Winter is almost here!! Share your tips and tricks for coping the elements with your chickens!

[MollySunshine]

Thanks!
Had to copy and paste...here's the full link(I think)

BUT... that's a great video!! Will be refrencing it often.

There's one thing about that set up that concerns me, the roost looks awfully close to the ceiling.

I would need to take a closer look at the roost you are speaking of. I was so engrossed on the ventilation issue that I didn't notice. BUT, I did learn here that my upper roost that is located in what is now considered my hen house, is too high. I will remove that roost. I made certain hubby didn't place a roost that high in the bachelor pad. There's so much to learn!

 

[CuzChickens]

I would need to take a closer look at the roost you are speaking of.  I was so engrossed on the ventilation issue that I didn't notice.  BUT, I did learn here that my upper roost that is located in what is now considered my hen house, is too high.  I will remove that roost.  I made certain hubby didn't place a roost that high in the bachelor pad.  There's so much to learn!

How can you have a roost that is too high?

 

[crealbilly]

I rotate two plastic waterers in the winter when its subzero.  If one freezes up I bring it in the house.  I don't bang it on the ground to break it up.  I then bring the second down with open water until that freezes.  I've had those two waterers for 4 years.   Yep they do get brittle over the years...I agree.  But that galvanized steel will break down and leach zinc into your water and make your animals sick.  It will take a while but it will do that. I had a galvanized bucket for my labrador.  Real cute in the house until she was not eating and vomiting everyday for a week.  I finally figured it out and got rid of the galvinized steel for her water bucket and she got better.
I like ACV in my water for my birds and it will make that leaching process happen even faster...thus leaving me the only other fount option their is:  Plastic. 

I'm not a big one to throw money away.  And don't get me wrong of love the tough industrial stuff better than most folks and will invest in it when I can.  But I had let that one go. 

Never heard of such a thing as zinc leaching from a galvanized waterer, i guess anything is possible though... I'm going to wire brush mine and spray paint mine black to help the sun heat them up in the winter time.

Take no offense please, but plastic waterers really suck ive tried several differnt ones... if there is a good one please post a link or picture of it. We get plenty of wicked winter weather here in southern IL and its not a question of IF the electricty goes out its a question of WHEN. Frozen water in a plastic waterer will simply destroy the waterer and thats why i consider them garbage and a big waste of money. Not to mention the threads must be chineese because im constantly cross threading them which causes them to leek all over the place. Whats up with the whole concept of turning them upside down to fill them? They constantly need to be cleaned of algae which is very difficult to do.

I like my double walled steel wateres the best, dont think there is a much better design out there for a small flock.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

How can you have a roost that is too high?

Moisture collects in the roof line, in winter it can cause frostbite, as well as chickens can sustain leg injuries flying down from high roosts, that being said some of mine manager to get up in the rafters of my shed which is 20 feet up.

 

[CuzChickens]

Never heard of such a thing as zinc leaching from a galvanized waterer, i guess anything is possible though... I'm going to wire brush mine and spray paint mine black to help the sun heat them up in the winter time.

Take no offense please, but plastic waterers really suck ive tried several differnt ones... if there is a good one please post a link or picture of it. We get plenty of wicked winter weather here in southern IL and its not a question of IF the electricty goes out its a question of WHEN. Frozen water in a plastic waterer will simply destroy the waterer and thats why i consider them garbage and a big waste of money. Not to mention the threads must be chineese because im constantly cross threading them which causes them to leack all over the place. And whats up with the whole concept of turning them upside daown to fill them?

This plastic one is amazing. You do not have to turn it upside down to fill it, and somebody said that they just keep two waterers, when one freezes, bring it in the house to thaw, and then switch them out. But this is the only plastic waterer I like. Only thing I do not like about it is that it is a bit tricky to clean.

http://www.circlecsupply.com/little...-gallon.html?gclid=CKXa2oWaxM8CFcRkhgod6oQJXQ

 

[CuzChickens]

Moisture collects in the roof line, in winter it can cause frostbite, as well as chickens can sustain leg injuries flying down from high roosts, that being said some of mine manager to get up in the rafters of my shed which is 20 feet up.

Oh, ok. Mine do not fly down, I have mine staggered, and they hop from roost to roost. I do not think mine is too high.....:/

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Never heard of such a thing as zinc leaching from a galvanized waterer, i guess anything is possible though... I'm going to wire brush mine and spray paint mine black to help the sun heat them up in the winter time.

Take no offense please, but plastic waterers really suck ive tried several differnt ones... if there is a good one please post a link or picture of it. We get plenty of wicked winter weather here in southern IL and its not a question of IF the electricty goes out its a question of WHEN. Frozen water in a plastic waterer will simply destroy the waterer and thats why i consider them garbage and a big waste of money. Not to mention the threads must be chineese because im constantly cross threading them which causes them to leek all over the place. Whats up with the whole concept of turning them upside down to fill them? They constantly need to be cleaned of algae which is very difficult to do.

I like my double walled steel wateres the best, dont think there is a much better design out there for a small flock.

No offense taken. I know what I know from learning the hard way is all. It's totally up to you what and how you want to feed and water your flock out of. I just remember a sick dog and I remember seeing rusty crappy looking old metal waterers at other set ups with that rust film in a matter of hours on the top of the water. I will deal with cheap plastic over getting animals sick. I've had those plastic founts frozen solid many a winter morning here in Northern Minnesota. Our cold days definitely put equipment to the test and we just adapt with what we have I guess. They do have some flex to them. Usually they drop an inch or two of water out as soon as you flip them over and there's room for expansion of the ice. If you try to force the bottom red plastic piece off while they are frozen...they will break. So I either bring down a steamy hot pail of water just to pour on them to get them to release the ice block or now rotate a thawed one in it's place.

I'll try to find a picture here of what my winter watering looks like. I am interest in these horizontal watering cup set ups....though... I need to talk to more folks on my local thread though.

Okay here's the building of a cookie tin heater. Again I use a 40 watt bulb. 25 watt doesn't heat enough. 60 watt gets the metal too hot. (No burning the chickens or the coop! )



I set that on old bricks. Then on top of that I put the fount pictured below on top of the cookie tin. Pretty simple.


Edited to add that if you search on BYC enough about Apple Cider Vinegar supplemented in water there will often be a member warning about metal waterers. The vinegar (acid) really does a number. I trully believe that as that metal ages as well...things start to break down. I believe that my dog used the bucket 3-4 years and then she started getting sick drinking out of it.

That's what I know.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

This plastic one is amazing. You do not have to turn it upside down to fill it, and somebody said that they just keep two waterers, when one freezes, bring it in the house to thaw, and then switch them out. But this is the only plastic waterer I like. Only thing I do not like about it is that it is a bit tricky to clean.

http://www.circlecsupply.com/little...-gallon.html?gclid=CKXa2oWaxM8CFcRkhgod6oQJXQ

I love the look of those waterers. I think they are pretty good ones.

I have just opted for this particular one because I have to change out the water before it's all used just on this size. My flock just doesn't go through it fast enough, I guess, before it needs a freshen up.



Note also: the way these two pieces of the fount connect... This is the one you want.
There's a pain in the butt version of a similar fount with different connecting 'mechanism'. That just keep twisting and twisting and the bottom pops off with any amount of water coming out of the white plastic part. Total pain.

 

[aart]

Quote: True dat....but my concern was more it didn't look like there was enough head room to even just get up there or stand comfortably without their heads touching the ceiling.

It's best to keep the roost as low as possible for maximum overhead 'ventilation without drafts'.
Here's my theory on the 'stack up' aspect to coop design:
Bottom of pop door is best about 8" above floor so bedding doesn't get dragged out of coop.
Nice to have bottom of nests about 18" above bedding to allow use of that floor space under them(doesn't count if your nests are mounted on outside of coop).
Roosts are best about 12" higher than nests so birds won't roost(sleep) in nests and poop in them, if you use poop boards under roosts it will also 'stretch' your floor space.
Upper venting works best as high as possible above roosts so no strong drafts hit roosts in winter...and hot/moist air and ammonia can rise and exit coop.

 

[CuzChickens]

I love the look of those waterers. I think they are pretty good ones. I have just opted for this particular one because I have to change out the water before it's all used just on this size. My flock just doesn't go through it fast enough, I guess, before it needs a freshen up. Note also: the way these two pieces of the fount connect... This is the one you want. There's a pain in the butt version of a similar fount with different connecting 'mechanism'. That just keep twisting and twisting and the bottom pops off with any amount of water coming out of the white plastic part. Total pain.

I use those waterers for my chicks! I like them.