The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[MumsyII]

What if you put a water bath around the ceramic bowl to distribute the heat better? (Just a thought if you are experimenting)
All this talk of winter plans...It is 102 here right now and winter seems so far off - correction, winter IS so far off since we don't see much of it around here.

It was 78 degrees here today. I love this time of year. Dreaming and planning about gardens, seed catalogs, and chicks all winter long. Now is the time I can enjoy the results. The cold rains of October will be here when they get here. Right now I'm enjoying going barefoot in the garden. Grilling outside with my husband. We are having the best summer in years. And that's saying something I don't normally say for our summers. Sleeping with the windows open tonight again and hoping it lasts and lasts.

 

[lalaland]

I am heartbroken, lost that little banty hen. She was with the flock around 5 pm when I gave everyone treats, and was locked up in the run. I went to close up the coop for the night and she came up missing. Searched hi and lo, but no mrs murphy. Only thing I can think of is a hawk, I didn't find any feathers. Even though I didn't order a banty, she wormed her way into my heart and is one of the few of the 17 chicks that I named. I hate this part of keeping chickens.

 

[mikkles]

I am heartbroken, lost that little banty hen. She was with the flock around 5 pm when I gave everyone treats, and was locked up in the run. I went to close up the coop for the night and she came up missing. Searched hi and lo, but no mrs murphy. Only thing I can think of is a hawk, I didn't find any feathers. Even though I didn't order a banty, she wormed her way into my heart and is one of the few of the 17 chicks that I named. I hate this part of keeping chickens.

She might still show...I've got a couple that've done that to me! Don't give up hope!

 

[Eggcessive]

you take a heated dog bowl, like the blue one in leah's mom's picture, and you put a plastic gallon ice cream bucket in it. because of the coiled cord that the dog bowl uses to plug into a socket, it is a pain in the neck to pick up the dog bowl to empty or clean. Using a liner, like the ice cream bucket, means you can leave the dog bowl in place, and just pick up the bucket to rinse, to fill, or to bring out a clean one.

Leah's mom, I wonder if you could use a glass bowl liner instead to avoid the plastic? I have a glass mixing bowl that is about the right size, I might try that next winter.

I keep the dog bowl up on a block so it stays pretty clean.

I have two stainless steel dog bowls that fit exactly in my heated dog bowls. I tried the ice cream pails, and since the handles were too flimsy, I prefer the stainless bowls.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Quote:
Photo, please

 

[armorfirelady]

Leah's mom sweet feeder. I tend to browse the rift stores from time to time trying to find round glass bowls for the heated dog bowls. Not because I don't use plastic but I figured glass would last longer.....and ur dislike for plastic does speak to me when ever I use a plastic dish . But alas I do tend to drop things so plastic is safer for me lol

And my Edie is also the low hen. Those big girls keep picking on her and mounting here even when she squats for them and flattens her wings on the ground......I keep telling her to pretend they are one of the tots and peck back but her reply is to run to me and stay near my feet. She knows momma rooster (me) will poke the big girls in response she has wormed her way into my heart.......and follows me around the run.......I have to check before I close the gate cuz she is usually right on my heels <3

 

[delisha]

Quote:

I have a few really old glass bowls like this. The top is a pie plate too. The bottom fits perfect in the dog heated water bowl. It is enough water for my whole flock all day. The also like to eat now and this will be my first winter with no ducks.

I asked this on the fermented feed for meaties thread, but y'all are way smart, too! When I rinse my stirring spoon or strainer or feeding bucket in the sink (rinsing off ferment stuff) am I doing wicked good things for my septic tank?

good microbes for the septic and you will not have to buy them anymore!

ok, best tip I read today in the vintage chicken/poultry raising book: put aside chunks of sod in the barn to give to the chickens in the winter. They will peck at the grit, dried grass, and dead bugs. now, I don't have a barn but I do have a shed! So, along with bags of leaves for the winter coop, I'll store some sod. Will help keep them occupied in the winter when it gets 30 below and worst windchills and they don't leave the coop.

Great tip!!!! Thank you!

I am heartbroken, lost that little banty hen. She was with the flock around 5 pm when I gave everyone treats, and was locked up in the run. I went to close up the coop for the night and she came up missing. Searched hi and lo, but no mrs murphy. Only thing I can think of is a hawk, I didn't find any feathers. Even though I didn't order a banty, she wormed her way into my heart and is one of the few of the 17 chicks that I named. I hate this part of keeping chickens.

Look under tipped over things...like pans and bowls.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Del - how do you keep the chickens from stepping in the water and getting frostbite with such a large open waterer?




ALL WHO KNOW AND LOVE BULLDOGMA...
She had to put her beloved bulldog down today. She wrote a tribute on her blog... hope everyone will take a min. to stop over there and read her tribute and send condolences.

 

[delisha]

Del - how do you keep the chickens from stepping in the water and getting frostbite with such a large open waterer?




ALL WHO KNOW AND LOVE BULLDOGMA...
She had to put her beloved bulldog down today. She wrote a tribute on her blog... hope everyone will take a min. to stop over there and read her tribute and send condolences.

I use glass daubers and stones in them for the younger chickens. I did nothing for the ducks and old chickens.(wintered together)

 

[countrygirl74]

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?

I didn't heat at all - most of the time I just had to make sure I got up early in the morning to dump out the ice blocks (rubber water bowls) and fill with fresh water. When it was really cold and my hoses were too frozen, I would haul water - other times I would use the hose and maybe still bring out a couple pitchers full of warm water to mix in. I know... spoiled chickens. I always liked them to have something somewhat warm in the morning. There are very few days here where it freezes up again throughout the day - most of the time it will last or get a thin sheet of ice that they can easily break.

I am NOT ready for winter - loving all my sunshine and summer monsoon season. However, it has been unusually cool at night and early in the mornings lately. Had to turn off our swamp cooler at night this whole past week! I wonder if that means winter will start sooner or be colder???

I have never had either but from the ones I do see who winter over in our area they seem to enjoy any unfrozen water they can find.
I check in when I am at work as well when its not busy.......I consider it a stress relief practice to check in the forum

esp since I stare at a computer screen all day. If I was Aoxa I would go cross eyed from looking at numbers all day

X2 - work on the computer from my home office and it's nice just to take a break from work and pop in on here - although lately I've been too busy and can't get on here until night...

I am heartbroken, lost that little banty hen. She was with the flock around 5 pm when I gave everyone treats, and was locked up in the run. I went to close up the coop for the night and she came up missing. Searched hi and lo, but no mrs murphy. Only thing I can think of is a hawk, I didn't find any feathers. Even though I didn't order a banty, she wormed her way into my heart and is one of the few of the 17 chicks that I named. I hate this part of keeping chickens.

Oh, so sorry! We had so many animals growing up that after all of us kids were grown, my mom didn't want any animals anymore. She said she enjoyed them but was tired of dealing with the loss that came with it. She hasn't had a single pet for years. I'm hoping that the enjoyment will outweigh the losses but it is so sad when you lose one.