Washingtonians

[Dwkuska]

I know and what scares me is I have 2 watering dishes that been empty by the time I get home. At night (after chickens goto bed) I sneak off with the 1gal waterers and wash them up real nice like. Then I fill them with about 2inches(1/8th full) of water and freeze them. That way when I go out in the morning to let the birds out (waterers now full of water+ice) I feel the water will not boil by the time I get home. I just got those chicken water nipple thingies in the mail. Thought about maybe trying those out though I am afraid to "trust" the chickens to figure it out with all this heat. Thought was mount a pvc "bar" and put a 55gal water barrel to feed it. Questions? Comments? Constructive advice?

 

[Hinotori]

I'm lazy and my only outdoor faucet is at the well house. My layers get rubber feed tubs full of water. The silkie/chick coop has the 5 gallon galvanized waterer. I wash them out every night and refill normally. Last couple days I've been refilling them around 2-3pm to give them fresh cool water.

I get to spray my ameraucana cockerel as well while I'm filling them. He's such a dork and loves it. If I put it on mist and hold the hose down low for him he'll come dance in it. If I was ever to have house chickens it would be these two ameraucanas. Both love to come in and sit on the bed in front of the AC and take a nap. Sitting on me is their favorite thing if inside or out.

 

[Dwkuska]

Yeah maybe I need to upgrade from my 1gal.'s? I dunno I just hate to get a 5 gal, when atm I only have 4 birds, and this is the rainy state lol

 

[Greg Richardson]

Quote: I've done it both spring and fall. If I can I like to get them in October/November. By April you should start to get eggs depending on the breed.
I keep mine in an out building my old office with a light till they are feathered enough to go into a coup. Sometimes I have to put a heat light in the coop if I need the office area before they are ready to go to coop with no heat. Chicks will tell you where they are at heat wise by where they are under the light or away from it. If spring is eaiser for you wait till spring. I just wanted you to know that spring time is nothing more than a marketing ploy by the feed stores then anything else. I have a link some where about a feed store down south that advertises chicks year around. If you ask on here good chance you can buy from a person here.

 

[FirewifeJess]

I know and what scares me is I have 2 watering dishes that been empty by the time I get home. At night (after chickens goto bed) I sneak off with the 1gal waterers and wash them up real nice like. Then I fill them with about 2inches(1/8th full) of water and freeze them. That way when I go out in the morning to let the birds out (waterers now full of water+ice) I feel the water will not boil by the time I get home. I just got those chicken water nipple thingies in the mail. Thought about maybe trying those out though I am afraid to "trust" the chickens to figure it out with all this heat. Thought was mount a pvc "bar" and put a 55gal water barrel to feed it. Questions? Comments? Constructive advice?

If your chickens don't have enough water to last all day while you are gone, I highly recommend using your nipple waterers right away! They aren't terribly dumb and even my baby chicks figured out nipple waterers same day. The ice thing is great though, you're taking good care of them, good job! I'm going to buy ice tomorrow because so far I've used our entire ice bucket from the freezer every day this week and it's not keeping up with our needs. I hope they're all OK while I'm gone half the day tomorrow.

Did I mention I'm going out of town for a full week at the end of the month? I don't feel prepared to leave my chickens but oh well, I'll have to! Poor babies will be so cooped up, I hope they don't get too upset.

 

[FirewifeJess]

Yeah maybe I need to upgrade from my 1gal.'s? I dunno I just hate to get a 5 gal, when atm I only have 4 birds, and this is the rainy state lol

You have 4 birds going through a gallon a day? WOW! My birds don't drink much, never have, but my DOZEN birds only drink about half a gallon a day!!

 

[FirewifeJess]

Quote:

I've done it both spring and fall. If I can I like to get them in October/November. By April you should start to get eggs depending on the breed.
I keep mine in an out building my old office with a light till they are feathered enough to go into a coup. Sometimes I have to put a heat light in the coop if I need the office area before they are ready to go to coop with no heat. Chicks will tell you where they are at heat wise by where they are under the light or away from it. If spring is eaiser for you wait till spring. I just wanted you to know that spring time is nothing more than a marketing ploy by the feed stores then anything else. I have a link some where about a feed store down south that advertises chicks year around. If you ask on here good chance you can buy from a person here.

When do chickens typically go broody? Or is there a "proper" time? I was thinking I would have to wait until spring for one of my current girls to brood her own chicks, but if it's possible for one of them to brood in the winter sometime, I'd like that better. More eggs earlier and longer!

 

[FirewifeJess]

Who here on the wet side uses supplemental lighting in the fall/winter? I'm STILL on the fence about what I want to do and need to make a decision in the next couple weeks before we lose enough daylight that my POL birds skip laying until spring! ugh...decisions decisions.

 

[Chicken Rustler]

Yeah maybe I need to upgrade from my 1gal.'s? I dunno I just hate to get a 5 gal, when atm I only have 4 birds, and this is the rainy state lol

Well you could go to the next step. 3 gallon.

 

[Chicken Rustler]

Who here on the wet side uses supplemental lighting in the fall/winter? I'm STILL on the fence about what I want to do and need to make a decision in the next couple weeks before we lose enough daylight that my POL birds skip laying until spring! ugh...decisions decisions.

I do. I set mine up to get 14 hours of light per day.