Okies in the BYC The Original

[al6517]

Just wanted to make it official, I am up the earliest LOL. Got up at 3:00 am cause the hell fire storms have started up, winds are kicking up, and I am up. I didn't get on the thread last night but looks like everybody was getting their winter coop chores sorted out, and heated waterer plans circulating. I think maybe sometime we could discuss winter coop safety, now that everybody may have some tricity in their coops this winter. Just don't want any misshaps for us.

AL

 

[al6517]

Big Q & Buster : I really like the washing machine plucker idea, I haven't thought of it before but it makes alot of sense. I think it has promise and it would also be a bunch cheaper. Q I want pic's and lots of them so that perhaps we can tinker with it.

Pepper/Charley I want to see pic's of your super high speed plucker, you are always setting the bar to high for the rest of us LOL, you da man !!!.

AL

 

[al6517]

My reason for getting Foo-Foo Hairdo chickens, seems like my Evil plan is working, she likes them LOL.
AL

Alyssa with her new best buddy.

A big thanks to Stray for hand raising this chicken, it made getting my DD into chickens easy peezy, she really likes this lap chicken.

AL

 

[al6517]

Quote:
Carah : Morning !!! She is 15 and started her freshman yr of HS this yr. I am trying to get her and her Mom into chickens and the Foo-Foo plan is working LOL. I have looked at the water heater bases and wanted to post some ideas I use, I don't have any pic's though.

AL

 

[Sooner]

Can you explain without pic's?? Or at least give your thoughts on these so I know if I want to do them or chuck them out the window. I'm not seeing anything else that I like better.

Oh Morning! I was confused on your daughter, she was graduating middle school then?

 

[poultryand bees]

Good morning, Al and Sooner
It is thundering and lightening here, but supposed to clear out in the next hour or so. Sounds brutal outside right now.

The cookie tin water heaters sound interesting, particularly since I had a heat lamp get knocked off the ceiling a few years ago and it fell onto a 4x4 where it started the wood to smoldering. I was lucky that no shavings caught on fire. (and I now wire heat lamps with baling wire directly on the base of the lamp rather than relying on the stability of clamps)

Currently, I use the rubber water bowls and empty the frozen water each morning by turning them over and stomping on them. Most of my water hydrants to the chicken yards are the freeze proof kind, but there is one yard where we have to drain the lines because it goes to the sprinkler system and I do get tired of carrying water in a bucket to those chickens in the winter.

 

[al6517]

Quote:
Yes middle school, she's a daddy's girl can you tell hehehehe.
Carah, I use 2 different heaters, I have 3 or 4 of a commercial type water heater bases that are a large galvanized pan with a sealed flat heat element in the bottom of it, all you do is turn it upside down sit the your waterer on it and plug it in. It is thermo regulated and automaticly comes on & only keeps the water at around 40 degrees or so. Works great but some may think @ $28.00 it may be too pricey, I like them and they are super safe and easy to use and long lasting durable.

The other option I came up with this year and will be making about 6 this month, is a similar design but I am just going to take my waterer bases whether it be plastic or metal I have both. And attach short 1'-2' lengths of what is refered to as heat tape, they are those yellow cords you wrap around pipes to keep from freezing. See where I am going with this!!!!, they are super cheap at around $5-7.00 for the short ones they last forever, just duck tape them to the pan bottom. They have a light on one end to let you know it's on, these are safe, use very little tricity easy to use just plug and go.

AL

 

[al6517]

Quote:
I think maybe it might be too thick but then again for a couple of bucks it's worth a try, plus trying to get it attached to the rubber may also be a sticking point.

AL

 

[Sooner]

Good morning P&B!!!

I don't have water out by the coops so in the summer it is a long hose that is no problem but come winter we will have to haul it. In three of the pens I will have the heated dog bowls but in the others I will either have to buy them of work out something to keep them thawed. Anything to carry less.


AL I see where you are going, I don't have much experiance with heat tape but I had read on here that it wasn't a good idea due to not using it in the way the manufature made it.......Will you tell me how it goes??

 

[al6517]

I will try and make some this weekend and take a few pic's to show everybody, I may try and work it out to where I can make a bunch and maybe sell a few.

AL