Thanks to a 2008 law, there are a lot more people in Duluth raising chickens these days.
But in cold weather like this there is also an increased danger of fires sparked by the heating lamps people use to keep the birds warm, so it’s imperative for chicken owners to look out for potential fire hazards.
That’s the advice coming from Lucy Amundsen of Locally Laid Egg Co.
Duluth is at the forefront of the urban farm movement, Amundsen said, and its ordinance allows licensed residents in single-family homes to keep up to five chickens. As temperatures continue to drop, many people use heat lamps with swinging cords that can catch fire.
“I keep hearing about people who burn down their coops,” Amundsen said. “There’s a lot of people who grow chickens in our region.”
For example, Duluth resident Corrie Ehrbright’s chicken coop heating lamp started a fire earlier this month that spread to her garage, damaging her car and killing some of her chickens, Amundsen said. Friends have since started a GoFundMe site to help raise money to replace some of Ehrbright’s belongings. As of Thursday, the fundraising effort had raised $670 of its $1,500 goal, according to the website.
Amundsen suggests using an incandescent lamp, which does not produce as much heat.
“It’s much less dangerous than a heat lamp,” she said. “They can (also) stack hay bales outside of their coop, and that can be a way to insulate. There are (also) water bowls that you can plug in so you keep your bowls from freezing, to make sure your birds get plenty of water.”
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