Texas

[Matejka]

Noted. I saw today, when I expanded my walk outside my gate and down the dead end road, that the neighbor with the chicken barn (had 800 hens at one point, now it's for sale and has his cows while he gets his new place fenced), had his outdoor well pipes wrapped in what looked like attic insulation. I am definitely going to do more than the black foam stuff next winter. Especially on the barn pipes. I think, around the well, which is in the back yard (and a bit of an eyesore already), I'm going to build some kind of interesting looking insulated hut over it. Going to have to do some research on that - how big, what kind of insulation, but I think that's the way to go.

Got 45 eggs today. Dang, even in the freezing cold, they didn't slow down. I've got almost 100 hens and about 6 regular customers. I don't advertise anymore because none of my customers (except 1), is the 1-2 dozen request. They all want 6-12 dozen at a time. I think they're either re-selling or buying for extended family. Either way, I get my eggs sold, feed is completely paid for and we are all happy.

Keep this in mind....
Our pump went out this past summer. It was time-38 years. We had to remove top of wellhouse for repairs

So whatever you build-keep access for repairs in mind. This was something therepair company does not do, so I got the fun (partner is 85 and not allowed on a ladder). He has fallen off ladders 2 times in the last 5 yrs. It was not as hard as I thought. I removed sheets of tin on roof. nails out, slid top off. Replaced with roofing screws, for easier removal next time.

 

[electrycmonk]

Lesson#1 (and admitting my bias in disclaimer) after working at Home Despot while in college, I have sworn off that chain, as much as possible.
So, I use Lowe's - primarily.
1) Insulation for the walls. I like the blue foam sheets with the foil on one side.
A) easy to cut and trim
B) very light weight & layerable to increase R-value or stagger over the seams to block out drafts much better.
This stuff is usually blue with foil backed. Here the 4x8 sheets run $12-30 each.

2) Pipes will get the soft foam tube that you see HVAC service folks put on the pipe from the outside unit up to the wall.
3) the pipe wrapping cable that is a low voltage and gets zip tied to the pipes. It's goal is to keep any pipe it's wrapped to as aax.of 59°F goal....

Geee-manee-christmas... The struggles I've had with my phone over the last week plus is crazy.

The last few lines of this reply are prime example. Two pictures and approx a paragraph are missing...
So here are the two items again.
1) this plug in temp sensor that I have the pipe heating cord plugged into turns on approx 38/39°F and turns off when air temp goes back above 50°F.
2) the heating wrap cord for pipe.



As for the pipe wrapping foam. There are two designs. Open and closed cell foam.
The type HVAC companies use to protect pipe from outside unit to the wall of the house is this awesome dense closed cell foam that's like 2-3" thick and is impressively resistant to UV in my experience. This foam I found rather cheap via Grainger (I picked it up at the local brick n mortar store about 30 miles south of us.)

More updates later. Okay?

 

[electrycmonk]

Keep this in mind....
Our pump went out this past summer. It was time-38 years. We had to remove top of wellhouse for repairs
View attachment 2543057
So whatever you build-keep access for repairs in mind. This was something therepair company does not do, so I got the fun (partner is 85 and not allowed on a ladder). He has fallen off ladders 2 times in the last 5 yrs. It was not as hard as I thought. I removed sheets of tin on roof. nails out, slid top off. Replaced with roofing screws, for easier removal next time.

I have gone through many design changes on paper. Complete with a section of roof to be like an old "cedar chest" that is hinges and lifts up and lays back outta the way for the well truck to have clear & unrestricted access to pulling the pipe out in the future.

I had talked with our well folks and given our space he actually recommend that I move the tanks and stuff about 5-10 feet away from well head. Then chop the current well house down to the height of a dog house.
This would allow a lot clearer access to well head.

So that is the route I'm headed now.
The "dog house" will be as easy to remove as flipping open a cedar chest too.

 

[oldhen2345]

Well, I have learned I need to make a few adjustments. I have a pvc pipe faucet outside the chicken coop- it is pretty much a stand alone pipe. I had it wrapped, I thought, but it froze over anyway. Luckily it did not break. So, now I need to unwrap that sucker and insulate it properly- gonna have to work out how to best do that. Gonna get me some calf high rubber boots so I don't have to get in mud and gunck on the way to feed the hens or collect eggs. Ice and snow were bad enough, but melted ice water mud is bad too. I have big calves, so boots have always been hard to find that fit.

 

[MysticUniKitty]

Hi! It's been awhile since I've posted here, but I was told I should ask in here if anyone has Cochin hatching eggs? I'm in DFW area, and it seems to be really hard to find this breed around here. Feel free to reply or message me with information and pics if you have any.
Thank you!

 

[Matejka]

Well, I have learned I need to make a few adjustments. I have a pvc pipe faucet outside the chicken coop- it is pretty much a stand alone pipe. I had it wrapped, I thought, but it froze over anyway. Luckily it did not break. So, now I need to unwrap that sucker and insulate it properly- gonna have to work out how to best do that. Gonna get me some calf high rubber boots so I don't have to get in mud and gunck on the way to feed the hens or collect eggs. Ice and snow were bad enough, but melted ice water mud is bad too. I have big calves, so boots have always been hard to find that fit.

I use foam insulate pipe, looks like a pool noodle kids swim with. Its slit, slide it on, wrap in duct tape. Use faucet covers on faucet

 

[Matejka]

I give up. Not sure what happened with last post.
Is it Monday?

 

[Matejka]

I had a stand alone faucet in yard, used the stuff in previous post, then turned 5 gal bucket over it

 

[Derangedplanet]

One thing I've seen for stand alone faucets in more severe cold areas out in fields and whatnot is a 5 gallon, or bigger, bucket thats insulated, I've seen people use the blue foam board like he was mentioning earlier, my dad always used spray insulation around the edges and top of the bucket, and ive even seen a fiber glass batting version used in emergencies. Then they usually a bracket and stake it to the ground. Idk how effective this method is of course. But it looked far more hardy than what I did to our metal standalones this year with foam. Another thing I've seen done before extreme blizzards is double foam wrapping pipes. But foam pipe insulation is usually not comparable to the stuff they make for walls and especially spray insulation

 

[Andersonflora]

Oh Texas. We are very fortunate compared to so many to have come out of this mess with few repairs and not a ton of heartache but today it seems that storm took more than we thought...15 of the 17 eggs in the bator seem to have quit right around the days we lost power. They were all 3/4 developed. Last two were fully developed but seemed to be too dry to pip their way out We got the new fancy automated nurture right 360 incubator to prevent all this but of course no one predicted the power would fail for any extended periods of time and that our homes would become freezers for days. I’m sad that these embryos were harmed. I did try to keep that bator warm. Wrapped around it. We were expecting some really cool olive/Easter egger laying hybrids with this batch. How can I complain though? Our home is mostly intact, our already living creatures made it through ok, we have our own water, haven’t gotten a $17k power bill yet... sigh. Jumped back on the horse and put a new batch of eggs in after sterilizing. Have to get things with this bator right if that’s the actual problem before our turkey eggs arrive - literally can’t afford to mess that hatch up!
Our hearts are and have been with everyone. I know people in power failed us all but our communities across this state are strong, care deeply, magnanimously for one another and will make sure we all not only get through but thrive beyond this. Shouts to my in-laws for surviving their roofs caving and pipes bursting without power, water or heat for 3 days. And to my wonderful man for leaping into action many times to save us and much of the farm. Also to everyone who has gone above and beyond to get us all through. Sending love