NYC area folks!

[Zud]

Hey y'all, from the Bronx!

Looking for other NYC area chicken keepers (and gardeners and whatever-else keepers) to lament the total non-existence of feed supply in the area, and swap city chicken/garden/whatever-else tips and stories!

If you're in the area or know someone who is, say hey!

We're first year chicken keepers in the Bronx. We also keep a pretty decent vegetable garden (in good years) and have kept bees in the past - we hope to, again, beginning this spring.
We usually have at least a half-dozen unfinished projects or more going at any given time on our wannabe urban farm. Inside we have two very domesticated cats who believe within the depths of their hearts that they are outdoor animals, however, they are very wrong.

We have to get a lot of our supplies online, unfortunately, but find ourselves packing the car to the max anytime we're out of town and stumble upon a Tractor Supply. We'd love to support smaller companies and utilize more sustainable products but we find this challenging in an urban area. We still do our best when economically feasible.

What about you?

 

[Iluveggers]

Welcome! I am about 4 hours north of you in farm country, NY! I commend you for keeping that homestead spirit alive in an urban area! Good luck!

 

[Zud]

Welcome! I am about 4 hours north of you in farm country, NY! I commend you for keeping that homestead spirit alive in an urban area! Good luck!

Thank you!!!
I went to school up in Ithaca (about 4 hours north). NY is a big, beautiful state. If it weren't for work we'd probably find ourselves living a little more rurally, but our little bit of homesteading helps us to feel more grounded and remember to slow down. We're grateful the city is so accommodating to it.
Thanks again!

 

[AntiqueB]

Hi! I live in Bergen County, NJ, but my chickens currently live in my school's garden in the Bronx!

 

[Zud]

Hi! I live in Bergen County, NJ, but my chickens currently live in my school's garden in the Bronx!

I absolutely love that! How many chickens are there? Do the students help raise them?

 

[AntiqueB]

I have 4 hens. The kids like to see them, ask questions about them, and pet them, but they're not reliable enough to be trusted with them. Thankfully, I have 2 other nearby teachers who love the girls and help out when I can't get there.

 

[Zud]

Ok. @AntiqueB I know you had a car battery heating your waterers. Tell me more about that. I've been trying to get my girls on freeze free nipples and they can't quite figure it out.

I keep being told "it takes time". How are New Yorkers keeping their chickens watered in the cold?

@LilChicksBigAttitude @Bkchicken @CaroChickenMom @FoxySonia @Mydrake

 

[LilChicksBigAttitude]

Ok. @AntiqueB I know you had a car battery heating your waterers. Tell me more about that. I've been trying to get my girls on freeze free nipples and they can't quite figure it out.

I keep being told "it takes time". How are New Yorkers keeping their chickens watered in the cold?

@LilChicksBigAttitude @Bkchicken @CaroChickenMom @FoxySonia @Mydrake

Hey! I’ve been using this and it works pretty well. I have had to pick out an ice block on the edges mainly because it wasn’t situated properly. But even then they were still able to drink water because it was still completely heated.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0B68HS87B?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

 

[AntiqueB]

I have a small submersible heating pad with a sensor and temp switch in a plastic waterer. It goes on at 1°C, and off at 2.5°C. This takes 25W. That's connected to 2 car batteries, which are connected to 2 solar panels.

Mine also didn't know how to use the horizontal nipples; luckily Peeper is like a puppy and was more than willing to come over and peck what I was tapping. The other low hen came over, too, and that attracted the 2 higher level hens. They all know they can get water there, and use it when it's freezing, but they much prefer the cup waterer, which I leave in the run to freeze or thaw as the temps dictate.

 

[FoxySonia]

I keep being told "it takes time". How are New Yorkers keeping their chickens watered in the cold?

@LilChicksBigAttitude @Bkchicken @CaroChickenMom @FoxySonia @Mydrake

I first got a 3-Gallon Heated Poultry Waterer from Premier1, which has horizontal nipples, currently price $62. It works great, but not all my chickens are smart enough to use it, so I also got K&H Thermal-Bowl Heated Water Bowl 96 once capacity (sold on Amazon, Chewy, Walmart, Petco and other retailets for about $32.99), one for the chickens to use and one for the homeless outdoor cats that I feed in my yard to use. It also works great, and it's used by all my chickens. I worry about a power outage during extreme cold weather, so I looked on YouTube on how to keep water from freezing. Use a rubber feed bowl, add a few plastic balls and a small plastic water bottle almost filled with water mixed with a couple of tablespoons of salt (or 1/4 cup salt in a 20 oz plastic water bottle, it will take longer to turn to a block of ice). The balls and bottle floating on top of and moving on the water in the bowl will keep the water from freezing for a long time. If the water in the bowl eventually freeze, the rubber will make it easy to empty the bowl without it breaking.

https://www.premier1supplies.com/p/heated-poultry-waterer