Chickens for 10-20 years or more? Pull up a rockin' chair and lay some wisdom on us!

[Leahs Mom]

11/17/2012 Freeze Update 2
Been in the 20's several nights. Cup A (see photo below) still performing well and the mechanism isn't freezing (with the birdbath heater in the bucket). If water is pooled in the bottom of the cups that will freeze. Usually the amount is too small to interfere with the mechanism. In the evening I check the cups to see if there is a pool. If so I dump them but that doesn't happen very often. They're designed so that there isn't much water in the cup after they drink.

Cup type A. (So far I like this one best. It is the less expensive at $1.70 ea.)

Cup type B ($3.00 ea. Mechanism is replaceable inside when the internal sealing ring goes bad.)

Freeze Update #1 on the cup waterers.

I've only had a couple nights that got into the 20's so far so this is an "early report". Keep in mind that I have a bird bath heater in the bucket so the water in the bucket is between 40 - 60 degrees at any given time. My concern for freezing has been the water inside the little necks leading into the cup.


The nights that it got that cold, on cup B (see photo below), the mechanism froze. It's the one with the little metal spring in there and I'm thinking that metal spring is what was freezing up. I pushed on it and tried to get the water flow open and was eventually able to but I know that the chicken beak wouldn't have been able to get it flowing. Now that was after only a few hours at 25 degrees so I imagine if it gets down and stays in the 20's that one won't work very well.

Cup A did not freeze.

I had the same results on both freezing nights. Of course, if there is any water pooled in the cups that will freeze also, but these are designed to only let water down when the beak toggles the "nipple" and there is usually very little water in the cup at any given time.


Today I removed cup B and replaced it with another "cup A". I'll update again after we've had a longer cold-spell.

***********************************************************************************

 

[Mskayladog]

I meant to save a subject and now can't find it, the horse manure for bedding should it be fresh or already composted? My daughter has 15 horses on her farm I can get fresh mixed with shaving or composted. Thanks

 

[Mountain Momma]

Dang, I was going to offer that, you now have first dibs

They look like great dogs but the price! Oh my aching wallet.

Bruce

The lady that gave me Emma, Aussie and Olde English mix, has another litter on the way. Same Aussie daddy got to her other show dog and there will be pups in 7 weeks and ready to home 6 or 7 weeks after that. I'm very happy with Emma. She is smart, alert and eager to please . Also calm, brave and watches my eyes constantly. She even talks and is excellent at telling me what she wants. These are free to a good home puppies. Road trip anyone?

 

[Beekissed]

That would certainly be an interesting mix!

 

[normanack]

Old English Sheepdogs always make me think of this cartoon. I love the ending.

 

[bruceh]

That's some bird!

bee i think i am going to put her with the new chicks. she needs something to do.

 

[bruceh]

for roosters. i teach mine at a young age. when they are small cockerels i stomp and yell at them and make them run. i do it for about 2 weeks. no problems. i show them i am head rooster. i think i put the fear of g-d in them. the big thing i don't do is make nice to them. no cute talk, no petting , no nothing. my thought is they have a flock let the hens be nice to him. my job is watching and feed rations. i don't pet my chickens. in fact at feeding time you can hear me talking loud saying " get out of the way you idiots. " and some other choice words.

now the only one that get attention is " beak " she is the only pet. it is hard not to give her attention when she is at the front door waiting for me. mind you the coop is in the back and a 1/2 acre away from the house.

 

[Beekissed]

I never talk loud to my chickens. I actually take great pains to talk low and move slow so that they will trust me to be consistent in my movements. My flock is so flighty that I don't have to tell them to get out of the way...they are leaving the coop as I am coming into it and have to be lured back in with food...and even then it sometimes does not work with some of the birds. This is okay for me...I love it that they are wary and I know that this keeps them safe out on free range.

I don't stomp at the young roos unless they have warranted that action by getting too bold. I just watch to see if they are naturally wary of the human moving through the flock..if they are, that's good. If they are not, I will face them down or invade their personal space until they DO become wary of my passage.

 

[IAFarmGirl]

They are rather known for killing cats, aren't they? I don't think I've ever known many dogs that kill cats before hearing of my sister's pit bulls and my other sister's Doxies, who would not only kill them, but would eat them as well. So, why don't folks contain these pitties in an electric system if they are known for leaving the property? I've often wondered that.

Beekissed,

I really don't believe it is a problem with the breed of dog but a problem of the breed of owner. Dogs are very much like children but people either treat them like a baby or adult human. You cannot as a responsible animal owner just turn your animals loose and expect them to do what you believe they should do with no training. Even after you have trained them you must keep reminding them (just like teenagers) and continually training them. Dogs must have something to do and direction in doing it if you want a well behaved member of your family. No one I know would just turn their 2 yr old out in the yard and expect them to stay in the yard just because you told them to. But people do this all the time with dogs. What I don't understand is why they get the dogs if they don't want to spend time with them?

I think it all comes down to being a responsible owner and if you cannot be one then you should not get the dog.

 

[Beekissed]

That would be ideal, wouldn't it? GPs are known to wander off..a lot! I kept mine within a perimeter fence around the property but also on a wireless electric fence. Standard metal fences can be breached by any self respecting and enterprising dog so the use of both systems was advantageous to me.