Dwayne Bard Rock Johnson
In the Brooder
- Nov 13, 2022
- 14
- 4
- 36
Hi, I'm hoping for some recommendations/suggestions here. I recently had my flock decimated by a weasel, and the survivors are spending the rest of the winter in my garage. But come Spring I'd like to set up a few new systems to keep them safe.
In the past I've extended the day to increase egg output by using smart lighting in their coops and in their protected run (unfortunately the wire fencing has openings that aren't small enough to keep that weasel out). Come Spring I wanted to do this again, but with a supply of food and water inside the coop for them. This way I could extend their day inside the coop, and just open up the door once the sun is fully up. In my mind I thought I could mount their feeder/waterer on the outside of the coop and drill a hole in the sidewall to allow them to access it. This is mainly to maximize on space inside the coops for the birds. I didn't know if anyone has suggestions on this so I don't have to reinvent the wheel. In the winter I could add a heating element to prevent the water from freezing.
I have two coops, one for chickens and a second for ducks. The chicken one I figure won't be too complicated, but the duck one could prove to be a challenge. They really like to make a mess of the water and I'm concerned that they will just spill all the water inside the coop and cause mold or rot issues inside the coop. If I needed to I could keep them on a natural day/night schedule and just extend the day for the chickens, but wanted to see if others had suggestions.
Thank you all for suggestions. Much appreciated.
-Stephen
In the past I've extended the day to increase egg output by using smart lighting in their coops and in their protected run (unfortunately the wire fencing has openings that aren't small enough to keep that weasel out). Come Spring I wanted to do this again, but with a supply of food and water inside the coop for them. This way I could extend their day inside the coop, and just open up the door once the sun is fully up. In my mind I thought I could mount their feeder/waterer on the outside of the coop and drill a hole in the sidewall to allow them to access it. This is mainly to maximize on space inside the coops for the birds. I didn't know if anyone has suggestions on this so I don't have to reinvent the wheel. In the winter I could add a heating element to prevent the water from freezing.
I have two coops, one for chickens and a second for ducks. The chicken one I figure won't be too complicated, but the duck one could prove to be a challenge. They really like to make a mess of the water and I'm concerned that they will just spill all the water inside the coop and cause mold or rot issues inside the coop. If I needed to I could keep them on a natural day/night schedule and just extend the day for the chickens, but wanted to see if others had suggestions.
Thank you all for suggestions. Much appreciated.
-Stephen
