Illinois...

[Faraday40]

I bought my heater in 2012 or 13. It said it was made for 5gal buckets. The next year I bought a filter for my kitchen sink to prevent mineral deposits on the chicken's water heater. It's still working.

I also hang my waterer.

 

[Justso]

Do any of you run an extension cord to your coop from the house to run a water heater? It makes me nervous to do that but I also don't super enjoy water freezing every 2 hours either. I was thinking I could run one back to the run but will the chickens try to eat it? It's bright orange so you know they're going to try! And how do I secure the plug so they don't mess with that? If I keep the plug inside the run, they may mess with it. If I keep the plug on the outside of the run, it's more exposed to rain and snow. Plus I have visions of my old dog with the bum wheel tripping over it and yanking the whole thing out spilling water everywhere and likely tangling herself up in the process.

Have I mentioned I have issues?

Is it really any better to use the heated waterer base or am I making more work for myself for no good reason?

I have extension cords running everywhere. Christmas lights, heated water, etc. I don't believe there's any way a chicken could peck through an extension cord cover. If you're nervous about the connection you can find caps very cheap.

 

[SnootyHen]

Chickens can be surprisingly crafty in killing themselves (and possibly their human companions).

See and this is why I have issues! Well, one of the reasons anyway...

 

[cavemanrich]

MY GREETINGS TO ALL READERS.

• May the new year bring you peace, joy, and happiness.

 

[homeschoolin momma]

I thought this was pretty cool. I forgot to empty one of the plastic buckets last night. The top 2-3 inches and sides froze, but there was water underneath. When i flipped it over, the chickens had an "ice bowl" of water!

I also have multiple extension cords run together out to the coop to power a fan or heat lamps that I nail to the rafters. The cords have been down for so long, the grass has grown over it. I can even mow over it now!

 

[SnootyHen]

My first flock hatched mid-March and the 2nd in late September. Because I am anal retentive OCD and love a good color-coded spreadsheet, I have been tracking their eggs since they started laying. Here's the results (I spared you the daily logs ). So if you figure it's about $2 for 18 eggs at Target, I "saved" about $50 this year having chickens. LOL!!!

 

[WhyDoILikeChickens]

My first flock hatched mid-March and the 2nd in late September. Because I am anal retentive OCD and love a good color-coded spreadsheet, I have been tracking their eggs since they started laying. Here's the results (I spared you the daily logs ). So if you figure it's about $2 for 18 eggs at Target, I "saved" about $50 this year having chickens. LOL!!!

This is about as technological as I get. Right now I avg 6 eggs a day. I couldn't say I've "saved" anything either but have given friends and fam lots of good food.

 

[homeschoolin momma]

My first flock hatched mid-March and the 2nd in late September. Because I am anal retentive OCD and love a good color-coded spreadsheet, I have been tracking their eggs since they started laying. Here's the results (I spared you the daily logs ). So if you figure it's about $2 for 18 eggs at Target, I "saved" about $50 this year having chickens. LOL!!!

Wow, Galadriel is a powerhouse! Lol.

 

[SnootyHen]

Wow, Galadriel is a powerhouse! Lol.

She's a Leghorn and a total machine! But she's also super friendly and has a fun personality.

 

[Faraday40]

My first flock hatched mid-March and the 2nd in late September. Because I am anal retentive OCD and love a good color-coded spreadsheet, I have been tracking their eggs since they started laying. Here's the results (I spared you the daily logs ). So if you figure it's about $2 for 18 eggs at Target, I "saved" about $50 this year having chickens. LOL!!!

We have similar data in a table. Not added up, but each day I mark which hen laid an egg. I can go back to 2013.

Our Tillie had a streak of 370 days in a row without missing a single day! Because of that, we got Millie - another Leghorn. Right now, they're the only ones laying.

Both hens are 'quirky' but friendly in their own way.