Open Electrical Outlets and Landfowl Dander Hazard

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A very worthy thing to ponder. Right now, all the electrical outlets have something plugged into them, but soon will not, pretty much done with deep freezing that requires the dog waterers to be plugged in the barn. I have already switch backed to the metal fonts, we just are not that cold anymore. The coldest has been -2 and should not get any colder. I will employ the use of the plug covers for surely, and this is why. I know about chicken dander, call it what you will. I have a shelf in the main coop and the shelf is about 6 feet high off the ground. The other day I was getting stuff down from the shelf, just stuff like chick waterers and such and I could not believe the layer of that fluffy stuff you speak of Tara, it amazed me and I was shocked. I had never really paid attention to this before, but at the same time, I have more birds than I had last year in the main coop. Without any embellishment, there was about 3/4 of an inch of dust-like fluffy dust-like dust. I blew it off with my breath and it floated everywhere!! Now on earth this dander dust can get up 6 feet off from the floor is beyond amazing. Yes, we live in a very dry area, so makes total sense. But I am now fully armed with the knowledge of how much dust really can gather. Yes, coastal wet coast area, that dust did not exist, at least I don't remember any of it back home, probably was there a little, but not like here. Time to get stuff off the shelf and take it outside to blow the fluffies away, off to the wild blue yonder. Electrical plug covers for surely this year. Cause, hey, ya never know, and I am a pretty cautious person for the most part. Have a beautiful day, CynthiaM.

I used the outside plug covers on mine so when I unplug I just flip the cover closed.

Reg.

I'm going to add the child protectors to our new coop. We just added chickens a couple days ago.

Higs, thanks so much for this tip. We just put electricity in all the coops this winter and I haven't covered the plugs. I just wrote down for when I go to town tomorrow to pick some up. Really appreciate it!

Once a week I blow hard into all my outlets and dislodge the dust.

Electricity can be dangerous if you create a short circuit- that is, connect both holes with a conductor and have no load (machine) to work in between. Dust in a plug hole will not cause problems on its own unless somehow the two holes are connected. I can see this miay happen if there is a lot of moist dust and you stick in the metal plug ends.