I use a goat trough and mount a float in the middle. The lines have an on/off valve. Right now I scrub and bail. I will be up grading them with drains that carry the water away from the coop. I looked a one gallon, all in one type, but it got poor reviews.I'm glad it's not just me. I really need to figure something out that works better. Agree that watering is the source of the bulk of the time and work that goes into my chicken-keeping...
- Ant Farm
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Yeah, those are the types of options I'm considering...
That round plastic bin in the middle in that first photo (looks like you have FF in it, maybe?) - I have one of those in each paddock as back up water and for summer, to wade in. I dump and refill. Works well as a secondary water source (with how hot it is here, I like to have two). I'm considering either the Little Giant one (probably the one you were saying had poor reviews) or something like what you've done. I already have the automatic waterer in hand, haven't installed it in one of the coops because I'm trying to figure out how best to mount and connect it. The reviews seemed to indicate that it was the float that would fail/was of poor quality - if I like it otherwise, I may suck it up and replace with better quality float as needed (read that one person did that).
I tend to read myself into paralysis - I need to just DO IT!
- Ant Farm
It is coined analysis paralysis around here. I read and studied for over a year before I started my projects. Way too long. I could be on F4 or F5 by now.Yeah, those are the types of options I'm considering...
That round plastic bin in the middle in that first photo (looks like you have FF in it, maybe?) - I have one of those in each paddock as back up water and for summer, to wade in. I dump and refill. Works well as a secondary water source (with how hot it is here, I like to have two). I'm considering either the Little Giant one (probably the one you were saying had poor reviews) or something like what you've done. I already have the automatic waterer in hand, haven't installed it in one of the coops because I'm trying to figure out how best to mount and connect it. The reviews seemed to indicate that it was the float that would fail/was of poor quality - if I like it otherwise, I may suck it up and replace with better quality float as needed (read that one person did that).
I tend to read myself into paralysis - I need to just DO IT!
- Ant Farm
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It took me 5 years of serious reading and planning before I finally got my first chicks...
Hopefully it will heal as long as it doesn't turn black. When it turns black, the black part will fall off. It won't heal in my experience , if it is black. This is a good reason to make sure the breed one gets is proper for the climate. Yes,I know you are in Florida and this is unusual. Sincerely tho, I have never had a breed here in western PA which didn't get frostbitten at one time in the winter. I do think ventilation may had Add to something to do with it. But we get extremely cold Jan here. So I am going with Chanteclers to avoid the frostbite. I am tired of fighting the elements and watching them ruin months of work raising young cockerels only to see the comb tips blacken. Personally, I think coops have a lot to do with it. Birds in Woods Open Air coops built to proper dimensions just don't have these cold weather problems. Put a teaspoon of food grade glycerin in the water. It won't let the water freeze and gives the birds a hole to drink out of. Won't hurt the bird in case they should drink any.
Okay, I didn't include the part where I begged permission to get them for 4 years!It took me 5 years of serious reading and planning before I finally got my first chicks...
It took me 5 years of serious reading and planning before I finally got my first chicks...
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Thanks! (I'm in Texas, actually - but the chickens came from a breeder in Florida). The confusion was that I would NOT expect frostbite here at all. Warm to hot, and not a lot of precipitation (though we do get storms, etc.), coop very well ventilated. (It's 63F right now, 10am.)
His comb got better quickly - it was only a little purple (and may not have even been frostbite). Meanwhile, I looked in their coop more carefully the next day and discovered that the waterer had leaked a lot and soaked a lot of of the bedding under the thin dry top layer, which may have explained the issue. (Waterer is outside now, and bedding stirred and dried out/replenished). Glad I caught it...
- Ant Farm
