INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[Finnie]

@Leahs MomHere is how it was after I filled the dog dish with water and kitty litter:

I noticed that they still got their wattles in it, and the turkey wattles even more so. Now here it is after I put bricks under it:

The chicken wattles seem to be staying out of it, but the turkey still gets his in. But even when he didn't dip his wattles, I noticed that as he raises his head up to swallow, he dribbles all down his neck from his mouth:

I guess turkeys got loose lips!

But really, I have used this heated dog dish and waterer combo for the last two winters. This is the first time I've worried about their wattles. I have never yet gotten a chicken or turkey with frost bitten wattles. Maybe I am just over thinking it this year because I read someone else say it could happen.

As far as the horizontal nipples freezing, here is a photo of the ice. This is four hours after I knocked it loose this morning:

I knocked it loose again, and here it is now:

It seems that that little puddle around the metal peg can freeze.

 

[Finnie]

I think this is the rooster I'm going to get rid of

Ha ha! I bet you keep that one no matter what!

 

[Leahs Mom]

@Finnie

I read that one person puts her horizontals in at a slight angle downward so if any water stays in the little trough it will drain out.

I tried them a couple winters ago and didn't have a problem with water saying on the little trough. But my birds really didn't like using them so I ended up just removing it.

What kind of heater are you using in the nipple water?

 

[Lengerich Farms]

Ha ha! I bet you keep that one no matter what!

Yea, I guess I'll keep him

He does have a pretty impressive comb after all

 

[Lengerich Farms]

Talking about nipple water dishes: I was considering siring these as I've noticed most of the nipple waterers have a larger capacity than gravity founts, and eliminate the poop in the water problem. Anyone have experience on transitioning their flock from gravity to nipple? The only plus side of the gravity fount is that I have the heated base for it. I don't know if it would get too warm for the heavy duty plastic, but that (well, and money haha) are why I haven't switched over. Any experiences or help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Finnie]

@Finnie


I read that one person puts her horizontals in at a slight angle downward so if any water stays in the little trough it will drain out.

I tried them a couple winters ago and didn't have a problem with water saying on the little trough.  But my birds really didn't like using them so I ended up just removing it.

What kind of heater are you using in the nipple water?

I have a 50 watt aquarium heater (for 20 gallon tank) that I got on clearance at petsmart, so it was cheaper than usual. It's the fully submersible kind, so I use the suction cups it came with to keep it at the bottom of my (rectangular) Tidy Cat box. And then I make sure the water level doesn't go down too low.

I like that the box is translucent, so I can see the water level, and I can also see the red light when the heater is on. For my next one, I couldn't find Tidy Cat in translucent any more so it will be yellow. But I will see about angling the nipples next time for drainage. That was a great tip! Thanks. (I don't think I should fiddle with the angle on my current one because I'm afraid I would crack the plastic.)

 

[Finnie]

Ha ha! I bet you keep that one no matter what!

Yea, I guess I'll keep him

He does have a pretty impressive comb after all

I noticed that! Plus, no worries about frost bite there!

 

[Finnie]

Talking about nipple water dishes: I was considering siring these as I've noticed most of the nipple waterers have a larger capacity than gravity founts, and eliminate the poop in the water problem. Anyone have experience on transitioning their flock from gravity to nipple? The only plus side of the gravity fount is that I have the heated base for it. I don't know if it would get too warm for the heavy duty plastic, but that (well, and money haha) are why I haven't switched over. Any experiences or help would be greatly appreciated!

My chickens learned the horizontal nipples within minutes. The noisier ones were pecking at it as soon as I set it up, and then the others all copied. I can't guarantee that every one of mine uses the nipples. Because I keep at least two of the regular kind in different locations around the yard as well, since I have 29 birds. Maybe some day I will accumulate enough Tidy Cats to meet everyone's needs and phase out the hanging waters. They are a bit of a nuisance, being kind of sloppy to carry and prone to tipping and draining.

 

[Faraday40]

Here's my set up.
The horiz nipples may freeze slightly when not in use, but the hens peck at it & get them working when they wake up. It only happens during those very, very cold nights well below zero.


I hang a 5 gal bucket. The height is easily adjustable, but I don't like putting more than 2-3 gal in it.




Inside I have a "bucket de-icer" with an auto thermostat. It was made specifically for 5 gal buckets. Perhaps it's overkill, but this is it's 5th winter, so I can't complain.
One thing I did to make it last longer was use filtered water from the sink. We have lots of minerals in our water that would attach to the heater. So before our 2nd winter, we installed a simple kitchen faucet filter that allows me to go longer between bringing the whole thing inside for a scrubbing. Besides, we now also get to drink filtered water. LOL

In the reviews of this specific model, I read that the anti-chew coil could rust. (Silly not to use aluminum on every part of something that's supposed to be submersed in water. ???) I'm not handy & didn't want to have to clean up rust deposits, so I carefully cut & taped the coil above the water level.

 

[Lengerich Farms]

Wylde is back!
I had left the door to our storage shed cracked hoping it would entice him, and it did. I went to go do my last egg check and decided to check the shed, and lol and behold, there he was. Just sitting on the riding mower like he was hot stuff. After a 5 minute battle, mostly with things that were in my way and falling yard tools, and lots of cursing, I got ahold of him. He is now safely back in the coop. Thank goodness he didn't go far this time.