings are very curious, mouthy and always trying to get into something so I'll have to experiment!! Lol

My husband is also going to put some insulation in our barn. We have been finishing the interior walls and building some shelves too. We are waiting for our inspection to get the OK and then get our electric company to hook us up! So little by little we have been putting some finishing touches on our barn!

 

[disneyhorse]

We body clip year round in barns sometimes here... So stall heaters are helpful if the nights dip into the 40s (which we consider to be subzero temps!)

 

[MountainWoman]

DisneyHorse, you make me smile. I'm definitely headed your way to visit this winter. I guess it's all relative as to what is considered cold.

 

[disneyhorse]

Come on over...

 

[susanne]

My horses greatly prefer their 2-sided corner shelter to the run-in barn. The only reason they like the barn is for the white exterior wall that reflects the heat of the sun and gives them a wind-sheltered spot to sleep in the sun (...we're in NW Oregon, but once or twice every winter we do actually see that golden orb!).