My wife never had pets in her life till she married me and I brought my Samoyed, Arno Dog. If it is a chicken I would give the hen a name like Henrietta Cluck with the name so everyone would know I was talking about my chickens. Over our 43 years of marriage she could not believe the off the wall behavior of my dogs. Nothing ever bad but each had it's own behavior patterns that brought a lot of laughs to us, our 4 children and our neighbors but my backyard chickens really bring their own crazy behavior into our lives. Like when my chickens see me they come running and some of the hens will squat down wanting me to pet them or pick them up. This behavior got my name changed from “Joseph Ernst”.... to “Elvis” by my wife telling me my chickens are my groupie. Today my little flock really got our attention while we were eating breakfast. The Cozy Coop Heater stopped working a couple days ago and they are not happy about lack of heat and they have let me know it but today they outdid themselves by coming up to the landing outside our pair of Atrium Doors in Breakfast Room with the rooster closest to the glass and the hens behind him so they could watch me eat my breakfast while they stared at me. To make sure I saw them in the Atrium door with direct view of my eating some of the girls peck at the door. I will admit they even got my wife's attention with their pecking and dancing around but not the rooster who just stood and stared at me. I have wonder if they will be out there tomorrow and every day till I get some heat in their coop that is comply insulated with batt insulation to help keep them warm in the winter a cooler in the summer. I installed a small fan up at ceiling level to bring in fresh air when the weather is permits. My crazy flock is Bielefelder chickens and 3 Salmon Faverolles that chatter all the time, they are a noise chickens.
I do not know what to do because I purchased several Cozy Coop Heaters in the past and they last only a little over a year so I am not doing that again. Before that I had a light bulb burning in a fairly large cast iron pot to put out heat, but now I cannot find it to use it. I did buy a small oil fill heater but the cold as it is I am afraid it may catch fire and destroy my flock which I do not want. I bought several heater bulbs but they need a ceramic base and I had a dozen of the bases and now I cannot find even one.
Please Advise.
I do not know what to do because I purchased several Cozy Coop Heaters in the past and they last only a little over a year so I am not doing that again. Before that I had a light bulb burning in a fairly large cast iron pot to put out heat, but now I cannot find it to use it. I did buy a small oil fill heater but the cold as it is I am afraid it may catch fire and destroy my flock which I do not want. I bought several heater bulbs but they need a ceramic base and I had a dozen of the bases and now I cannot find even one.
Please Advise.