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Good Morning everyone. I need to stop being so busy to get on here more. So I still haven't fixed my chicken water heater issues. So the last 4 days I've been just rotating out water 2 times a day. Today I think it will be more like 10. Its only 2 outside here this morning. My poor girls have NOT stepped food out of their coop. Glad its 12 x 9 of ground space in there, because they will not come out. We do have about 8 inches of snow, I snow shoveled them a path to under the large pine tree, as you can still see the dirt. Throw out scratch for them, and I actually brought a few out, and they all ran right back in. Bunch of sissy ladies I have here.

So I was planning on using the heater base, but putting it outside in the covered run area since the inside of the coop floor is dirt, but they scatter their straw all over the place, and with it being under the deck, we are afraid of a fire with the base. But now with the sissy's not wanting to come out, even if they have heated water 7 feet away I'm afraid they won't come out to drink it. So I was thinking maybe a heated dog water bowl. Those have to be safe right? I don't know what to do. Any suggestions? I do have a 3 gallon double wall metal fountain, can I but like a fish tank heater in there? But I then I can't but the lid on, which I guess would be okay. Any thoughts?

Thanks
 
sillycmoy said:
Good Morning everyone.  I need to stop being so busy to get on here more.  So I still haven't fixed my chicken water heater issues.  So the last 4 days I've been just rotating out water 2 times a day.  Today I think it will be more like 10.  Its only 2 outside here this morning. My poor girls have NOT stepped food out of their coop.  Glad its 12 x 9 of ground space in there, because they will not come out.  We do have about 8 inches of snow, I snow shoveled them a path to under the large pine tree, as you can still see the dirt.  Throw out scratch for them, and I actually brought  a few out, and they all ran right back in.  Bunch of sissy ladies I have here.  

So I was planning on using the heater base, but putting it outside in the covered run area since the inside of the coop floor is dirt, but they scatter their straw all over the place, and with it being under the deck, we are afraid of a fire with the base.  But now with the sissy's not wanting to come out, even if they have heated water 7 feet away I'm afraid they won't come out to drink it.  So I was thinking maybe a heated dog water bowl.  Those have to be safe right?  I don't know what to do.  Any suggestions?  I do have a 3 gallon double wall metal fountain, can I but like a fish tank heater in there?  But I then I can't but the lid on, which I guess would be okay.  Any thoughts?

Thanks
Click to expand...


The heated dog bowls do not get hot anywhere on them. They just keep the water above freezing, pretty easy, I really love them--the only downside, I have noticed is my crested birds get their "hairdo" wet when the water level goes down a little, and then the water freezes when the air hits them. I worry about them..they have icicles on their heads. I brought them in last night and dried them out, but they look like popsicles again this morning. None of the other birds have a problem at all, just the really big crests on my Polish and Houdans. I do not have heat on that pen or coop, so not sure if I will keep using the dog bowl in that one. The silkies do fine with theirs, and the big girls.
 
Thanks, maybe I will get a heated dog bowl. I just went outside to give them some hot scrabbled eggs, and new water for today and they made a huge mess. They took all the straw out of the 5 nesting boxes, and its all over the ground, and they are all laying in it. I guess they found a way to keep themselves warm. My husbands last week said to me, why don't you just put down the whole bale straw on the floor in there, so that way they will have warm toes in the coop, since it is dirt floor.

After the first snow fall, I found a spot in there where the wind is actually blowing snow in, not really bad, there was just a little in there, so I need to get out there some time today or tomorrow before the next snow storm and put up that thick plastic. I'm thinking of doing it on 2 sides, and just leaving the one side that is directly under the deck, facing south open. It has about a foot or more of ventilation just on that one side, and there is no way snow or wind will blow under in there.

I really hope they are staying warm. I feel so bad for them, but we did a test run with a light, not turned on, and the stupid EE kept jumping up on it, we had it out there for a week, just so they get used to it, and she was always roosting on it at night or sitting up on it. No matter where I moved it she would fly up on it. So I don't want to take the risk of her knocking it down with a light in it. At least with them up against the house I feel like they are warmer up there. And they are all just peachy this morning.

As far as light for eggs, I think I might try what my neighbor does. He actually just hangs up some of those bright white rope lights. He said it works great. And at least those are made for outside, so I don't have to worry about the stupid EE if she knocks those down in the straw. So maybe I will decorate them all up for Christmas with a rope light, and have it turn on around 6am and turn off at 8am. Anyone else tried out the rope lights.
 
I have rope lights all the way around the perimeter of my coop and runs--mostly to scare predators away. And it looks fun at night. I have a 60w bulb inside the main coop on a timer, it goes on at 5 am and off at 9 pm. They are laying really well so far. I have also put a straw bale or two in the run, they have fun picking at it and tearing it apart, eventually it gets all over the run floor and it helps absorb any snow that gets in and as the dirt freezes it helps keep the poop mess in order, we rake it up twice during the winter and throw a fresh one in. The downside of straw is mice like to make nest underneath it. I found a handful of little pink babies under the last one I moved. Ewww.
 
Just heard from Oklahoma. All three were successfully decrowed and are doing fine. He is keeping them for a few days then they are going to my friends ranch until Xmas then she will bring them back to my friends vet clinic in Orem where they will stay until I get back from Phoenix. He also mentioned he sent a decrowed rooster to Orem this week. Did anyone on this thread do that? He said they contacted him through BYC
 
sillycmoy said:
Good Morning everyone. I need to stop being so busy to get on here more. So I still haven't fixed my chicken water heater issues. So the last 4 days I've been just rotating out water 2 times a day. Today I think it will be more like 10. Its only 2 outside here this morning. My poor girls have NOT stepped food out of their coop. Glad its 12 x 9 of ground space in there, because they will not come out. We do have about 8 inches of snow, I snow shoveled them a path to under the large pine tree, as you can still see the dirt. Throw out scratch for them, and I actually brought a few out, and they all ran right back in. Bunch of sissy ladies I have here.

So I was planning on using the heater base, but putting it outside in the covered run area since the inside of the coop floor is dirt, but they scatter their straw all over the place, and with it being under the deck, we are afraid of a fire with the base. But now with the sissy's not wanting to come out, even if they have heated water 7 feet away I'm afraid they won't come out to drink it. So I was thinking maybe a heated dog water bowl. Those have to be safe right? I don't know what to do. Any suggestions? I do have a 3 gallon double wall metal fountain, can I but like a fish tank heater in there? But I then I can't but the lid on, which I guess would be okay. Any thoughts?

Thanks
Click to expand...

I have the metal base water heater in my coop works great. its high so I put a brick for the smaller chickens to stand on. I also have 2 heat lamps. One runs 24/7 the other only comes on at night. my girls are sissy as well They refuse to come out period. The only one that comes out of the coop is the chucker
 
Last edited:
I just love my water setup!

5 gallon bucket with 4 chicken nipples. I then put a 250 watt birdbath heater in it for the winter months. It keeps the water just above freezing and keeps the nipples free of ice. I used a 2" hole saw to cut a hole in the lid so that I can refill every couple of days using a gallon jug of water. I use a rubber stopper to keep the hole closed. My other little secret.....hardcore 20% alcohol mouthwash keeps the water clean and clear....just a little splash in each gallon refill. Even my rabbit/chicken drinks from it.
 
briansnarr said:
haha I'm sure I did. Its hard to tell what it is with it being deformed. I'm also not familiar with this breed so who knows. They all look the same size so its hard to tell if I have all girls or all boys. I'm shooting for girls lol
Click to expand...

Nah, looks like a girl to me..Lisa..we did the feather tip sexing..you know how good that works!
tongue.png


Brian, you should put up a photo, I think she's cute. I think she will do fine with how she is acting now. Knocking on wood.
 

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