The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Leahs Mom]

Sally8 - look up about 5 posts. Same as the thermocube.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Mumsy - specifically what do you connect to your thermocube? Is it the waterer's themselves? Do you have a heat source that comes on in the chick house that it controls?

 

[Sally8]

Sally8 - look up about 5 posts. Same as the thermocube.

Thanks. I remembered after I saw the next couple posts.

 

[MumsyII]

Mumsy - specifically what do you connect to your thermocube? Is it the waterer's themselves? Do you have a heat source that comes on in the chick house that it controls?

My big barn has six cages that I'm using specifically to house non breeding cocks this winter. Lights are strategically placed near the waterers throughout the barn. (two or three) When the temp dips, the lights come on and cast off just enough warmth to keep the waterers from freezing. I'm slowly replacing light bulbs with ceramic heat bulbs. I get them on-line from reptile suppliers. The only months this is a concern would be January and February. Larger water pans don't freeze inside the barn but the smaller containers in the cock cages can.
The chick house we are building now will be wired and I'll use the 250 watt ceramic heat bulb with the thermocube. The hatching of the HRIR starts in January and February, so I imagine it will be in high use.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Quote:
On your waterers:

-What size/type are they that the bulbs keep them thawed?
-On your Ceramic heaters - I have one but have never used it. Purchased it for brooding but that was a bad idea for various reasons. So - if I used if like you are, how do you keep the chickens from touching it and getting burned? (Very hot, they are! And no glow to warn.)

 

[Kassaundra]

Kassaundra, I had a wonderful time (within the past two years!) re-reading the entire Pern series in chronological order instead of pubished order. My library had every book and I just savored them.

I haven't gone back and reread in chronological order, but keep wanting too, even though it means crying my eyes out again over Master Robinton, but we have every book too. I hope her son, Todd, keeps writing, I prefer Anne's style but his is good too.

 

[Sally8]

On your waterers:

-What size/type are they that the bulbs keep them thawed?
-On your Ceramic heaters - I have one but have never used it. Purchased it for brooding but that was a bad idea for various reasons. So - if I used if like you are, how do you keep the chickens from touching it and getting burned? (Very hot, they are! And no glow to warn.)

? x2

 

[BlueMouse]

I haven't gone back and reread in chronological order, but keep wanting too, even though it means crying my eyes out again over Master Robinton, but we have every book too. I hope her son, Todd, keeps writing, I prefer Anne's style but his is good too.

I got the reference too! She's one of my favorite authers. I first read one of her stories in an anthology that was put together and edited by Isaac Asimov. I had to have been around 15. I loved it so much that I went to the library forthwith, checked out every book they had, and devoured them. Now you guys are making me want to go and read them in chronological order

.

 

[Kassaundra]

I got the reference too! She's one of my favorite authers. I first read one of her stories in an anthology that was put together and edited by Isaac Asimov. I had to have been around 15. I loved it so much that I went to the library forthwith, checked out every book they had, and devoured them. Now you guys are making me want to go and read them in chronological order

.

Have you guys read any of her other series? They are much shorter but some really good ones. I had hoped she would add to her "Freedom" series before she died. She even wrote a few just fiction no scifi/fantasy, but I can't remember what they were about it has been sooooo many years since I read them. I think they were co-authored w/ Mercedes Lackey.

 

[BlueMouse]

I read the Rowan books, and some of the acorna series, which she co-authored and I liked less. I also read the ship that sang and a couple others. I THINK I've read all the pern books, but there's so many of them I sometimes lose track. I should get a comprehensive list, get them out of the library and tick them off. I only own a few. I don't tend to own books in hard copy at this point that I wouldn't conisider appropriate for a 12 year old who had the desire to read (and we have between my husband and I more than 500 volumes.....) Because I want my kids to have free run of the library wihout worrying that they'll read something that's sort of out of their context as far as agre appropriateness. Most of her stuff would be fine, some of it gets a bit adult for most pre-teens.

I went outside this AM and found that someone in the pen had taken a huge chunk out of one of my few remaining adult meatbirds (too small to butcher at last go round) she was mising a nickel sized piece of flesh at the back of her head and all the feathers picked off around it. I cleaned it and applied a thick coating of nustock. I'm hoping that will keep further picking at bay. If it doesn't get better I guess I'll just go ahead and butcher her, she was slated to go with the next round of butchering in a few weeks anyhow.