Good Morning MT peeps, hope everyone is enjoying the long weekend. I have a couple of small fencing projects to do this weekend. I got one finished and another started yesterday, and hope to finish today while its cooler. Its been hot,hot,hot up here in the Bulls, so the little touch of cooler weather today is a welcome relief.
I hate the thought of winter just around the corner, I wish we could stretch fall out a few more months. With the talk of water heaters, what I have found works real well for the small flocks are the heated dog dishes. I think the one I have is a 5 quart and will last a flock of 10-12 two days. I also use the heated 2 gal buckets for my larger flock and I fill it daily. They are so much eaisier to keep clean over the winter than the metal founts. Swish them out with a little bleach water and they are ready to go.
Also a word of warning for the new chicken owners, hawks have started their fall migration. If they find an easy meal in your chicken yard they will stay around till all your chickens are gone. If you free range make sure you have plenty of cover for your chickens to get under. If you have an uncovered pen, string twine across the top, to the hawks its looks like a solid barrier. If you get a persistent hawk family you may have to keep your chickens locked up for a few day before the hawks will give up and move on.
