Consolidated Kansas

When I built my new coop this summer, I installed electric outlets to make it easier for fans in summer and lights etc. I have a timer plugged in to turn on every 2 hrs for an hour. It is connected to a homemade cookie Tim water heater. I had a hen just hatch 5 chicks this week and can't have frozen water in there. And the water for the other chickens is a heated dog water bowl. I did turn on a heat lamp the first few days of this drastic change of weather. I don't think it helped. So I shut it off. The girls seem content without it. And of course I was scared of a fire.

So I had a 100% hatch rate on my first brood of chicks. My broody Lil Bit did a fantastic job sitting on them. And of course they decided to come the day our weather changed. lol.
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okjenyp no need to put a heat lamp in a chicken coop....even with chicks in there if they are with a broody they should stay warm. I leave ventilation open in the coops year round.
Why are you putting the cookie tin heater on a timer? Just curious. I have always left them on full time unless I put them on a thermostat to kick on at about 33 degrees. They don't use that much power unless you have a large bulb in them. They help warm the area a little and if it is super cold it could allow the water to freeze in between times of it being on. Just sayin. When I made mine I put a ceramic or clay flower pot watering base in under the light. The clay etc helps the bottom of the tin keep from getting too hot but it also acts like a convection to spread the warmth a little more. Makes it about the same as a little ceramic heater plus further reduces chances of shorts or leaks.
 
I only used a heat lamp a cpl days to help with the shock of the drastic temp change. And the cookie tin is on a timer cuz I don't have one of those temperature timers. I had it on full power and it seemed to make thetin too hot. So I was trying to use the timer to keep it thawed but not hot. I think I may just put a smaller bulb in there. Idk. My problem I am having is its too tall for the chicks to get to. So I had to bury it in the pine bedding so they can get to it
 
okjenyp cute chicks, congrats!

TaraBella that's true, it's just hard to have them raise them because with my setup I don't have safe places for them to stay that they can't squeeze out of. I have too many cats around outside that are a danger to the chicks.

Well I think we got more snow than they said we were going to, it sure looks like it to me, ugh. I know we can use the moisture, but I sure hate having to wade out in that & I know my birds aren't going to want to go out in it. They will stand at the run door & act like they want out & the minute their feet hit the snow they will be right back in there.
 
Thanks, Trish44! It's probably best we don't live in the county or we'd keep them all.

It sure is cold here and getting colder tonight. I feel for all our chickens that haven't grown back all their feathers from their recent molt. We have a heat lamp in the coop for these cold nights and just bring the waterers in at night.

This is our first season with our flock that we got from friends who moved and it has been a big learning curve.
 
Welcome Mellowfields. Please feel free to tell us more about yourself. It's been pretty quiet here recently but we are a group of people who many have become real friends and personally know each other. Feel free to ask any questions you have. We are always glad to help in any way we can. Once in awhile you'll get 10 different answers to one question but that is the beauty of this thread. You can evaluate the answers and decide which one works best for you. I'm not too far from you. And Chooks who started this thread lives in Lawrence although she doesn't have as much time to post as she used to.
It's been a miserable few days and it sounds like today is the worst yet as far as cold goes. I have the flu to top it off which doesn't make me want to go out and spend hours caring for the birds in these conditions. Most of the birds are cowering today. I wish they all had places to go that they had a good windbreak.
 
Mellowfields if you have any pics of your birds, coop, etc. you would like to share we love seeing everyone's photos. Danz is right, we do tend to have some different opinions at times but that's OK, sometimes one thing works for one & another for the other person. We all have birds but each have our own situation & setup with them, so you have to find what works for you best. We do all love our birds though, that we have in common.

At least the sun is shining today, that's a plus but it's still not very warm today. It's supposed to start a warming trend tomorrow & I sure am ready for that. This was way too early for it to get that cold, brrrr! I spent over 2 hours out there in the freezing cold yesterday caring for birds & animals & I was just done in by the time I came in. I have winter gear I got out & put on for the first time so I was OK except for my feet. I'm going to rectify that today by ordering myself some new outdoor thermal waterproof boots for an early Christmas present. They're not cheap, but you usually have to pay for something decent & I need something to keep my feet from freezing.

Stay warm everyone!
 
You want to be careful, as if the little ones have trouble reaching water they will fall in and drown My chickens have found a wind break and are out sunning, good for them but I still water every couple of hours. Tomorrow will go quail hunting so looking forward to that
 

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