What have you done for your chickens today?

[Moabite]

So my DW and I were in a ceramic supply store to buy pottery clay for the charter school, and low and behold, I found a 25 watt lamp kit for $8.00! So today I bought a $.75 tin, drilled a small hole in the side just big enough for the threaded rod to fit into. Then I assembled the parts and Wallah! A water heater in less then 5 minutes.

I'm debating on whether or not to run conduit and Romex out to the coop and add a GFCI outlet. Right now I have a indoor timer with a 50 ft extension cord going out the dryer vent to run the lights. My option is to put a splitter on the female end of the extension cord, put the timer and lights on one side and the Cookie tin water heater on the other (simplest).

I need an outdoor outlet out there anyways.

 

[Moabite]

I took the simplest option. I put the little one gallon plastic water heater on it because it is obvious that it isn't going to get that hot. I think it will work fine.

 

[PineappleMama]

My chickens got leftover soup (duck and orzo aren't I awful) and then I threw a boatload of leaves in the run (totally covered so NO leaves ever get in) and they went bananas hunting through them.

 

[dsqard]

Cleared about three inches of new snow from their run in case they wanted to go out. Since it is still snowing, they have been in all day. I might make them a warm mash this afternoon of alfalfa pellets, corn and BOSS so they have something warm in their tummies! Just have to get the guts up to go outside again.

 

[Justafarmgirl]

Mucked out their coop and put in fresh, warm straw. Brought them lots of broccoli, boiled carrots and a burned pizza from last night. Brought the cat in(Who is terrified of them) to meet them up close. My polish really have taken a liking to her.

Going to go out and give them a fresh layer of sawdust here in a few.

 

[Moabite]

I decided to try cayenne pepper method, but I found Pequin peppers instead, They are one notch up on the Scoville hotness chart from Cayenne peppers and are native to northern mexico where they are known as "bird peppers". Seems appropriate huh?

 

[True Grit]

It was 40 degrees here today so I took the old damp hay out of the run and left it just sand. Let the dustbathing commence! Ahh good times, good times.

 

[Moabite]

So in the last week I've added lights,timer, Manna pro, and Pequin peppers to cover all the bases. They better start popping out some eggs now!

1st update on water heater: It has been barely above freezing all day, but I noticed that the girls were gathered around the tin to keep warm, or maybe they are just amazed at the Christmas decor on the tin.

 

[GammaPoppyLilyFlutter]

I let them out to free-range and collected the eggs they had laid during the night. Two were cracked. One was intact

Then I went out to check on them later and found my pullet Gamma missing. I knew immediately she was laying an egg, but she wasn't in the nesting box. So I went around the yard calling her and searching every inch. Poppy, Gamma's best friend, also came by clucking for her and weaving in and out of the ivy stalks. Then, as everybody was getting nervous, she pops out of the neighbor's yard through a hole in the fence. I had checked in that yard but I didn't see her. She had laid and egg in the neighbor's yard, and I couldn't find it later. Gamma's grounded until 12:00 noon every day for a week. In the afternoons she can free range, but in the mornings she has to watch her flock have fun while she stays in the run. She has to learn to lay eggs in the nesting boxes.

 

[lightfoot]

Quote:
my pig feeder pans are 17 in across, 3 1/2 in deep. 3 and 5 gal plastic fonts. with 3 gal of water in the tank and 60 watt bulb, ice around the rim starts around -10 degrees. the lamp socket i used is marked to use up to 150 watt bulb. still working on them.
bob