NY chicken lover!!!!

[horsekeeper]

I need to start bringing the waterers home with me at night, let them thaw out here over night and bring them back in the morning with me. Although I'm thinking of doing what Rancher does and switch over to the rubber bowls for winter so when I do go there in the morning I can just knock the ice out of them and refill them. Although that can be tough with the silkies. If their crest get wet they'll have frozen feathers.

Guess I'll just have to experiment a little with them.

I use the rubber pans and my silkies have no issues with them. Keep a hammer handy to bang the ice out, it's a lot of work to bang them on the ground.

 

[AQHAchick22]

I need to start bringing the waterers home with me at night, let them thaw out here over night and bring them back in the morning with me. Although I'm thinking of doing what Rancher does and switch over to the rubber bowls for winter so when I do go there in the morning I can just knock the ice out of them and refill them. Although that can be tough with the silkies. If their crest get wet they'll have frozen feathers.

Guess I'll just have to experiment a little with them.

I just switched over to the rubber pans this year and I LOVE IT. I wish I did it sooner...though I've gotten in the habit of just dumping them out at night and refilling them in the morning so there isn't too much ice to bang out.

 

[Lynzi777]

You both state rubber "pans"- can you post a pic? I have the rubber bowls already and I'm thinking that's something different that what you guys are talking about...

Nvrmnd, I just googled, and the ones I have are considered to be "pans" lol. I'll just use those!

 

[wny egger]

Yup, I kind of figure on the law of averages...I read a ton, summarize it in my head, and then do what feels right. Even last night, which was COLD...all the chickens seemed to do great! Perky and excited and acting normal when I let them out at 6:30. Everyone piled out and was waiting for their normal scratch--no frostbite or lethargy or anything.

My big, huge, Pioneer/Dixie Rainbow Roo is somehow able to get up on the roost no problem but is a big chicken when getting down--he's the last one to try getting down in the morning. He's gotten a little spoiled and now waits for me to carry him down off the roost! This morning, I kind of felt under his feathers by his skin and he was warm as toast. Made me feel a lot better...

I have both cold hardy breeds and a few that aren't (Brown and White Leghorns, to be specific), but all seem to be faring ok so far.

Fingers crossed!!! I seem to walk a fine line between backyard-pet-chickens and chickens-as-livestock--I have too many in too shabby of a coop to be considered a suburbanite backyard hobby chicken owner but worry about their every need and all of the pieces of the equipment/terminology too much to be an old-school real farmer!!

I can't believe I haven't named the chickens, to be honest with you!!! We have cheesy names like "Pretty Girl" or "Big Red" or "Del" (for the one Delaware Roo we have). I really thought when I started that they'd all have names and little name plates under their favorite spot on the roost! Pretty proud of myself that I've actually been treating them like chickens!!!

Sarah

i have a pretty girl as well ..i admit tho 22 birds its hard to tell who's who sometimes..lol i think names kind of just happen tho ..or the best names seem to ..

i started using those outdoor pet bowls that are heated ..i stole the idea [i think from gramma] to build a stand for the heated pet bowls..it works great ..no frozen water in it ..the 2 hanging waters were both froze solid last nite tho ..i am going to get a few more of those pet bowls ..cheap to buy , i think i spent 9 bucks for the one i have at wally world was were i got it..

 

[Beer can]

Ive used rubber pans, easy to nock ice out, but depending on how often you refill it, the girls can get really thirsty! The winter I had 15 RIReds I had them sectioned off in my father in laws barn. I put a light above the water to keep it thawed out, no timer. And I dont think it botherd their sleeping cause it was a little ways away from the roost. And with the extra light, I got an egg from every one of them all winter.
It scared the crap out of me early that spring. I looked out our kitchen window down towards the barn that night and I thought I saw flames through were their door was to the outside run. I ran down there thinking I caught the barn on fire! WOW, false alarm. My father in law had a small wood stove outside of their house in line of my site of the corner of the barn, he was stoking it up with the door open boiling down maple sap!

 

[rancher hicks]

I need to start bringing the waterers home with me at night, let them thaw out here over night and bring them back in the morning with me. Although I'm thinking of doing what Rancher does and switch over to the rubber bowls for winter so when I do go there in the morning I can just knock the ice out of them and refill them. Although that can be tough with the silkies. If their crest get wet they'll have frozen feathers.

Guess I'll just have to experiment a little with them.

If you have electricity you might try nipple waterers or a heated type.

I use the rubber pans and my silkies have no issues with them. Keep a hammer handy to bang the ice out, it's a lot of work to bang them on the ground.

I use a rubber mallet. That doesn't damage them. I bang the sided to break the ice out.

 

[Lynzi777]

Rancher, if they were on my own property I would but since they are not, I don't want to run a lot of extra on this guy's electricity bill-especially with how HIGH we are charged here in CT, actually CL&P just got OK'ed to hike it up again to .1262/kW! Makes me sick. I already have a light in the coop set to turn on between 4am-9am. I don't want to have to run too many more cords.

 

[Beer can]

Metella what do you mean by sustianable businesses?

Sorry to get all 'political' again but talking electricity prices Lynzi,
Did you hear what the Govt. did in Florida? They made a law mandating that homes be connected to an electricity grid and a running water source and pay for it. Those that are living 'off the grid' 'sustainable living' solar and such, are now criminals !

 

[Metella]

For my town - that means allows someone who ... for instance ... has sheep, open a fabric or yarn shop on their premises ... Or someone who grows flowers to have a florist shop on their land without having to meet other normal requirements that a stand-alone business would have to (extra curb cut, parking, lighting)

So it encourages people to use their land - and any one who uses their land in this way - can't help but be a better steward ... or so I think.

Funny - claiming talking politics - I equate that with repub or dem ... but I don't even know what the other planning commissioners are ! and we have worked together for years now ... it has never been political with my group - just looking at how to use and steward the land for everyone - not just a few.

 

[Lapeerian]

Lapeerian, I have to say your avatar is so nice.  If you come to the picnic next year you might want to have a copy blown up and framed for the auction.  Or one of those canvas things thing that the UPS store does. 

I really like it. 

Awe Rancher, thanks! It is one of my favorites. Taken in spring 2011 I believe, first spring the horses were here at our house. Pear tree in full bloom. Horses were grazing the back lawn since all the pasture was not set up yet. The grey is our Arab mare, black is the Morgan-QH and bay was my old pony that I lost a couple years ago. He is buried near that maple tree.