Hi all, this thread is to document my first hatch. A dozen eggs to build up my little flock of Bantam Ameraucanas.
I've been inspired by the many DIY incubators here, but time got away from me, so I bought a Little Giant still air unit.
I put in a few bottles of water for thermal mass and let...
Hey all - haven't heard of anyone doing this...if you have, let me know.
I had a rat problem last year, they had pretty easy access to the feeder and we used to put kitchen scraps in the outside pen. We had a bunch of rats running around, all fat and sassy. I shot a few of them, trapped a...
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I've had it happen with 5 gallon buckets filled maybe 3/4 full....what are you using?
On the other hand, I had a 55 gallon drum setup for a couple years and didn't ever notice a dribble. That was outside though.
I think the nipples are great for outside watering. I've found they tend to leave a wet patch of litter from stray drips when used inside. Sometimes the nipple can get stuck in the up position and leak a fair dribble.
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Some of the new nipples I ordered from Farmtek seem to be leaking as well...just a bit, but it makes the floor wet. Had one leaking a fair stream, good thing I happened to check on it. A bit chagrined, I am. I had thought it was just a cheap eBay nipple problem. It's knocked my...
Where are you all buying these from? I've read here in the forums of some cheapo knock-offs that tend to leak. I don't know how many companies make the things, but I haven't had any problems with the ones I've ordered from Farmtek. Been using them for a few years now. I use teflon tape on the...
You're welcome! I had the barrel outside the run, so the PVC brought the water into the run. The whole thing would freeze up in winter, never put a heater in it. Everything was just fine when it thawed out again.
Being such a small device with such a small outlet for water, I think the nipples...
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I've done it with a 55 gallon drum, except I attached a 4 foot length of PVC to the barrel and put the nipple in the PVC. Worked great. I imagine putting them directly into the bottom of the barrel would work just as well.
I think a timer and power door lock actuator could work well in your situation. Check out how this guy uses them to close his coop door:
http://www.nifty-stuff.com/auto-coop-door-prototype.php
Of course the answer is, "it depends"....
Depends on your skill and how fancy you want the coop to be.
To give you an idea, I built my first bare-bones coop, suitable for about 4 standard chickens, in a weekend. That included time salvaging lumber from a bunch of pallets.
Your mileage may vary!
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Sorry, I was being a little facetious about the whole room thing. Hundreds of thousands of worms per year just sounds like a big project. And with my addled brain, I start thinking how high can you push that number...what percentage of total feed could you make the mealworms, etc.
I...