The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Leahs Mom]

Actually - the lid is about 5x5 on that pit. I think the "room" underground is more like 10x10 or 8x8 (guessing w/out measuring).

 

[Leahs Mom]

I guess I better clarify that I'm thinking in terms of making a pit they could go down in (like a basement) rather than a freeze-proof hydrant pit.

Here's how a freeze-proof hydrant works:

http://www.woodfordmfg.com/Woodford/Installation/How A Freeze Proof Hydrant Works.pdf



http://watersourceusa.com/pdfs/hydrantinstall.pdf

 

[chikenscratch]

I guess I better clarify that I'm thinking in terms of making a pit they could go down in (like a basement) rather than a freeze-proof hydrant pit.

Here's how a freeze-proof hydrant works:

http://www.woodfordmfg.com/Woodford/Installation/How A Freeze Proof Hydrant Works.pdf



http://watersourceusa.com/pdfs/hydrantinstall.pdf

This WILL freeze! We used one of these when I lived off-grid and we had to pour boiling hot water on it to thaw it and re-prime everytime we wanted to use it during the cold months!

 

[Leahs Mom]

This WILL freeze! We used one of these when I lived off-grid and we had to pour boiling hot water on it to thaw it and re-prime everytime we wanted to use it during the cold months!

Have a question for you - when you put these in, you find out what the frost line is in your geographic area and then use the appropriate depth to get well below the frost line. They have 3 ft., 4 ft., 6 ft., etc. There's supposed to be a guide per area to tell you how deep yours needs to go.

So my question: Is it possible it wasn't deep enough for your area? Another possibility - that the pit wasn't draining properly?

I'm very interested as i am going to be putting one of these in this year I believe. There is a local guy here who has used his for years and tells me it works great, but he did caution that it has to be the proper depth. I had never heard of them until last year, but I sure want one!

 

[SallyinIndiana]

Quote:
I have seen them work fine in a local park here in the winter. We were taking the children sledding so there was snow, not sure how cold it was though, it was a couple of winters a go. Also I could not tell you how deep they were. BUT I can tell you they were not frozen.

Adding a question:
I have read several posts from people in the south that stop hatching eggs in the summer because it is too hot. how hot is too hot to be putting eggs in the incubator? Also why or what happens when it is too hot? do the roosters stop mating or do the eggs start making them hard to collect enough for the incubator?

 

[chikenscratch]

Have a question for you - when you put these in, you find out what the frost line is in your geographic area and then use the appropriate depth to get well below the frost line. They have 3 ft., 4 ft., 6 ft., etc. There's supposed to be a guide per area to tell you how deep yours needs to go.

So my question: Is it possible it wasn't deep enough for your area? Another possibility - that the pit wasn't draining properly?

I'm very interested as i am going to be putting one of these in this year I believe. There is a local guy here who has used his for years and tells me it works great, but he did caution that it has to be the proper depth. I had never heard of them until last year, but I sure want one!

It had at least a 6-10 ft pipe on it and uninsulated all the way. The space from the house where insulation stopped and cold temps began all the way to where the frost line is would freeze. We lived in East-Central Indiana when we had one. Ours also went into a water containment area below frost-line and not into a pit.

 

[BlueMouse]

Ok, thank you everyone for the input! I do have some vents in the coop, but not nearly enough. that's on the list of "to do" the eaves are open and covered with hardware cloth currently, and my husband is going to build me a roof vent. He was just waiting for the ground to harden up enough that his ladder wouldn't just sink out of sight.... I also have a window I can open (covered with hardware cloth on the inside) and the double front doors. It's still too cold to open the window at night, but I leave the double front doors open all day sot that things can air out.

There is no ammonia smell, just a stinky poo smell. I don't think that they can spill the water, they do have water inside now, but it's in a cup waterer, and spilling it would be pretty hard. The food they COULD spill, I have a PVC trough, and feed Fermented whole grains. It doesn't seem like much of that gets dropped.

I'll fork out that area and put it in one of my raised beds though, just in case. I'll also give the corners a good turn while I'm at it and spread some wood ash around....

I've only had the DL going for about two months now, so it's not super deep yet and I haven't had to clean it out either.

I was wondering if part of the problem is that it hasn't gotten going very well because I don't have a dirt floor?

 

[Child of Noah]

Now there's something I hadn't thought about. I'm not sure how far down you have to dig, but at some point, like in a well, the temperature of the earth remains at about 55 degrees. Like a root cellar. They must have had some kind of stairs/ramp to get down in there?

From what I remember of the comment I can't find.. it was with a ramp sloping down to the water area. I would love to learn how to really do this, but don't want to just dig a cave in my yard if I don't know what I am doing. But yeah, the premise is basically like a root cellar. It will be below the frost line, and remain unfrozen in winter, though cool in summer. There has GOT to be some oldy time book or some 117 year old guy who can tell me how this is done!

I know that HU finally gave up on figuring out a winter water solution and decided to bring the waterer in at night, then take it out first thing in the morning. He keeps 2 waterers - always has one inside his house. Takes one out in the morning, the switches it out at mid day (or whenever he goes out next). Takes the one from the house out and brings the one outside back in to thaw for the next switch-out.

If I don't have a functioning water "pit" thing, this will be what I will be doing in the winter.

 

[delisha]

Ok, thank you everyone for the input! I do have some vents in the coop, but not nearly enough. that's on the list of "to do" the eaves are open and covered with hardware cloth currently, and my husband is going to build me a roof vent. He was just waiting for the ground to harden up enough that his ladder wouldn't just sink out of sight.... I also have a window I can open (covered with hardware cloth on the inside) and the double front doors. It's still too cold to open the window at night, but I leave the double front doors open all day sot that things can air out.

There is no ammonia smell, just a stinky poo smell. I don't think that they can spill the water, they do have water inside now, but it's in a cup waterer, and spilling it would be pretty hard. The food they COULD spill, I have a PVC trough, and feed Fermented whole grains. It doesn't seem like much of that gets dropped.

I'll fork out that area and put it in one of my raised beds though, just in case. I'll also give the corners a good turn while I'm at it and spread some wood ash around....

I've only had the DL going for about two months now, so it's not super deep yet and I haven't had to clean it out either.

I was wondering if part of the problem is that it hasn't gotten going very well because I don't have a dirt floor?

Many of us do not have a dirt floor..mine are wood. I have to stir it often. I do not feed and water inside. Putting in vents will help a great deal.

 

[stonykill]

our best broody Sumatra named Mama started her hatch today. I was out collecting eggs and was greeted with this