Eastern Tennessee Thread

[Lunar]

yes, thank you for the help. I started to use the heat tape like we talked about, but it was rather expensive and I wanted to try to keep it down in cost. They seemed to like it, so that's what matters I guess. Maybe I can let some of my chicks out a bit earlier than next spring now. I have some 7 week olds that are running out of room inside the house in that 75gal aquarium. I can up the bulb wattage and raise that temp inside there if I do. That is....if the adult Seramas will share.

 

[TNBEARCHICK]

beth, that looks super warm and cozy. All they will need now is cookies and hot chocolate

Ok, so... Haven't been in on this conversation before but, wondering... how do you get the 5 gallon buckets with chicken nipples from freezing at the end of the dripping nipples?

 

[TNBarnQueen]

beth, that looks super warm and cozy. All they will need now is cookies and hot chocolate

Ok, so... Haven't been in on this conversation before but, wondering... how do you get the 5 gallon buckets with chicken nipples from freezing at the end of the dripping nipples?

I check mine every morning cause there has been ice in the top of the buckets. We have been getting down in the low 30s and high 20s some nights. None of mine have been frozen yet. I think it is because the chickens use them so often. I usually go thru when feeding and wiggle all of them to make sure they are free. I haven't found one frozen yet. When the weather gets colder and we have problems with wind chill being gets low...I am going to make 5 more nipple buckets so that I can fill them with warm water at mornings and just switch them out. Or...chickens don't really drink water at night cause they sleep. You could empty the buckets and just fill the next morning...but that would be added work.
Now..this is an old remedy for cold but you have to be careful. Indians would take rocks out of hot fires and put in water until it was hot enough to boil. They also would take warm rocks...wrap in cloth or fur and use to warm their feet as did pioneers later on. I have done it camping. So...I am wondering if a person warmed rocks about the size of a large fist in the oven...put in the water buckets with warm water...would that keep them from freezing on cold days. It would keep you from having to go out so much during the day to give warm water on really cold days. Just a thought!

 

[alexandraintn]

Great idea Lunar I was wondering what to put over my door opening. I will get me a bit of plastic sheeting. I hope they will go thru it now.

 

[tennesseeckn]

The girls sure were happy to see the Thanksgiving decorations come down. Here they are enjoying the bounty.

 

[Lunar]

OK AJ, I have officially registered for the NYD hatchalong. Do a rain dance and make sure your Serama eggs I am getting are fertile.

I will be setting about 20 total Seramas,

and 6 Silver Duckwing OEGB's. The girls I picked up today from you have settled in nicely. Milly, the D'uccle was not having any squabbles, so it was get along or face the wrath of the big chicken in the coop. I just checked in on them and they are lined up nicely on the top roost with Sarge in the middle smiling. Milly was in her usual spot in the far corner away from the heat and snoozing.

Thank you AJ. I see your name on the list and a few others from this thread. I hope the next time they update, mine will be on there. Good luck to you all!

 

[StacyTN]

I check mine every morning cause there has been ice in the top of the buckets. We have been getting down in the low 30s and high 20s some nights. None of mine have been frozen yet. I think it is because the chickens use them so often. I usually go thru when feeding and wiggle all of them to make sure they are free. I haven't found one frozen yet. When the weather gets colder and we have problems with wind chill being gets low...I am going to make 5 more nipple buckets so that I can fill them with warm water at mornings and just switch them out. Or...chickens don't really drink water at night cause they sleep. You could empty the buckets and just fill the next morning...but that would be added work.
Now..this is an old remedy for cold but you have to be careful. Indians would take rocks out of hot fires and put in water until it was hot enough to boil. They also would take warm rocks...wrap in cloth or fur and use to warm their feet as did pioneers later on. I have done it camping. So...I am wondering if a person warmed rocks about the size of a large fist in the oven...put in the water buckets with warm water...would that keep them from freezing on cold days. It would keep you from having to go out so much during the day to give warm water on really cold days. Just a thought!

Ditto. My buckets/nipples so far have not frozen but I am slightly concerned when and if we do get the constant days that the temp. stays down or closer to freezing all day.
I like your idea about having extras made up. Matter of fact, a friend noticed my buckets on a FB pic I posted and messaged me to say that she can get ALL the 5 gl. buckets we need, just let her know. Probably will take her up on that and then order more nipples via ebay.
I also like the hot rock idea.
Right now all our buckets actually hang outside the enclosed house/coop, so one thing we will do is move them inside the enclosed coop and hopefully that too will help them stay some what warmer given the heat being given off.
I guess really it's a matter of trial and error and If we come up with any good idea that work I'll pass along.

 

[StacyTN]

OK AJ, I have officially registered for the NYD hatchalong. Do a rain dance and make sure your Serama eggs I am getting are fertile.

I will be setting about 20 total Seramas,

and 6 Silver Duckwing OEGB's. The girls I picked up today from you have settled in nicely. Milly, the D'uccle was not having any squabbles, so it was get along or face the wrath of the big chicken in the coop. I just checked in on them and they are lined up nicely on the top roost with Sarge in the middle smiling. Milly was in her usual spot in the far corner away from the heat and snoozing.

Thank you AJ. I see your name on the list and a few others from this thread. I hope the next time they update, mine will be on there. Good luck to you all!

Good Luck. I'll be excited to see the new year hatches. I am so tempted to do this but being my very first yr.(actually 6 months) in the chicken world I think it's best I just weather this winter out and deal with what I have and learn how to deal with my current flock.

As some know, I do have the cochin bantam that just started laying eggs 4 days ago and some discussion (cochin thread) has been on if the eggs are really even fertile. If they are or are not, we decided to I guess you would say, let nature do what it will. We will leave her eggs int he nest (so far she has laid in 3 different boxes) and see if and/or what she will do, if anything. Can't bring myself to eating them right now anyways, so again, we will use this as a new learning experience for us.

 

[Talbott Poultry]

OK AJ, I have officially registered for the NYD hatchalong. Do a rain dance and make sure your Serama eggs I am getting are fertile.

I will be setting about 20 total Seramas,

and 6 Silver Duckwing OEGB's. The girls I picked up today from you have settled in nicely. Milly, the D'uccle was not having any squabbles, so it was get along or face the wrath of the big chicken in the coop. I just checked in on them and they are lined up nicely on the top roost with Sarge in the middle smiling. Milly was in her usual spot in the far corner away from the heat and snoozing.

Thank you AJ. I see your name on the list and a few others from this thread. I hope the next time they update, mine will be on there. Good luck to you all!

Ya welcome to the club.

 

[bairo]

I used it last night. 29 degrees outside, 50 in the coop with this and a 250w bulb in one corner over the roosts. 55 degrees in this box with only a 25w bulb and all 3 of my Seramas were inside it this morning when I went to feed/water. The lonely D'uccle was happy in her nest box giving me her daily egg.

It doesn't look like much, but it went under my roosts and it fits the Seramas nicely. My dad called it my Serama Motel. He said it looked like a giant "Ant Motel"

I am going to try to find a piece of linoleum to tack on the top to make it easy to clean.

Great job....it's a "mini" floor brooder. With something that small; if you ever wanted to experiment? you could run a 3" pvc pipe along the back at the bottom. Stuff it with little christmas tree lights and cap the ends. I call it a "snuggle tube". That and the 25 watt bulb will easily keep them warm. They will lay right up against the tube. Also try one of the red party bulbs at walmart, they come in 25 watt now. Chickens barely see red light and it wont keep them up at night.

(all ideas stated are the intellectual property of "bairo) Have to put that in there in case a big company comes along and wants to mass produce my ideas, LOL