The Old Folks Home

[ChickenCanoe]

@ChickenCanoe What kind of wattage have you used? I'm afraid I bought a too short cable, this one only gives 20W. But they got a lot more expensive pretty quickly with the longer lengths that give more power.

I thought I still had the original packaging but must have thrown it away. So, I went out into the coop and wiped the dust off the label and it's 18' long and 126 watts. I originally bought it for my gutter but adapted it to a length of approximately 14' of 4" PVC pipe. It prevented the pipe from bursting so if you have a much smaller area it may be sufficient. After I taped it to the pipe, I wrapped both with a foam insulating material.

Whew, done! There were a few that did not want to go in, that hawk was making noise as we were out there getting them in. Saw it the other day in the neighbors tree, looks like a cooper. They are pretty brazen little things. Had my Golden R. out there before I put them in..must have helped.

I keep bottle rockets handy for hawks. The combination of roosters and bottle rockets exploding up where they live seems to help.

 

[hennible]

Good clip.
DUDE!!!! You are warmer than I am!

As to the plastic.....I use the thin strips of ripple wood to support that ripple plastic. It becomes brittle over the years, and I have WIND, so it needs to be nice and secure so the wind doesn't rip it off and away. The ripple wood strips hold it tightly and perfectly snug, giving it more strength and makes it less likely that it rips right off the screws. Zip ties wouldn't even last the first winter. They would rip right through the sheet. I have never done a temporary installation though.
I like the sketches. In those it looks like you are using the plastic sheets I have drooled over....the double walled ones. They cost more than the ripple sheets. The double walled ones might be stiff enough to work in your design.
the mink/weasels/stoats squish themselves so super tiny AND climb well. Those two traits together, and they can probably find an opening. I just saw one racing across the road on my drive home yesterday.

I imagined using coroplast (corrugated plastic) the idea was it would be held tight against the hard wear cloth of my run... But it's $36 a 4x8 sheet here so not this winter...

As for weasels etc, my ferret can squeeze under an interior door, flat like a pancake.and she climbs quite well... The weasel here is even smaller, I have no idea how to stop it or kill it aside from keeping the dogs outside ( 4 dogs live here all but one is an exceptional ratter )
Hope every one get there vermin.

 

[vehve]

Alaskan, the Gulf stream keeps us a bit warmer, even though we're at the same height.

CC, okay, I hope the 20W will be enough, I'm putting it in a 2 gallon waterer, so the mass it needs to keep warm isn't that large. And it only really needs to keep the bottom from freezing.

The corrugated plastic I've been eyeing is about 20 euros for a 2m x 1.1m piece, the cell plastic with the double structure would be significantly more and let through less light. I'm hoping to get away with about 100-150 euros total.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

...

...The weasel here is even smaller, I have no idea how to stop it or kill it aside from keeping the dogs outside ( 4 dogs live here all but one is an exceptional ratter )
...

http://www.trapperman.com/trapperman/The_Weasel_Box_Set.html
The only problem I have with the leg trap in the above link is that weasels are so light, I imagine they wouldn't overcome the spring on the trap. If they're available, use a #0 but I can't buy one that small around here. That's why I recommend the 110 or 120 conibear. They're very sensitive.
A regular rat snap trap is another option.

http://thesurvivalpodcast.com/forum/index.php?topic=36363.0
http://www.hotspotoutdoors.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/1491520/trapping_mink_or_weasel
http://icwdm.org/handbook/carnivor/Weasels.asp

http://mdc.mo.gov/your-property/problem-plants-and-animals/nuisance-native-wildlife/weasel-control

 

[ChickenCanoe]

...
CC, okay, I hope the 20W will be enough, I'm putting it in a 2 gallon waterer, so the mass it needs to keep warm isn't that large. And it only really needs to keep the bottom from freezing.
...

Yeah, that may work. I use birdbath heaters for buckets and big water bowls.

 

[perchie.girl]

CC, zone 5 for me then.

I was thinking I would drive in bolts in the frame, leaving them about a quarter inch out, drill large holes in the plastic, and then secure the sheets with some sort of clip. But I'll have to go study the fastener department in the store and see what speaks to my sense of engineering.

Look up Hanger bolts..... They have Wood threads on one end and bolt threads on another. Some have a square in the middle for driving them in.... another option is to use Accoustical ceiling hanger bolts.... All wood screws with a single eye for running wire from.... Slip on that washer and then run wire through the hole wrapping it up to put pressure on the washer.

the first one is what I like though use that with a fender washer and a wing nut to snug it up....

Here is how to install hanger bolts Better than I could describe it here a demo is necessary....

deb

 

[Wisher1000]

Wisher, the ones I looked at were UV protected with a 10 year guarantee, but I'm going to store them in the shed anyway. I was thinking of a more permanent multi usable fastening system though, I'm not a big fan of zip ties.

When I winterize my coops, it is always temporary and will not usually hang for more than a week or two. I have many times stapled roll plastic on the outside and it worked fine for what I needed. Here, Zip ties are fast, cheap, and can be taken down and then redone in two weeks if needed with no damage to the coop.

Quote:
Maybe you could catch a mouse in a trap and quickly rub it on a papertowel and drop that papertowel or some mouse poop into the PVC pipe that CC was talking about. That way, you catch the mink without killing it and don't have to buy/kill the mouses. I would even try dropping in a dead mouse but the smell of a long dead mouse might not attract the critter. Then you could relocate it a long way from anyone else's chickens, or give it to someone who would dispose of it.

 

[LindaB220]

http://themetapicture.com/ladies-interactive-mirror/

This has got to be the best video ever. Looking at their faces before and what they thought about themselves. And after. Wonderful.

 

[bamadude]

Things have been going pretty good these past months for me on byc. (I blocked all the moderators and administrators. Shhh)

 

[Highcotton]

If you go on the Amtrak website and find a route, add a date there are often deals. Especially if the train still has a lot of seats.

I used to travel from St. Louis to KC for work every week. I started driving but that got real old. I flew a few times but realized I could park free in Kirkwood and Lees Summit (suburbs of both cities with stops there) I could sleep all the way and the most I ever paid for a ticket was $72 but if I checked often I could usually get it for 25-30. I've even gotten one for $6. By the time you deal with airports it was almost as fast with no hassle. And, with only one airline flying that route, the plane ticket was always at least $250 but often higher.

If you have to change trains it can get more pricey.

I have to drive 100 miles to Atlanta to catch a flight. So if I can drive it in 5 or 6 hours it is a no brainer. That pretty much covers the Southeast for me.