Yes... Trying to help others in various threads with my bucket waterer.
some people hook them up to 110v. Just saying.It's not illegal to "deter" and the electric shock devices are listed in the DNR lists of "deter". So... legal
They don't kill, they just give a surprising shock that is supposed to freak them out enough to encourage them to nest and land elsewhere.
You can ask a moderator to change the title of a thread you created by using the report button when you're in that thread.Yes... Trying to help others in various threads with my bucket waterer.
Once I have all the kinks out I'm going to try to change the title in the thread you linked above from a question to something that will get people to look if they need one of these things. I'll also post the final outcome and all my recommendations. If I can't edit the subject of the thread then I will make a new one that just has the final product with the kinks worked out.
Yes... Trying to help others in various threads with my bucket waterer.
Once I have all the kinks out I'm going to try to change the title in the thread you linked above from a question to something that will get people to look if they need one of these things. I'll also post the final outcome and all my recommendations. If I can't edit the subject of the thread then I will make a new one that just has the final product with the kinks worked out.
You can ask a moderator to change the title of a thread you created by using the report button when you're in that thread.
Better to have all info in one thread then link it to share in other threads so you don't have to update 100 threads ;-)
If you started the thread you can change it just by going back to the first post and editing it.
deb
The mods can, I just had one done.
I like this! I was trying to figure out how to use the 1/2 gallon jars. Thank you for posting!Okay...finally...
The All Glass Natural Chicken Keeping Waterer (Posted on the natural chicken keeping thread also.)
All the "whys":
On the NCK thread I'm always talking about using glass and all the "evils" of plastic.I get especially concerned about the xenoestrogens in plastics and other manufactured products, siding on our houses, paints, pesticides in our foods and in the environment, etc. etc., etc.
There are so many people that are having estrogen-related issues due to overload in our modern times that I like to avoid plastics as much as possible. I surely don't want to add more estrogens to my food supply! (After all, healthy food is one of the main reasons I have the chickens!) See some links at the bottom of this post if you're interested in reading more about it.
Animal health and longevity are also at risk from these same factors...
Anyhow...I digress.
So I've been trying to come up with an all-glass waterer that is easy to fill, use, clean, and has a nice flat bottom so that it can sit on a water heating base in the winter if necessary. It was when MLOwen posted the waterer that the "lightbulb" went on for me and I realized that I could make one from glass pretty easily.
So why don't I just use a glass bowl?
This waterer will be my INDOOR, year-round waterer. In the summer I put pyrex pans outside with water in various places so they can drink and stand in them if they want. But I always keep a main waterer in the hen house year-round.
In the year-round waterer, (whether used indoors or out) I don't want to have a large, open bowl getting dirt and shavings kicked into it AND I don't want any possibility of them stepping in the water in the winter and getting frost bite. I only want a small opening for them to drink from.
You might ask why I wouldn't just use my "vintage" glass waterers that work with an upside down canning jar since they are both glass and have a restricted area to drink from.
I have several reasons:
1. You have to turn it upside down just like the plastic base, canning jar waterers that you can get everywhere.. I HATE having to turn waterers upside down. Additionally, the glass vintage kind doesn't allow the jar to be screwed in place so you have to pick up the base and jar together when you want to empty, clean and refill. I'd like to just be able to pick it up and set it down like normal without dumping water all over....and maybe wash out the dish part without having to dump out the whole waterer.
The Vintage Jar Waterer:
2. The base is not flat on the bottom so it doesn't make good contact with a heater base. It only has a relatively thin rim that it sits on. It was enough to keep the water open in the dish, but the water in the jar would begin to freeze from the top down.
See how the base only has a rim (not a great photo)
3. I wanted to be able to make a waterer that would hold more than a quart if I wanted to.
So Why do they make them upside down anyway?
Because you have to have an air-tight seal or the water will just pour right out the bottom and spill everywhere.
****************
So...on to:
The All-Glass Natural Chicken Keeping Glass Waterer
- I used a canning jar and a glass bowl (Anchor Glass). The canning jar shown here is 1/2 gallon capacity and I found the PERFECT SIZE glass bowl after some searching around.
-I set the jar into the bowl and made a mark on the glass at the height of the bowl top. The Hole needs to be drilled below the bowl height, of course, as the water depth in the bowl will raise to the top of the height of the hole.
- Purchased a a 1/2" glass and tile drill bit. (Tried using a smaller bit first, but found that 1/2" worked very well for water flow.)
- Then, very carefully drilled a hole at the right height. This is the tricky part as drilling glass can be a little unstable. I tried 2 different kinds of bits and liked the one shown best. I wore goggles, long sleeves and gloves just in case there was a shatter. I also practiced on a different jar the first time. Not one mishap!
I was very careful to wash out the jar and re-wash out the jar, as well as testing the edge of the drilled hole to be sure no glass shards or sharp edges were left to harm the chickens.
-Now I needed an AIR TIGHT LID. Canning jar flat lids will make an air-tight seal when screwed down tight. (These are easily replacable when needed...available everywhere!) I put one inside one of the plastic lids designed for canning jars to make the seal. However, you can use a regular metal ring rather than the plastic. I used the plastic ones because I happened to have one and because I know that the metal ones can rust and deteriorate and become hard to remove over time. THE PLASTIC AND THE FLAT LID WILL NOT COME IN CONTACT WITH THE WATER.
-When I fill the canning jar, I simply put my thumb flat over the hole. You could use a cork if desired, but the thumb method seems to work just fine. After it is filled, keeping the thumb over the hole, screw the flat down tight using either the plastic lid or metal ring. You can now either lay the canning jar down flat on it's back with the hole up and remove your thumb from the hole as the water won't spill out, or just keep your thumb over the hole while carrying it out to put in the bowl.
-To put it in the bowl, put your thumb over the hole, put the jar over the bowl, remove thumb and set the jar into the bowl. It won't dump much water at that point so you have plenty of time to get it settled down into the bowl while holding the jar from the top.
-It will fill right up to the the top of the hole level and stop. Refilling as the birds drink just to the level of the hole as long as the seal is screwed down tight to make it air tight.
-When I need to clean the bowl or refill the jar, I can lift it right up (upright) and tilt it back with the hole up. I have laid it on the floor on it's back or on top of any other surface as the canning jars have "flat sides" and won't roll away. Pick up the bowl, dump and rinse out, replace the bowl and put the jar back in if not adding more water. Or rinse out the jar, re-fill as above, and replace onto the bowl.
I know that the folks on this thread like diy and probably aren't squeeemish about drilling glass. But on the other thread, I said this:
I know that a lot of folks might be leery of drilling glass so I'm willing to make and sell these if you would like to have one for yourself but either don't want to invest in a glass drill bit or don't want to try drilling yourself. You can pm me for details.
Much thanks to mlowen for the inspiration!
A few Plastic/Estrogen related links:
-Here's a link with a quick list of items from which we get estrogens. http://endojourney.wordpress.com/2009/07/31/a-list-of-xenoestrogens/
- Article: The Terrible Truth About Plastics...http://articles.mercola.com/sites/a...rible-truth-about-plastic-you-never-knew.aspx
-Plastics Affecting Children's Health http://articles.mercola.com/sites/a...wave-your-toddlers-food-in-plastic-bowls.aspx
Much, much more out there on xenoestrogens and estrogens. Google "estrogens in the environment" for more info...how they effect cancer, development in boys, etc.
