Yep, no snow in Berthoud, either, just clouds and a stiff breeze. That is bizarre about the forecasts here, yesterday: one minute it was a blizzard warning, and the next it was for partly cloudy and almost mild. No two forecasts were the same; maybe the meteorologists get paid double for being extremely confusing? I am NOT complaining since I used the good weather to get lots done. I have TWO trees on my windswept two acres, not much to keep a beaver busy, but I appreciate the concern. I just removed a couple of dozen eggs from the Silkie Dogloo, leaving another dozen to keep them occupied and happy. Three of the layers are 2 1/2 year olds, another three are their first generation offspring, and there may be one or two spring hens in the mix. These guys just don't know when to stop. And I am still getting eggs from my Light and Speckled Sussex F1's and various other spring hens. A lot of these eggs I scramble and mix with scratch to feed back to the flocks.
I am looking for some nice BIG SS hens, btw, and will travel some next spring to get them if their ages, pics, and weights are OK. I have a few nice but underweight SS Roos and LS Roos needing good homes. The LS are especially docile with people.
I am trying out a few things new to me this winter. First, for winter water needs, I am using some 20 gal "plastic" trash cans with horizontal nipples and API de-icers, some 12 1/2 gallon Sterilite flip latch totes with horizontal nipples and de-icers, and last, some 5 gallon buckets fitted with horizontal nipples set in x-large heated dog watering bowls. The dog bowls have been a successful and pleasant surprise so far, as they keep the water in the buckets from freezing and use only 60 watts; this is substantially lower than 250 and an important consideration if you are having to use more than just a few on one circuit. If mine last through the winter and prove to be reliable, I will do a very positive review on them. I like the flip latch totes for watering mainly because they fit below the heated rain barrel spigot from which I fill them; they hold a lot of water, and I don't have to drill any holes to fill them or accommodate a de-icer cord; they can be set up flat against a fence so that one waterer can serve both sides of the fence, they are not at all tipsy, the hens can poop all over them without any affect on the water, and they are very easy to clean and fill. I suppose I could just go ahead and write a commercial. The best thing about the 20gal. Trash cans with horizontal nipples is that they hold a lot and work well with the 250 Watt de-icers.
The last new thing I'm trying is a 100 foot expandable hose that hooks up to a quick disconnect on my sink faucet. We shall see how this goes when, next Jaunuary, my heated rain barrels need refilling on a cold miserable day. Thoughts? Experiences? Admonitions? Reservations? Ideas? Help?
