Consolidated Kansas

[sharol]

We ran ours above the ground using a couple of heavy duty plastic pipes as support (fastened to steel posts). It has been up 2 winters and seems to work OK. I run a fan in the summer and a "Sweeter Heater" and waterer in the winter in addition to a small light fixture on a timer and the timer for the door. It is plugged into a GFI plugin inside the garage by way of an uninterruptible power supply. Overkill, I suppose.

Last year I was leaving for work before I was willing to have the girls outside (7ish in the winter), so we invested in the door for my peace of mind.

Sharol

I used an extension cord to run a fan this summer. I am very paranoid of having it plugged in and on the ground in rain and snow. I dont know if I have nothing to worry about or not but this bothers me. I worry about fire. I have seen the solar doors they look super nice especially for those

 

[maidenwolfx80]

The orange one may well be. Is it round (versus the flat indoor ones) with 3 prongs? If so, it probably is an outdoor. I have two 25' that are orange and 2 100' that are yellow. I think they are color coded for length.

Yes round with 3 prong. omly prob I have every had is one freak storm that we didnt get it unpluged from the house and it popped on of my test switches by my outlet in my bathroom. I think it is a 100' one.

 

[maidenwolfx80]

We ran ours above the ground using a couple of heavy duty plastic pipes as support (fastened to steel posts). It has been up 2 winters and seems to work OK. I run a fan in the summer and a "Sweeter Heater" and waterer in the winter in addition to a small light fixture on a timer and the timer for the door. It is plugged into a GFI plugin inside the garage by way of an uninterruptible power supply. Overkill, I suppose.

Last year I was leaving for work before I was willing to have the girls outside (7ish in the winter), so we invested in the door for my peace of mind.

Sharol

Good idea if you are not going to be home for sure.. Maybe I can put that old pvc pipe to use then.. Maybe attach them and run the cord thru laid out and attached to cynder blocks ... hhmmm you got the wheels turning now. I have been busy all day trying to come up with the brooder and trying to get as many opinions on it as possible, what others have used and such.. Still opened to those guys..

Also though of my 200 +gallon aquarium turned on its side like in a photo in the brooder section. I am looking for a l or xl dog kennel because I liked the idea of moving them to that once they were ready to use roosts..

 

[sunflowerparrot]

I used an extension cord to run a fan this summer. I am very paranoid of having it plugged in and on the ground in rain and snow. I dont know if I have nothing to worry about or not but this bothers me. I worry about fire. I have seen the solar doors they look super nice especially for those mornings that you want to sleep in an extra hour and your morning coffee doesnt even get you going

I do not plan on using heat in my coop at all so wont need electric there and my brooder is inside, I really want to make a water heater for the waterer this year so I dont have to carry buckets of warm water to the coop. Although it saves money and is how gpa and gma did it I have health probs at a young age and carrying those buckets did me in...

But I will do it this year again if that id what needs to be done. I dont know if my old orange extension cord is outdoor rated maybe I will buy one that it and seehow I can get it off the ground.,.....

You could get some bicycle tubes and run your extension cord through those... I am planning on moving the animals' water bucket to my house come very cold weather so I can plug it into a warmer to keep it from freezer. I live in a mobile home so I can put the bulk of the extension cord up under the skirting and then cover any left out in a rubber tubing.

 

[sunflowerparrot]

A few photos from today...

Fern not letting even crumbs go to waste!



10 guineas - I'm letting them out into a fenced area that does not have a cover this weekend. I hope they come back!




My homemade fly trap I put up this morning as an experiment - used duck poop!


My little chick pen I made from chicken wire and attached to pallets on the floor - there are 13 chicks in there


I guess the camper needed protection.. (I love going in the camper on some afternoons and reading.. one of my favorite private places)

 

[chicken danz]

Hey everyone! I owe each and every one of you an apology. I've been a bit of an emotional mess lately. So much has happened recently to upset me, and it has severely injured my ability to think clearly. I love each and every one of you and I know I have come off sounding like an ultra be-atch lately. I do hope you can all forgive me and just tell me to shut my big mouth when I write something that sounds irritable or bold or uncouth. Or send me a PM and tell me off!!
It seems I've reacted so strongly to so many things lately. That just isn't my normal nature. I am highly emotional but I tend to keep things inside and hide my feelings. Instead I have been saying and writing things that either sound wrong or should not be said in the first place. Even when I wasn't thinking that way.
I don't know what I would do without all of you. You are my support system. Most of you have become really close wonderful friends and I treasure that more than anything.
Please forgive me!
I really do look forward to reading what each and everyone of you has to say. Sometimes I come off sounding like a know it all or kind of bossy and I don't mean to. I learn every day .... but at the same time am anxious to help anyone I can.
I promise I will try to do better.

 

[maidenwolfx80]

You could get some bicycle tubes and run your extension cord through those... I am planning on moving the animals' water bucket to my house come very cold weather so I can plug it into a warmer to keep it from freezer. I live in a mobile home so I can put the bulk of the extension cord up under the skirting and then cover any left out in a rubber tubing.

I live in a trailer so maybe I can do that idea.I like the bike tire idea,

 

[maidenwolfx80]

Hey everyone! I owe each and every one of you an apology. I've been a bit of an emotional mess lately. So much has happened recently to upset me, and it has severely injured my ability to think clearly. I love each and every one of you and I know I have come off sounding like an ultra be-atch lately. I do hope you can all forgive me and just tell me to shut my big mouth when I write something that sounds irritable or bold or uncouth. Or send me a PM and tell me off!!
It seems I've reacted so strongly to so many things lately. That just isn't my normal nature. I am highly emotional but I tend to keep things inside and hide my feelings. Instead I have been saying and writing things that either sound wrong or should not be said in the first place. Even when I wasn't thinking that way.
I don't know what I would do without all of you. You are my support system. Most of you have become really close wonderful friends and I treasure that more than anything.
Please forgive me!
I really do look forward to reading what each and everyone of you has to say. Sometimes I come off sounding like a know it all or kind of bossy and I don't mean to. I learn every day .... but at the same time am anxious to help anyone I can.
I promise I will try to do better.

Everything that has happened to you as of late more than justifies your mood. I personally have not seen you act b****chy. When we are attached so closely to animals it takes a part of us when they pass and it takes time to recover and if anyone on here does not understand that then they do not deserve to own pets. You are a trooper and the fact that you found support and comfort in your time of need in your BYC friends, I know I am new here but hope to become one soon, that is amazing.Keep on truckin momma you have a great big heart and an even bigger soul, we all love you no matter how long or short of a time we have known you..

 

[chicken danz]

Thank you Maidenwolf. That is very sweet of you to understand.
I have an entire infrastructure of extension cords running every where. I really want to put in underground wiring but it is very expensive and after studying the gauge I need for all my buildings I would need to win the lottery to run it. That is one reason why I am rethinking my entire plan about where and how to house all the birds. We do have some extension cords run in a pathway inside about a 1 1/4 " piece of PVC pipe on top of the ground where we walk all the time. Both ends of this are open however. When you have a sheathed wire and enclose it, it can dangerously build up too much heat and short out and or catch fire. I ran some wire between two hen houses and simply used normal 12-2 electrical wire but took the outer plastic sheathing off and put it inside of conduit under ground.
Okay I am sounding like a know it all again. I did go to school and learned electrical principles for my career , plus my brother is a an electrical engineer, so if I have questions I consult. I don't use it enough to remember everything but at least I try to remember basic code. I have what would be considered a very poor setup because there are cords and plugs out in the open. I did try to cover the outlets once with plastic but soon discovered that was much more dangerous than having them in the weather. It is better to just to set them off the ground and or cover them with a loose top than entirely enclose them. I have ground fault outlets installed from the house so if there is a problem we have a backup for safety.

 

[Trish44]

Danz, It's OK, we all get a little emotional around here at times. Our experiences in life make us who we are, however eccentric that may be, speaking of myself of course. I really don't think any of us mean to be hurtful, sometimes things just come out the wrong way or are perceived in a different way than they were meant. I think we have a great group here & we need to remember that. I don't know what I would do without you all either, you have become good friends & I get some good laughs from reading your posts & learn things all the time.