Husband bought a Teflon bulb. (Solved)

[Lady Lionheart]

It’s gorgeous. I love it.
I see you have ventilation along the top under the roof.
The big windows, are they always open to the elements or do they have interior flaps or windows that close up?
Can you close them?

How many birds live in there? Can you tell me about their roost? Are they good size birds or tiny birds like silkies?

28 -34 weeks=point of lay for many breeds so they are fully feathered and nearly ful grown.

Your 10 day forcast shows above freezing temps in the daytime, with cold nights in the double digits below freezing.

Do you keep food and water available 24/7?


I live in a generally mild climate but the past few years we’ve had temps in the winter similar to yours, in bursts. We’ll have a few weeks of cold night time temps, then that pattern will break, followed by really mild again.

I have a hanging feeder inside my enclosed run. Switching to hanging saved me tons because they don’t make nearly the mess they used to make.

I hang it up in the morning around 8 am by a caribeaner at the end of a rope. I live in a suburban neighborhood and try to keep the girls sorta quiet in the morning. Summertime- 7:3am

When they go to roost I take it down and put the whole feeder straight into a small metal feed can. It fits perfectly in there. It takes me maybe 9 seconds to take the top off, unhook the feeder, set it in there, close the lid.

Backup feed stays in the garage in a big airtight container.

I also have a hanging waterer. That I leave hanging *unless the weather is calling for a hard freeze.
Then I carry it with me on the way back to the house and set it in the laundry tub overnight. *adds about 30 seconds to my routine.

I never have any food or water in the coop.

I lock up my feed because I don’t want to attract dinner guests.
I noticed you’re using chicken wire in your run.
This makes me wonder if maybe you’re losing feed because it might not just be your birds eating it.

Can I ask, How much feed do you go through in what amount of time for how many chickens?

And, Is the purpose of the bulb to be a source of heat for your birds because they are young or is it just to keep the water from freezing?

The 2 big windows I closed with plastic for the winter months. Not pictured is a vent on the other side of coop.
I have 12 chickens. 8 GLWs, 2 Blue Andalusians, 1 Cuckoo Marans and a Welsummer. All started laying around 20 to 22 weeks old. I get about 10 eggs a day.
Yes, they have food and water all the time. Not in the coop.
I'll attach a pic of the inside.
I had to change them to crumbles and that's when I seen food waste. I'll attach a pic of new feeder that my husband just built.
Knock on wood but I've never had any problems with rodents. Just messing chickens.
I have since put HW cloth on windows of coop. Can't afford to replace the run right now.
The chickens have the run of my whole backyard during the day. But since winter, they've been eating more. I go through about 50 pounds of crumbles a month BUT most of that I clean up off the ground. That's why we made this new feeder.
I don't have problems with them fighting and I did have one of my Blue Andalusians get minor frostbite the other night but she has a HUGE floppy comb so I'm not sure that wasn't destined to happen in my climate.
The bulb is for the pan of water until I can start using the nipple water system again. I do not heat my coop.

 

[Kiki]

Now might be a good time to read this:
Polytetrafluoroethylene Toxicity in Chickens

 

[Lady Lionheart]

Thanks everyone for the compliments on my coop. These are all old pictures. I've made a ton of upgrades since. Give them a jungle gym

 

[21hens-incharge]

Hi from another in Colorado.

I don't heat my water dishes. I use open dishes made of plastic. They cost me $5 at the feed store. In winter when I close the coops I dump the water under my shrubs or at the bases of the fruit trees.
In the mornings I take out water in recycled milk jugs. I have a coop with 6 birds and a coop with 20. One gallon handles all 20 for the day.

This is the dish I use.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/P5LIMEGREE/?tag=backy-20

I have had the same 5 dishes for the last 6 years. I use some for feeding wet mash and the rest for water.
Yes I have forgotten to empty them and had them freeze solid. I turn them over and pour a bit of hot water on them. The ice drops right out.

No electric needed that way.


Yes. Another post that proof read fine but autocorrect hates me.

 

[Conan]

View attachment 1683289 View attachment 1683290 View attachment 1683291 View attachment 1683294
Here's some pics from last summer and thank you for the compliment!

Awesome coop and run! I love the jungle gym added as well. Very cool

 

[Lady Lionheart]

Hi from another in Colorado.

I don't heat my water dishes. I use open dishes made of plastic. They cost me $5 at the feed store. In winter when I close the coops I dump the water under my shrubs or at the bases of the fruit trees.
In the mornings I take out water in recycled milk jugs. I have a coop with 6 birds and a coop with 20. One gallon handles all 20 for the day.

This is the dish I use.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/P5LIMEGREE/?tag=backy-20

I have had the same 5 dishes for the last 6 years. I use some for feeding wet mash and the rest for water.
Yes I have forgotten to empty them and had them freeze solid. I turn them over and pour a bit of hot water on them. The ice drops right out.

No electric needed that way.


Yes. Another post that proof read fine but autocorrect hates me.

Howdy! Great idea. Thank you. I use old milk jugs too. I'm out there every morning before my ladies are off the roost cleaning up poop and giving them fresh water. Sure loving my chickens!

 

[Lady Lionheart]

Awesome coop and run! I love the jungle gym added as well. Very cool

Thank you!

 

[Lady Lionheart]

Pictures of new feeder outside. Plus that rubber dish is why I was having problems with wasted food. I'll save that for ice when it gets hot.

 

[Eggcessive]

I use those rubber bowls for water in the winter outside. I fill them with fresh water in the morning and dump them in the evenings. If ice freezes, you can dump them fairly easily.

 

[Lady Lionheart]

I use those rubber bowls for water in the winter outside. I fill them with fresh water in the morning and dump them in the evenings. If ice freezes, you can dump them fairly easily.

Maybe I'll switch it for water. And completely do away with bulbs. Besides, I don't think we have too many more cold days ahead of us here. It already feels like spring time!