The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[lalaland]

Here's the insulated base I made for my water dish, hoping it would keep it from freezing quite so fast this winter. I think it worked somewhat. The pink is that solid foam insulation.

somewhat...? I had the same results trying a black rubber dish set inside a nonworking big dog bowl lined with hay. kept it going for maybe 6 hours in above zero weather. funny thing is when I would take the rubber dish out, it could be frozen solid and there would still be some unfrozen water in the bottom of the plastic outer dish.

now have to look up airguns...

yesterday I was cleaning up the coop - came in and saw the nest on the floor behind the door, eggs in a pile...15 minutes later the eggs were lined up. Now that had to be a chicken- no way would a rat do that with me makine a ruckus just a few feet away. i hope.

 

[armorfirelady]

What's with the crows today?

Can we speak of rats and mice for a minute? We have battled them even before I had chickens.

Finally, Wrinkles seems to be doing fine.

Crows are good they keep the hawks away!!

Maybe you could get an outdoor cat or two? Some shelters are looking for homes to have feral cats that are vetted live out their lives. As for the air gun, I have access to one but I am not a good shot. Guess I need to practice more.

Glad to hear wrinkles is feeling better

yesterday I was cleaning up the coop - came in and saw the nest on the floor behind the door, eggs in a pile...15 minutes later the eggs were lined up. Now that had to be a chicken- no way would a rat do that with me makine a ruckus just a few feet away. i hope.

I believe your chickens are messing with you.........

 

[tjo804]

I hope you don't have a rat like this one.

That is one scary rat!

 

[Jewelwing]

Do you start out with hot water in it? How do you keep them from stepping in it?

Well, warm water - I didn't want them to burn their little tongues! I have it up on a cinderblock. They never stepped in it, but the did dip their wattles. But they didn't have much in the way of frostbitten wattles, just turned a little whitish or tan, but all are back to normal now. Their combs were a little worse than their wattles, so I wasn't too worried about the water.

It would still freeze, but I think not as fast. Plus I would warm up the glass dish in the bake oven above my firebox (it was around 150* before the morning fire this winter), so everything was warm initially.

Snake poop. I put it in my garage when I was having problems out there. Works like a charm!

Do you follow the snake around with a little baggie?

yesterday I was cleaning up the coop - came in and saw the nest on the floor behind the door, eggs in a pile...15 minutes later the eggs were lined up. Now that had to be a chicken- no way would a rat do that with me makine a ruckus just a few feet away. i hope.

Oh, they're totally up to something...

Have you seen Chicken Run?

By the way, we need a picture of those lined-up eggs!

 

[Scott H]

If you know someone with a ferret their poop will put the run on rats. I used to have one and my neighbor was seeing rats in his barn. I put some of the ferrets leavings in there and he didn't see anymore. Rats are instinctually deathly afraid of ferrets and for good reason. I also knew a guy who would come to your barn with 2 ferrets and turn them loose on the rats. That would clean them out quickly!

 

[subhanalah]

Well, warm water - I didn't want them to burn their little tongues!  I have it up on a cinderblock.  They never stepped in it, but the did dip their wattles.  But they didn't have much in the way of frostbitten wattles, just turned a little whitish or tan, but all are back to normal now.  Their combs were a little worse than their wattles, so I wasn't too worried about the water.

It would still freeze, but I think not as fast.  Plus I would warm up the glass dish in the bake oven above my firebox (it was around 150* before the morning fire this winter), so everything was warm initially.

Do you follow the snake around with a little baggie?

Oh, they're totally up to something...

Have you seen Chicken Run?

By the way, we need a picture of those lined-up eggs! 

are you being serious or are you mocking me?

 

[Jewelwing]

are you being serious or are you mocking me?

Neither. I just thought it was a funny image! My first thought when I read your post was "how would you get snake poop?" Then I immediately solved it by thinking, "oh, you could just go to a pet store if you didn't have a pet snake."
But I was left with the initial image of trying to gather snake poop from a wild snake...

Sorry if you thought I was mocking you - I didn't mean it that way at all.

 

[delisha]

Who was crazy and entered that Easter egg hatch?

 

[delisha]

I took away the one birds golf balls and gave her eggs and she was so mad..I am not sure she likes the exchange at all. I have never had a bird act like that before.

 

[subhanalah]

Neither.  I just thought it was a funny image!  My first thought when I read your post was "how would you get snake poop?"  Then I immediately solved it by thinking, "oh, you could just go to a pet store if you didn't have a pet snake." 
But I was left with the initial image of trying to gather snake poop from a wild snake... 

Sorry if you thought I was mocking you - I didn't mean it that way at all.

Please forgive me. That is actually quite funny to picture.