Consolidated Kansas

[lizzyGSR]

@rlh1 - Nice coop so far!

For roosts, I've never tried a ladder roost. I have a hoop coop and didn't have the vertical height for one. I installed two roosts with a "U" join so to speak so the roosts could be lifted up and removed as necessary, but they won't move around when a bird jumps on them. I've got room to install several more if I need them, but I've got few enough birds right now that I don't need them.

Speaking of roosts, I have been noticing that when my birds are locked int he coop/run, they tend to sit on the food and water buckets, pooping all over them. They have a temporary roost in the run (a 2x4 sitting on some 5-gal buckets) but they didn't seem to like that very much. So, yesterday, I took an old wooden fence post and suspended it from the top of the hoop coop using wire, wound around the post a couple of times on either end to keep it from spinning. In essence, they now have a swing, but I rigged it against hte back of the open door so it doesn't swing very much. They were using it this morning when I went out to let them out, and there weren't any birds sitting on the food/water. YAY!

 

[Trish44]

@rlh1 - Nice coop so far!

For roosts, I've never tried a ladder roost. I have a hoop coop and didn't have the vertical height for one. I installed two roosts with a "U" join so to speak so the roosts could be lifted up and removed as necessary, but they won't move around when a bird jumps on them. I've got room to install several more if I need them, but I've got few enough birds right now that I don't need them.

Speaking of roosts, I have been noticing that when my birds are locked int he coop/run, they tend to sit on the food and water buckets, pooping all over them. They have a temporary roost in the run (a 2x4 sitting on some 5-gal buckets) but they didn't seem to like that very much. So, yesterday, I took an old wooden fence post and suspended it from the top of the hoop coop using wire, wound around the post a couple of times on either end to keep it from spinning. In essence, they now have a swing, but I rigged it against hte back of the open door so it doesn't swing very much. They were using it this morning when I went out to let them out, and there weren't any birds sitting on the food/water. YAY!

Yeah chickens will do that if they have a flat surface to sit on that is on the ground or fairly low. That's why this summer I started using hanging water buckets with nipples in almost all of my pens. It sure keeps the water cleaner for summer. In winter I use heated dog bowls. I also set up an auto watering system for summer for my rabbits for the same reason. They tend to pee & poop in their bowls as well.

 

[chicken danz]

I have one nipple water bucket I am using but it's just there in case they run out of water in the main bowl I use. They also use it to cool down. I did learn however you really need a lid on those. I had a young bird drown by jumping in the bucket even though it was high up for them. I don't like the nipple waterers cause they do leak. No matter how perfect you have the nipples in time they'll develop a drip. I sealed the nipples in this bucket with silicone but now I have one trigger that gets stuck when they drink from it and then it starts dripping. The birds do use this to stand around when it's hot to keep cooler though so it does have a use.
Speaking of buckets, I'm waiting for a second order of peckomatic feeder kits to come. I have 8 of them installed and another 8 coming. They are pricy but certainly worth it I think. I did at one point have new buckets for every pen but they've been used here and there for this and that, so I'm short on them now. I'll have to go buy some more to finish all my feeders. I think this is going to make it so nice when I have to be gone. I wish I could afford to hang them in all the pens like the peafowl,turkeys etc. Unfortunately for the outside pens I still can't have an automatic watering system because of freezing. It's nice to know just the same that the birds can be fed for the most part if for some reason I can't get out there.

 

[lizzyGSR]

Yeah chickens will do that if they have a flat surface to sit on that is on the ground or fairly low. That's why this summer I started using hanging water buckets with nipples in almost all of my pens. It sure keeps the water cleaner for summer. In winter I use heated dog bowls. I also set up an auto watering system for summer for my rabbits for the same reason. They tend to pee & poop in their bowls as well.

My food and water containers are 5 gallon buckets (both with lids on them). I have a nipple system for the water and then a peck feeder as well. I think they're kind of heavy to hang from the hoop coop top so I've got them setting on concrete blocks. On the feeder, I wired the handle so it would stay upright. That does a pretty good job of keeping them off. Apparently I need to do that for the waterer as well. Silly birds still sit on it and make it hard to open without getting poop inside!

I have these b/c Baby is due to come any time now, and it is nice to know that my chickens will have food and water even if I'm not here to give it to them. I do have someone lined up come do chores when we're in the hospital, but it still sets my mind at ease knowing that that person doesn't have to come at a specific time for my animals to be happy. This winter, I plan on just adding a submersible heater to the water bucket. I have the horizontal nipples, which SHOULDN'T freeze. I haven't had them over winter yet so I don't know if the claims are true. If they do freeze, I'll switch to a heated dog bowl.

I had a cockerel acting pretty anxious to get out of the run this morning. I let the birds out and followed him. Well whadyaknow! My "rooster" laid an egg! LOL! Oops!

 

[spree56]

I've never heard of a peckomatic, but it sounds like a good thing. Where is the best place to purchase?

 

[chicken danz]

I've never heard of a peckomatic, but it sounds like a good thing. Where is the best place to purchase?

Frankstrade is the least expensive place to buy. They get cheaper the more you buy. If you decide to buy one let me know and I can give you a coupon code that will give you $5 off. I had spent a year working on my own feeder that worked by the exact same principle but never could get it to flow right. Plus the ones I was making just fell on the ground so it required a pan or something underneath it to catch the feed. The advantage to these even though they are basically identical, is that they come with a custom funnel to direct the grain flow, a dish that actually helps toggle it to make grain come down and a hanging wire handle for the bucket so it hangs straight. They have different sizes of washers to use depending on what feed you use. They WON'T work with pellet feed however.
I may try again later to design something for the peafowl that is similar but by the time you would buy all the parts and put one together yourself you'd have just as much invested. The worst part is postage. The birds learn to use them really quickly and the amount of waste is so much less.

 

[HEChicken]

Lizzy, that's good you found a solution that works for you. I use the galvanized waterers. They're not perfect but have worked the best of everything I've tried so far. The sloped stop seems to keep them from roosting on top as I've never had that issue with them. I have a 5-gallon and a 2-gallon and though they're not exactly cheap to buy, they last for several years each. In winter, like Trish, I use the heated dog water bowls.

Danz, I can't wait to see picks of your peck-o-matic feeders once you finish setting up.

Well, the veggie garden is really producing now so my busy turned to busy-er. My apple tree is an early producer so I'm also gathering a 5-gallon bucket of apples a day. So far I've canned 25 pints of applesauce. Yesterday I turned all my ripe tomatoes and peppers into some pasta sauce and canned 5 pints of that. I'm glad to be starting the day with no outstanding tomatoes at least. But will need to do a batch of cheese and another bucket of apples.

 

[chicken danz]

Holy crap, HEChicken, you've got a ton of work done! I've been kind of lazy on the garden front and given my birds excess produce. Yesterday I got two bags full of apples that had fallen to the ground. i.e. the squirrels she has in town are knocking them down. I brought them home and threw a couple in every pen until I ran out. They either rushed to start eating on them or looked at them like they were going to turn into a chicken eating monster. I cooked up the last batch of green beans cause there really wasn't enough to bother canning.
It was cool enough, although not real cool yesterday, so I put One Wing in the garden for the afternoon. She walks around tasting this and that and seems to enjoy it. It's normally bugs so there isn't much she can hurt. She did find a small tomato she picked and ate though. Plus she yells at the other birds that get close to her. She is used to yelling at the cat in the house when she is eating the cat food so I guess she thinks she is the all powerful chicken queen. She pecks the cat if she gets in her way.
@HEChicken if you're ever up this way again, stop by. I've made a lot of changes since you were here last.

 

[Trish44]

Lizzy, that's good you found a solution that works for you. I use the galvanized waterers. They're not perfect but have worked the best of everything I've tried so far. The sloped stop seems to keep them from roosting on top as I've never had that issue with them. I have a 5-gallon and a 2-gallon and though they're not exactly cheap to buy, they last for several years each. In winter, like Trish, I use the heated dog water bowls.

Danz, I can't wait to see picks of your peck-o-matic feeders once you finish setting up.

Well, the veggie garden is really producing now so my busy turned to busy-er. My apple tree is an early producer so I'm also gathering a 5-gallon bucket of apples a day. So far I've canned 25 pints of applesauce. Yesterday I turned all my ripe tomatoes and peppers into some pasta sauce and canned 5 pints of that. I'm glad to be starting the day with no outstanding tomatoes at least. But will need to do a batch of cheese and another bucket of apples.

Wow HEChicken you make me tired just thinking of doing all of that! You will have some great stuff for winter though. I just don't have the energy to do all of that any more. I used to can stuff from a big garden all the time, but not any more.

I have seen those peck-o-matic feeders online but I have way too many pens to buy those & I use fermented feed anyway.

 

[HEChicken]

Hey everyone, I just want to remind you all not to take a single moment for granted.

Yesterday morning I opened my Facebook to the news that a friend of mine had died in a car accident a few hours before. We just chatted (online) 2 days before! 24 hours later, I am still reeling from the news and from knowing how full of life she was and how two days before her death she had no idea how little time she had of it left.

I think most of us on here do live our lives to the fullest but this event was for me a reminder how precious and how short life really is.