The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[lalaland]

I had three of them, they all froze. They were the standard dog bowls..

I had to use a big stick to break out the frozen stuff, stick it in a bucket and bring it back up to above freezing, and refeed.

I'd sooner feed dry this winter than deal with that again.

I can see why you don't want to do that again!

I loved the ice cream buckets in the dog bowls, easiest winter feeding and watering that I have ever had. Combined with using milk jugs to carry out the water, it was a piece of cake!

 

[armorfirelady]

I've been

about the winter waterer for this year.

Have been thinking since the end of last winter of ideas that work better than the cups in the winter. I do have some ideas right now that I want to test out before it gets cold.

I'll share as soon as I have something workable. My criteria:

-DON'T WANT ONE THAT YOU FILL AND TURN UPSIDE DOWN. This was my greatest criteria last year. I'd like to be able to fill it from the top. This may be one of those things that I'll never be able to do away with but I have to say I'm valiantly working on it.

-Can't be so open that it fills with shavings or that they are able to step in it and get their feet wet leading to frostbite.


I already know how I'll heat it. I've even drawn a few prototypes and had to abandon some of my ideas.

I have it narrowed down to a couple ideas that I will likely test out.

Then...who knows...I may end up getting one that I have to turn upside down and forgetting it if I can't make any of my ideas work.

I have had a few ideas as well. But I am a good procrastinator about finding something for winter use when its summer

I really need to sit down and do some research

 

[RedRidge]

I've been

about the winter waterer for this year.

Have been thinking since the end of last winter of ideas that work better than the cups in the winter. I do have some ideas right now that I want to test out before it gets cold.

I'll share as soon as I have something workable. My criteria:

-DON'T WANT ONE THAT YOU FILL AND TURN UPSIDE DOWN. This was my greatest criteria last year. I'd like to be able to fill it from the top. This may be one of those things that I'll never be able to do away with but I have to say I'm valiantly working on it.

-Can't be so open that it fills with shavings or that they are able to step in it and get their feet wet leading to frostbite.


I already know how I'll heat it. I've even drawn a few prototypes and had to abandon some of my ideas.

I have it narrowed down to a couple ideas that I will likely test out.

Then...who knows...I may end up getting one that I have to turn upside down and forgetting it if I can't make any of my ideas work.

Cute thinker...
I use the disc shaped stock tank deicers in my chicken waterers.
http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/farm-innovators-multi-use-utility-deicer-250-watt
Most of my waterers are buckets with chicken nipples on the bottom... toss the disc in for the winter, plug it in, walk away.
They have thermostats build it, so they turn off when not necessary, and they don't get hot at all, but will keep even the largest bucket from icing at all.

 

[RedRidge]

I've been

about the winter waterer for this year.

Have been thinking since the end of last winter of ideas that work better than the cups in the winter. I do have some ideas right now that I want to test out before it gets cold.

I'll share as soon as I have something workable. My criteria:

-DON'T WANT ONE THAT YOU FILL AND TURN UPSIDE DOWN. This was my greatest criteria last year. I'd like to be able to fill it from the top. This may be one of those things that I'll never be able to do away with but I have to say I'm valiantly working on it.

-Can't be so open that it fills with shavings or that they are able to step in it and get their feet wet leading to frostbite.


I already know how I'll heat it. I've even drawn a few prototypes and had to abandon some of my ideas.

I have it narrowed down to a couple ideas that I will likely test out.

Then...who knows...I may end up getting one that I have to turn upside down and forgetting it if I can't make any of my ideas work.

Love the thinker...
I use stock tank deicers in my waterers... some are buckets with chicken nipples on the bottom... one line is a line water made of 4" pvc with a large opening in the center of the top about 5' off the group.
I just drop the discs in in the late fall, plug them in, walk away.
They have thermostats in them, so they turn off when above freezing and they do not get too hot for 2 gal buckets or pvc.
I love em.
Here is the kind I use.
http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/farm-innovators-multi-use-utility-deicer-250-watt

 

[RedRidge]

Sorry for the double post... crashed during the first one and didn't realize it had posted.
In the meantime, I'll share a pic of Vacker... my 10 wk old SFH cockerel who is really a sweetheart... can't wait to start getting eggs out of his girls.

 

[armorfirelady]

Cute thinker...
I use the disc shaped stock tank deicers in my chicken waterers.
http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/farm-innovators-multi-use-utility-deicer-250-watt
Most of my waterers are buckets with chicken nipples on the bottom... toss the disc in for the winter, plug it in, walk away.
They have thermostats build it, so they turn off when not necessary, and they don't get hot at all, but will keep even the largest bucket from icing at all.

Ok this might sound like a silly question but do you get a lot of freezing temps there?
The temps here are/can be below freezing from November to almost April. Not every day of course.


The nipples don't freeze up? I & Leah have the poultry cup waterers. She said last winter the spring froze. I don't know if the stock waterer would keep the springs from freezing or not. I was thinking heat tape people use for their pipes outdoors to try & keep them from freezing.....

 

[armorfirelady]

Sorry for the double post... crashed during the first one and didn't realize it had posted.
In the meantime, I'll share a pic of Vacker... my 10 wk old SFH cockerel who is really a sweetheart... can't wait to start getting eggs out of his girls.

Handsome boy !!

 

[MEMama3]

   I can see why you don't want to do that again!

I loved the ice cream buckets in the dog bowls, easiest winter feeding and watering that I have ever had.  Combined with using milk jugs to carry out the water, it was a piece of cake!

what is the ice cream bucket/dog bowl idea?

 

[RedRidge]

Quote:
It varies a lot here... some years very little freezing, other years we may be below 20 for weeks on end... but you are right, that is rare here.
The nipples don't freeze... I suspect because the disc is right on top of them. I wouldn't feel that confident about the cups since there is "outside water" there.
Keep in mind... these are meant to keep 100 gallon stock tanks from freezing.

We have used electric pipe heat tape on the pvc waterer I have and it worked well... we wrapped it and then wrapped a roll of insulation around it.
I will get a pic later today of that waterer... it works well for large groups as it is about 5' long I think.
Like the heat tape idea...

I have to agree with LM... I had one of those heated bottom waterers and really didn't like it... made a mess, was heavy.

As another aside... I have a friend who puts their regular waterers on top of a concrete block in the winter... inside the block is small watt light bulb.
Not exactly how that setup works, but she claims it keeps everything thawed.

Also... We are always careful to put the waterers on the inside walls during the winter.
I like them on the outside walls in the summer because they are easier to access, but in the winter the outside walls are draftier. Roosts are never on outside walls either.

 

[Leahs Mom]

I have decided that I won't use the chicken nipple waterers for several reasons so that one is out for me. (I've said my reasons before so I won't repeat them here unless someone wants to hear again.)


I REALLY LOVE my cup waterers, (no mess in them, constant supply of water, easy to clean, natural position for the chickens to drink, etc.) but the tiny necks would freeze even though the water stayed unfrozen.

Finally was able to keep them open to about 10 F degrees with the fish tank heater:



However I was always worried that the necks were going to freeze and leave them without water so I was always feeling like I needed to check on them constantly. I did use this all winter long with success but because of feeling like I had to check them constantly, I don't think I'll use them this year. Maybe I will if the temps stay about 12 F or above as it works really well at that temp.

If I do use it, I'll have to just "settle down" and not keep worrying about the necks freezing.

.




********************************************************************************



Last year I made base heaters for my FERMENTED FEED by taking out the heaters from heated dog bowls. Worked great to put the ff on. I used a GLASS pie pan or a ceramic dish on top of it. This way I wasn't feeding from plastic that was constantly being heated.

Here's the link showing how I did them: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...keeping-thread-ots-welcome/1040#post_10111024





I also sat one of the canning jar chick waterers on top of one of those (I have the old fashioned glass bases). In really cold weather about half of the quart stayed thawed. The top part away from the heat base froze.




I really DO have some great ideas in my head for other waterers that I think will work well and also know how I'll heat them. I just haven't tried them yet. I want to be sure that there is no open water for them to step in and that is one of the challenges. I don't want to risk frostbite on any feet. I'm going to get some of my ideas in the test mode in the next few days. I'D LOVE IF I COULD DO SOMETHING THAT DOESN'T USE PLASTIC...AND I HAVE SEVERAL IDEAS FLOATING AROUND IN MY HEAD FOR THAT!


AND....
Has anyone just NOT heated the water at all? Have any of you tried just having 2 waterers of whatever type and just putting one out in the morning then switching it out with a second one in the afternoon and bringing the first one in to thaw and just doing a rotation? I have read that some folks have just done it that way and quit trying to do a heated waterer. Just curious if anyone is doing that?