sn0wwhite's Wichita Coop for the Twin Cities

[aart]

It'll take them a few days...but they'll settle in.

 

[sn0wwhite]

So today I'm adding electric! I originally thought I would not... but I do have a heated galvanized pan-thing to keep their water from freezing so I was going to have to run an extension cord at a minimum to that. My dad (the guy whose grandparents had a chicken farm) is strangely very concerned about freezing chickens and really thinks I need at a minimum a heat light for the -20 or more nights we get. So, he's going to take an outdoor electric conduit we have but NEVER use (long story) and help me to re-route it to the coop. I bought a GFI outlet and plan to fashion a wire cage around the light fixture.

So, that's today's agenda. Here's hoping no one gets electrocuted. (As usual I'm stressed a bit about the upcoming challenges...)

 

[Hokum Coco]

Adding a light for HEAT is a good idea if you have young chicks or tropical birds. Other wise (you have good intentions) but NO you are doing more harm than good.

 

[JackE]

Check out the link below, and see how it was done 'BackInTheDay'. Canada, -40 temps, open air coop, no heat , no insulation, and no problems. The chickens don't need any added heat. Let them acclimate to the cold, and they will be fine.

http://archive.org/stream/openairpoultryho00wood#page/n7/mode/2up

 

[sn0wwhite]

Understood. However I also must humor my helpful dad. He won't know if I don't actually use it.

 

[sn0wwhite]

So close to being done! If it's possible to ever really be done. Finishing electric today and we put in the front window. Just a bit of landscaping and then will start on the winter panels.

 

[sn0wwhite]

So even closer! GFI outlet is in but not live yet. I'm so happy to have this secure. This afternoon while we were outside working a fix ran right between my house and my neighbors. I went running to the chickens yelling fox because I was sure it was going to snatch one of them. Thankfully it just flew off the cliff and kept going. I thought Sunny was going to have a heart attack.

 

[chickiegrrl]

OMG! I would have a heart attack if I saw a fox while the girls were out!! So glad it just ignored them and ran off. We had a close scrape with a hawk, that was enough. We heard some yipping in the woods yesterday and shooed the girls into the run. Glad your wiring is moving along! It's nice to know that you'll have electricity in case you need it, huh?

 

[aart]

Yikes!!

 

[sn0wwhite]

Yes to both... yikes! And the light will be nice to have when I get home from work in December and it's pitch dark at 6pm. Then I can check on them with the flip of a switch. AND I can be assured their water won't freeze.