Consolidated Kansas

[cubbysan]

Chicken Danz,
Glad you are feeling better.
Can't wait to see pictures of those puppies! Pyr puppies are the most beautiful of all breeds. I miss my two at the Rainbow Bridge.

 

[cubbysan]

So this morning I woke up to the silkies pens having frozen water! Sheesh! I thought since they were wrapped up with plastic and had the heat lamp over them, they'd be okay. But nope!! So I made up two more Cookie tin heaters about 2 hours ago and plugged them in out there. No more frozen water! Not to mention, they can snuggle up around the tin heaters if they get chilled.

I want to make one of these, but I am so afraid of the bedding catching on fire. Maybe I will have my husband build a platform to keep the heater and water on it.

Does anybody have any hints on how to keep clips and latches from freezing? I can't open the bigger doors of my coop because the raccoon safe clips are frozen. Thank goodness we have a different design for the chicken door itself.

 

[lizzyGSR]

Geese can get themselves into some real bad situations!! But Honk is ok. Honk is my canada cross goose that sometimes goes fly about. She obviously decided yesterday was a good day to fly. I found her impaled on a rebar fence post late afternoon. She obviously came down and the rebar went through her wing. She is tame and didn't fuss one bit as I lifted her up and off the post. She is big enough if she had struggled I don't know if I could have handled her, but like I said, except for a hole in her wing, she if fine. The wing should heal with no problems.

Oh my! I teasingly tell people that horses are on a "perpetual suicide mission" because they seem to find the most ingenious ways to hurt themselves. My geese are clumsy, but so far haven't seriously hurt themselves. Maybe I should tell people that horses AND GEESE are on a "perpetual suicide mission".

 

[Hawkeye95]

I want to make one of these, but I am so afraid of the bedding catching on fire. Maybe I will have my husband build a platform to keep the heater and water on it.

Does anybody have any hints on how to keep clips and latches from freezing? I can't open the bigger doors of my coop because the raccoon safe clips are frozen. Thank goodness we have a different design for the chicken door itself.

The brilliant thing about these cookie tin heaters is that they will NOT catch on fire. Mine are buried in wood chips. They are ENCLOSED-- no bulbs against the chips and the tin only gets WARM... not hot. Make one and you'll see how brilliant it is! You could set them on a couple of bricks if you are worried, and that solution would be free. Anyway, I have a few of these, and they work great. Never have to worry about frozen water ever again. Hassle free. Just be sure to tighten your nuts down on either side of the nipple so that your bulb stays upright where it should and you're Gold.

Geese can get themselves into some real bad situations!! But Honk is ok. Honk is my canada cross goose that sometimes goes fly about. She obviously decided yesterday was a good day to fly. I found her impaled on a rebar fence post late afternoon. She obviously came down and the rebar went through her wing. She is tame and didn't fuss one bit as I lifted her up and off the post. She is big enough if she had struggled I don't know if I could have handled her, but like I said, except for a hole in her wing, she if fine. The wing should heal with no problems.

YIKES!!!!!!!! OMGosh, I would have freaked if I had seen that! So glad she will be okay! Are you going to give antibiotics just in case? When my boys fought really badly a few days back and bloodied each other up really good, I ran them on antibiotics for about 4 days just to be careful. But then again, I have a ton of money invested in those silkies. I can not afford to lose one. Sounds like she is a BIG goose. I love her name! Honk! LOL

 

[Hawkeye95]

Okay, I took pictures of them in action! It was 18 degrees this morning when I checked them and NO frozen water!!!!! Amazing? Why, yes it is! LOL

As you can see, I do not worry about the pine chips being up around them. If you feel them, they are warm... not hot. These are brilliant. This is my second winter using these.

 

[cubbysan]

Okay, I took pictures of them in action! It was 18 degrees this morning when I checked them and NO frozen water!!!!! Amazing? Why, yes it is! LOL

As you can see, I do not worry about the pine chips being up around them. If you feel them, they are warm... not hot. These are brilliant. This is my second winter using these.

Thank you Haweye! I guess I have a project for my husband this weekend and he lately has loved shopping the thrift stores. How many watts is your lightbulb?

Also, do you ever have any Silkies to sell?

 

[Chickies-duckies-etc]

The brilliant thing about these cookie tin heaters is that they will NOT catch on fire. Mine are buried in wood chips. They are ENCLOSED-- no bulbs against the chips and the tin only gets WARM... not hot. Make one and you'll see how brilliant it is! You could set them on a couple of bricks if you are worried, and that solution would be free. Anyway, I have a few of these, and they work great. Never have to worry about frozen water ever again. Hassle free. Just be sure to tighten your nuts down on either side of the nipple so that your bulb stays upright where it should and you're Gold.

Would these work to use in a brooder to keep chicks warm?

YIKES!!!!!!!! OMGosh, I would have freaked if I had seen that! So glad she will be okay! Are you going to give antibiotics just in case? When my boys fought really badly a few days back and bloodied each other up really good, I ran them on antibiotics for about 4 days just to be careful. But then again, I have a ton of money invested in those silkies. I can not afford to lose one. Sounds like she is a BIG goose. I love her name! Honk! LOL

The thoughts running through my mind as I moved toward that goose sitting on the ground, not moving, was not pleasent. I knew she was alive, just didn't know why she was not up walking, or why she was so far from the rest of the flock of geese.

I was thinking antibiotic on the wound would be enough, but maybe some antibiotic would be a good idea. I don't have a lot of money in her (except for feed) but sure don't want to loose her. She has the canada "honk" which is different than the domestic goose sounds. Therefore the name Honk. She is bigger than the chinese, smaller than an embdem, but since I am short, holding her in one hand, the impaled wing in the other, if she had struggled at all I would not have been able to control her lifting her that high. She is a sweety.

 

[Hawkeye95]

Thank you Haweye! I guess I have a project for my husband this weekend and he lately has loved shopping the thrift stores. How many watts is your lightbulb?

Also, do you ever have any Silkies to sell?

I am using a 40 watt chandelier bulb, but you can go smaller if you are worried about it being too hot. And yes, I do have silkies for sale. Right now, I have a breeder Blue Cockerel, and I'd say he's between a Show Quality and breeder. He placed at ASBC Nationals and he also placed at the Kansas Classic. I'm going to peg him as Breeder over show, just because he has a few faults. BUT-- nothing major. I'd do $40 on him, firm, I can sell him for more than that at my next show. But if someone wanted him now, that's what I'd do. I have two pet quality roosters for FREE! Unfortunately, though, one of them that is for free, is the one that hurt his leg! Bummer. I'll probably have to keep him until I figure out how he will fare. Sigh. This Spring/Summer, I might have some pullets or hens for sale after I breed them. They are breeder quality--very decent birds, but for now, going to hang on to them until I see where I am at with quality on my other birds. I think I'll always have something, but not lots.

Anyway, keep your cookie tin out of the elements-- don't let it get rained or snowed on. I have mine under cover. They are still outside, just not somewhere they can get water in/on them.

 

[Hawkeye95]

Chickies-Duckies, I have no idea if it would work as a brooder. I would be worried that it wouldn't be enough to keep their backs warm. They could snuggle up next to it if they are bigger birds. My silkies do. But they are adults/older grow outs. I bet your goose will be just fine. I think my boys needed the antibiotics just because they had so many injuries all over-- not one localized spot. Glad your Honk is okay!

 

[sunflowerparrot]

I am seriously jealous that you can have heaters. I bought one of those big heated dog bowls and plugged it in out back for the dogs - the next morning, the bowl was in the front of the house! Those dogs drag everything the can get a hold of into a pile - they don't destroy anything... they're just little hoarders!

I don't worry about frozen water overnight. I don't think the animals really get up to drink in this weather like they do in the summer. I get up early (about 4:45ish..) and put fresh water in all the bowls and then will just keep an eye on it during the day. I would prefer to have used the heated dog dishes though!

Great job on your little heaters