A little break from the bitter cold

[R2elk]

The wind chill really is nasty. I think it was -39 while ago. You have a water system for your birds that doesn't freeze but if I left a pop door open all the water cans inside would freeze. I have a heat lamp hanging over the big main water can but it still gets a crust of ice on it. The heat lamp and the heat from 43 birds keeps it around 20 degrees inside the building. Better than what it is outside but still cold. Supposed to be -20 tonight. Think I'll just stay inside today...

You have a horse. Horse manure works much better than chicken manure for my method.

 

[red horse ranch]

You have a horse. Horse manure works much better than chicken manure for my method.

But I don't have a dirt floor in the henhouse. I like your system but it just wouldn't work here.

 

[R2elk]

But I don't have a dirt floor in the henhouse. I like your system but it just wouldn't work here.

You could have Bob build an insulated box that you can fill with manure in the bottom and around a bucket along with a platform that the hens can get up on to access the bucket..

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

But I don't have a dirt floor in the henhouse. I like your system but it just wouldn't work here.

Is this the system where you maintain a manure/compost pit in the coop, with the waterer positioned over it? After going out three times a day to get water to our birds, that is sounding good!

 

[R2elk]

Is this the system where you maintain a manure/compost pit in the coop, with the waterer positioned over it? After going out three times a day to get water to our birds, that is sounding good!

Alternate method to prevent water freezing

I have not had any frozen water in the coop this winter.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Alternate method to prevent water freezing

I have not had any frozen water in the coop this winter.

Very cool! I like the step by step instructions too! Wouldn’t the composting be by anaerobic fermentation since there’s little oxygen exchange? Does it smell bad?

I’ve puzzled over different solutions for our waterers freezing but keep coming back to: ducks! They are so messy with water! I would need to put a grate over the top and also clean the water daily for them. Our other poultry have nipple waterers but the bucket manure method would also work for them. I guess that the main reason I haven’t changed their waterers is that we are typically pretty warm. Usually, I bring the nipple waterers into the garage on cold nights and put them back out in the morning. That had only been about 12 times this winter until now. This week, I am back to watering the ducks three times a day, so I give them all water at that time. Even without the waterer issues, I’d still need to go out midday to collect eggs before they freeze. It’s a mediocre system though, and I’m losing my partner to college in the fall, so I have been trying to think of how I can streamline the work...

 

[R2elk]

Does it smell bad?

I don't notice it most of the time. It can release ammonia under the right conditions.

 

[Sydney65]

It doesn't SEEM like a mild winter here. Last year the goons and I sat in a sunny spot most days. We haven't been able to do that nearly as much or for as long this yr. Rosie does drop the random egg on occasion. Someone has a nice nest built where she nested last year. I haven't caught anyone actually in it, nor does anyone leave eggs in it. But it has wide edges built up a good 6", so someone is staying cozy! The boys come running when I open the run door, but take abt 2 steps out on the porch before making a uturn back inside.
We're to get +/- 11" over the next few days. I don't remember the last time that happened.
We did have a mystery some days back. When we put the panels up this yr, we put them on the outside instead of the inside as last yr. This was so I could hang shelves inside for each of them, as well as their feed bowls.
I went out one day to find two big dents in the panels of the door. They were easily pushed back out, but no other damage, nothing lying around that could have been a projectile. They were abt chest level on me, so 4' up, abt a ft apart, one maybe 6" higher than the other?
One would think a big dog on it's hind legs, but no paw prints or scratching.
We do have small birds that like to huddle around there, and they do fly into windows, but to dent it in that much, you'd think there'd be a dead bird.
The only other thing I can think of is a large bird. Haveot seen the eagle again, but would think she would've done some damage if she wanted in. Hasn't happened again nor been any other sign of company.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

It doesn't SEEM like a mild winter here. Last year the goons and I sat in a sunny spot most days. We haven't been able to do that nearly as much or for as long this yr. Rosie does drop the random egg on occasion. Someone has a nice nest built where she nested last year. I haven't caught anyone actually in it, nor does anyone leave eggs in it. But it has wide edges built up a good 6", so someone is staying cozy! The boys come running when I open the run door, but take abt 2 steps out on the porch before making a uturn back inside.
We're to get +/- 11" over the next few days. I don't remember the last time that happened.
We did have a mystery some days back. When we put the panels up this yr, we put them on the outside instead of the inside as last yr. This was so I could hang shelves inside for each of them, as well as their feed bowls.
I went out one day to find two big dents in the panels of the door. They were easily pushed back out, but no other damage, nothing lying around that could have been a projectile. They were abt chest level on me, so 4' up, abt a ft apart, one maybe 6" higher than the other?
One would think a big dog on it's hind legs, but no paw prints or scratching.
We do have small birds that like to huddle around there, and they do fly into windows, but to dent it in that much, you'd think there'd be a dead bird.
The only other thing I can think of is a large bird. Haveot seen the eagle again, but would think she would've done some damage if she wanted in. Hasn't happened again nor been any other sign of company.

We are SO cold!!!! Our poor poor birds. I’ve had to lock the guineas up so they don’t kick the subordinate birds out into the freezing snowy wind with -15 F wind chill. Brrrrr!!! So, they are unhappy about all being in a 8x16 ft coop together. Otherwise though, they look pretty healthy in the coop, even though the South side is open wire except for the very top two feet (roost height). Apparently, the guineas will not snuggle together no matter what temperature it is; they are all spaced at least a foot apart like they usually are...

I’ve been surprised that it’s our other poultry that are struggling. They also have coops with open South facing walls (105+ summers here!), and they were doing okay until today, when their activity and eating have dropped off. Ducks are supposed to be the most cold tolerant of our birds, but they don’t look happy either. None of my waterers are working so I’ve gone to black tubs that are dumped (outside) three times a day and refilled with lukewarm water. Tomorrow is our coldest day yet, and we are nervous about whether our birds will all survive this crazy cold weather!

Edit: added pics. That first pic is our pond! Of course the guys in our house want to test the ice by walking on it... We’ve gotten about four inches of snow so far. The only good thing about the wind is that it’s keeping the coop roofs free of snow.

 

[R2elk]

I had -16°F this morning. The guineas came right out to check it out. Later in the day they could be found sunbathing on the south side of the coop.