The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[chicalot]

Poor baby chic didn't make it out of the egg. It just never zipped after the pip. It tried all day yesterday but went quiet lastnight. I peeled it open. There was no yolk. At least it doesn't have to be a single.

 

[lazy gardener]

well, what with storms, family emergencies, and travel plans, I ran out of feed and I grabbed a bag of pelleted feed (sprout brand) from a fleet farm to tide me over til I could get to the mill.

Wasn't all that surprised when the flock refused to eat it day one. and day two. and......week later.....2 weeks later......So I had to laugh today when it was finally warm outside with only mild windchill and the flock went outside. I noticed on the ground under the coop there was still a dish of those pellets - untouched by mice, wild birds, and of course, the chickens. It had to have been left there two weeks ago at least. no one will eat it!

makes you wonder, doesn't it?

I have been reading all kinds of things to him I will ware him down... I always do. lol

Who feeds the chickens? How many? It certainly doesn't take much room to make a quart of FF, and you could let the chickens decide. It wouldn't need to be an all or none decision.

Poor baby chic didn't make it out of the egg. It just never zipped after the pip. It tried all day yesterday but went quiet lastnight. I peeled it open. There was no yolk. At least it doesn't have to be a single.

Sorry Chickalot.

 

[mlowen]

Really interesting year round water system in the DIY thread posted by bellehumeur.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/u/229595/bellehumeur

ETA: the link is the profile page, I was trying to just copy for accuracy on the name. The post is from today.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Really interesting year round water system in the DIY thread posted by bellehumeur.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/u/229595/bellehumeur

ETA: the link is the profile page, I was trying to just copy for accuracy on the name. The post is from today.

Here it is, ML:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/631861/diy-thread-lets-see-your-inventions/1770#post_12736822

 

[Turkeytruff]

Poor baby chic didn't make it out of the egg. It just never zipped after the pip. It tried all day yesterday but went quiet lastnight. I peeled it open. There was no yolk. At least it doesn't have to be a single.

So sorry Chica lot (( ))

 

[RedRidge]

Really interesting year round water system in the DIY thread posted by bellehumeur.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/u/229595/bellehumeur


ETA: the link is the profile page, I was trying to just copy for accuracy on the name. The post is from today.

Here it is, ML:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/631861/diy-thread-lets-see-your-inventions/1770#post_12736822

Interesting but seems like over kill in design and money. Why not just drop a bird bath deicer in?
I have 2 gallon buckets with chicken nipples and also a large, upside down "T" made of 4" pic that holds 5 gallon with 6 nipples on the bottom. I just drop the deicers in during the winter months and walk away. Since the deicers have a thermostat that turns on at 34 degrees they are very efficient and don't run all the time.
We've been below freezing for a week now and below zero several nights and I have open air coops and nothing has frozen.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Water freezing experience I have finds that in the teens and below, it begins to freeze no matter what heater you use with the nipples....unless it's an aquarium heater that goes hotter...used with a thermocube for the same temp range on/off as the bird bath deicers.

Not the water itself, but the small pipe area in the nipples or cup waterers.


I think the guy that made the toilet tank waterer was hooking it up to a hose in the summer so that it would auto fill with the tank valve shut-off....which is why he/she used the toilet tank. Gave a good amount of water and auto-filling. And for winter he just removes the hose and fills it by hand.

Novel and interesting use of a toilet tank!
But it does seem like a lot of work when you could just use a bucket and add a float for pretty cheap if you wanted it to autofill.

 

[TeaChick]

well, what with storms, family emergencies, and travel plans, I ran out of feed and I grabbed a bag of pelleted feed (sprout brand) from a fleet farm to tide me over til I could get to the mill.  

Wasn't all that surprised when the flock refused to eat it day one.  and day two. and......week later.....2 weeks later......So I had to laugh today when it was finally warm outside with only mild windchill and the flock went outside.  I noticed on the ground under the coop there was still a dish of those pellets - untouched by mice, wild birds, and of course, the chickens.  It had to have been left there two weeks ago at least.  no one will eat it!

makes you wonder, doesn't it?

Yeah.

Poor baby chic didn't make it out of the egg. It just never zipped after the pip. It tried all day yesterday but went quiet lastnight. I peeled it open. There was no yolk. At least it doesn't have to be a single.

=(
(((Hugs)))

 

[ki4got]

Quote: Interesting but seems like over kill in design and money. Why not just drop a bird bath deicer in?
I have 2 gallon buckets with chicken nipples and also a large, upside down "T" made of 4" pic that holds 5 gallon with 6 nipples on the bottom. I just drop the deicers in during the winter months and walk away. Since the deicers have a thermostat that turns on at 34 degrees they are very efficient and don't run all the time.
We've been below freezing for a week now and below zero several nights and I have open air coops and nothing has frozen.

so your nipples don't freeze in the winter if the tank heater is in there? I'd asked that a while back and didn't really get any definite answers... I was thinking of adding the nipples directly to the bucket tho, not on a T or anything.

 

[RedRidge]

 

 

Really interesting year round water system in the DIY thread posted by bellehumeur.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/u/229595/bellehumeur



ETA: the link is the profile page, I was trying to just copy for accuracy on the name. The post is from today.

Here it is, ML:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/631861/diy-thread-lets-see-your-inventions/1770#post_12736822

Interesting but seems like over kill in design and money. Why not just drop a bird bath deicer in?

I have 2 gallon buckets with chicken nipples and also a large, upside down "T" made of 4" pic that holds 5 gallon with 6 nipples on the bottom. I just drop the deicers in during the winter months and walk away. Since the deicers have a thermostat that turns on at 34 degrees they are very efficient and don't run all the time.

We've been below freezing for a week now and below zero several nights and I have open air coops and nothing has frozen.

so your nipples don't freeze in the winter if the tank heater is in there?  I'd asked that a while back and didn't really get any definite answers...  I was thinking of adding the nipples directly to the bucket tho, not on a T or anything.

No never. This is what I use.
http://m.tractorsupply.com/en/store/farm-innovators-multi-use-utility-deicer-250-watt

It sits in the bottom of the bucket. Each bucket has the nipples on the bottom and they hang a few feet of the ground (depending on size of chickens).
I have never had them freeze.
I use these buckets with these Deicers in my brooder too, just smaller 1 gallon buckets. The chicks use them from day 1 and I never have to worry about nasty water... Or better yet, frostbite on wattles.