Utah!

[La Casa de Pollo]

No dead birds here... Yet... But I did get a kick out of that poor girl stuck to the floor.

What do you all use as waterers? I am in the market for something that doesn't force me to fill/thaw it every day. Right now I have 2 little chick waterers and a big hanging 5 gallon bucket with nipples. Suggestions? I also have an electrical outlet from my garage to coop that has a heat lamp plugged in for my 9 week old chicks.

I have a few different heated waterers but my favorite thing (because it is cheap) are the green heated dog bowls from cal ranch. 20 bucks but they go on sale for 14-16...They are low enough the hens can drink right out of them and high enough the dirt does not get in too bad. (about 5-6 inches high). I do not put anything under them, just set them in the run and plug them in. When I go out to get eggs each day I just take a pitcher and add some once a day. In my ornamental pen (crested birds out there and babies), I have a black rubber feed bowl that is smaller in diameter than the dog bowl and it floats and bobs around in there upside down so the chicks don't fall in, and the crested birds don't get their hair wet. When the bowl is full it floats higher, when the water level goes down it floats to the bottom. If you want a pic I can take one tomorrow so you see what I mean. It is hard to explain. It leaves a 1-2 inch wide trough around the perimeter just like a regular waterer where they can drink but they cant dunk their heads in too far.

The best thing about the dog bowls, you don't have to take them apart to fill them, just top them off. If they start to get mucky from the dirty beaks I just toss it out and wipe it with a paper towel and pour new water in, about once a week. I think they hold 6 quarts each. So you would only need to fill it as needed, I just top mine off once a day Mine go through water pretty fast.

Also you can wrap heat tape around your nipple waterer and that would do the job if you want to keep using it during the winter.

 

[La Casa de Pollo]

Ace--madchicken is right about the thermo cubes too--it is a plug, comes on at 35 degrees and off at 45. They are great for heat lamps that you don't want on all the time, when your chicks are a little bigger... You can plug it to the coop end of your cord going to the coop, it has two outlets, then plug your lamp and water bowl or heat tape into the other outlet and both will only come on when it is 35 degrees or lower. Yay!

 

[the-bird-man]

i have a nipple bucket and use one of those drop in deicers that are meant for 5 gal buckets. they work great. they only kick on when its below freezing. actually had to get a new one at cal ranch today and i think i payed $48 so tho not cheap its fair for what it does and the work it saves me lol.

 

[echipping]

Hi all. I am new to Chickens this year and am wondering your opinion on heat lamps in the coop overnight is? My girls are 32 weeks and I've read a lot on both sides of it and cant make my mind up. I have one set up and ready to go just in case but heard that once you start you cant stop because their tolerance goes down. It's supposed to get to 19 degrees tomorrow night so I am a tad worried. They have seemed okay so far but at what temp do you think they absolutely need the heat? I don't want to torture the girls but I don't want my husband to flip over the power bill too!

 

[Cynthia12]

Lisa..finally...I think..it has to be hers, I only have three laying hens, and they lay red brown, or the one white from my leghorn, so this new cream colored egg is from my NN.



Small, but a pretty good size for a first.

 

[La Casa de Pollo]

Nice! Not blue green though>so I wonder if mine could be sneaking some past me, I had not thought of looking for ivory colored ones. That has got to be her though, my NN pure breeds all lay that color. And they lay pretty big eggs after a few months of laying...She has a pea comb so I was sure she would carry Hercules' colored egg gene! I will have to watch really close this weekend and see if mine is in the nest at all. Glad she got started for you! Are you bummed out it is not blue/green though? I was hoping for the colored egg. Boo.

 

[La Casa de Pollo]

Hi all. I am new to Chickens this year and am wondering your opinion on heat lamps in the coop overnight is? My girls are 32 weeks and I've read a lot on both sides of it and cant make my mind up. I have one set up and ready to go just in case but heard that once you start you cant stop because their tolerance goes down. It's supposed to get to 19 degrees tomorrow night so I am a tad worried. They have seemed okay so far but at what temp do you think they absolutely need the heat? I don't want to torture the girls but I don't want my husband to flip over the power bill too! 

Welcome!!

All last winter I had an 85 watt yard spotlight, they come in red green and yellow...I use it in the heat lamp in the coop when it is less than 10 degrees or so...it makes a warm spot underneath but does not really heat the coop. If they are really cold they can stand under it to warm up, but I think they stay pretty tolerant to the cold. They never go under it, really once in a long while. If you put it on a timer, it can only come on in the night when it is really cold...hardly any electrical use. I like these lights because the glass is super thick and a lot harder to break, and meant for outdoor use so it is pretty durable. Seems like a pretty good middle ground.

In my Silkie/Showgirl/Shizzle pen I use a 125 heat lamp all winter, they are more susceptible to cold and I keep it on a thermocube to come on at 35degrees and off at 45 degrees. If the power went out I would bring them in and put them in a kennel in my garage, I just don't trust them in the bitter cold unless I can see that they are snuggling with other birds a lot to stay warm, some do, some don't. I had a silkie rooster in my main pen for one whole winter though and he seemed fine so I might be over-worrying about it.

 

[the-bird-man]

Hi all. I am new to Chickens this year and am wondering your opinion on heat lamps in the coop overnight is? My girls are 32 weeks and I've read a lot on both sides of it and cant make my mind up. I have one set up and ready to go just in case but heard that once you start you cant stop because their tolerance goes down. It's supposed to get to 19 degrees tomorrow night so I am a tad worried. They have seemed okay so far but at what temp do you think they absolutely need the heat? I don't want to torture the girls but I don't want my husband to flip over the power bill too! 

i dont heat my coop. think about if the power goes out or a bulb breaks and suddenly your girls who are used to heat are shocked by the cold, it can be deadly. and people have kept chickens without heat forever. i dont think they need it at all. i get the argument for breeds like silkies but i dont buy into that ether personally because silkies come from china and are kept without heat all over there and do you realize how cold it can get there? granted i have never had silkies. i am not saying i am right or people who heat are wrong but for me i personally dont believe in it. its actually humidity in the winter that is the biggest danger.

 

[Cynthia12]

Nice! Not blue green though>so I wonder if mine could be sneaking some past me, I had not thought of looking for ivory colored ones. That has got to be her though, my NN pure breeds all lay that color. And they lay pretty big eggs after a few months of laying...She has a pea comb so I was sure she would carry Hercules' colored egg gene! I will have to watch really close this weekend and see if mine is in the nest at all. Glad she got started for you! Are you bummed out it is not blue/green though? I was hoping for the colored egg. Boo.

My girl isn't pea combed..and I wasn't disappointed about the color..all I could think of was..finally! lol.. then I thought after bringing it in, it isn't blue or green..oh well. Smiling. I don't have any that color, so that's good. I know it's hers now because the RIR is in the nest box..that's the only other color I didn't get today.

 

[La Casa de Pollo]

My girl isn't pea combed..and I wasn't disappointed about the color..all I could think of was..finally!  lol.. then I thought after bringing it in, it isn't blue or green..oh well.  Smiling.  I don't have any that color, so that's good.  I know it's hers now because the RIR is in the nest box..that's the only other color I didn't get today. 

Aww she is not pea combed? I was thinking she was. Mine is--mostly--kind of a weird pea comb, but we will see what happens. Maybe there is still a chance then on a colored egg. Did not catch her in the nest today I watched pretty close. I kinda like the creamy ivory eggs they are really pretty!

Headed to Provo tomorrow if anyone wants a chicken. Meeting Derald south of SLC with some FBCM little boys....I could bring some more with me....still have a GCM/FBCM roo that is a few months old and stunning... the prettiest rich orange color with black accents. Also 2 chicks about 8 weeks old.....a black smooth sizzle, and blue smooth sizzle, free if anyone wants them, no clue on gender....they are not as big crested as some, smooth feathers, but teeny and really cute and sweet. They have a SG mom and Frizzled silkie dad. I would keep them with the showgirl/frizzle flock but they cannot be used for breeding and will just add more broodies to pile in the nest boxes in the Spring haha They need a forever home. Packing chickens in car at 10 am if anyone down south is interested!

Cynthia, finally I am headed right through your area and you are not hatching chicks this year. Go figure! LOL!