help me with my chickens

Hi Bob

agreed neighbors do help neighbors in our area... it is a nice thing...

I also have electricty to my animal tending areas... Mainly water troughs for the cows. Use a submersible unit.

But again have to have electricity to the hen house for most solutions.

I honestly don't know of anything than solar power otherwise. and I don't know how well these work but... its something to look at i guess. Lots of ideas in the threads below...



http://www.homegrown.org/group/alternat ... d-watering

http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/61266 ... -answer/10

http://www.shopthecoop.com/product/csw.html

http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/loa ... 1478.html-

I run a 100' extention cord out there. I run a 40 watt light on a timer that kicks on around 4pm till 9. Extends their day light to about 14 hours. This keeps my egg production to about 1 egg per chicken per day. I run a little water heater pad that I set the plastic waterer on. It is supposed to keep it above 35 degrees F. Without power, not really going to happen. You could possible use the manure as a compost heater. Thats how I heat the coop. As the chickens roost, all their crap goes mostly in one spot. I just keep adding pine and hay over it. The composting process is keeping the coop in the 30's even in these temps.
Dont forget about your ventilation...you need it even in the winter. I have two small vents in the top, about 3"x3" and another 4"x10" in the bottom. Moisture kills the chickens, not the cold.

Bootstrap wrote:You could possible use the manure as a compost heater. Thats how I heat the coop. As the chickens roost, all their crap goes mostly in one spot. I just keep adding pine and hay over it. The composting process is keeping the coop in the 30's even in these temps.

I heard this for the first time about a month ago but haven't tried it.

How thick do you keep the compost?

rockwood wrote:

Bootstrap wrote:You could possible use the manure as a compost heater. Thats how I heat the coop. As the chickens roost, all their crap goes mostly in one spot. I just keep adding pine and hay over it. The composting process is keeping the coop in the 30's even in these temps.

I heard this for the first time about a month ago but haven't tried it.

How thick do you keep the compost?

I have 4 chickens. I havent cleaned the coop out since the begining of November. It doesnt smell because I add layers of pine and hay about every week or so. Right now the pile is about 8 inches thick. The composting process creates heat. Most chickens are fine as long as the coop is above 10 degrees F and I cannot stress adequet ventilation enough. I have a temp/humidity gage in the coop. I check it every so often.

One pic here is my coop. Its small. I wouldnt shove more than 6 chickens in there. On the back, there are little doors that get to the nesting boxes and another to get to the waterer and food. The other picture is of the inside. where you see that piece of corn, is where the composting pile is now. Keeps the coop about 35 degrees or so. A big coop would be more difficult to heat. I believe proper coop size is important.

If anyone wants to read and EXCELLENT and EXTREMELY funny book on composting....

Gene Logsdon... (Personally I love most all of his books. You won't be able to put them down...)
Great and funny author...


http://www.amazon.com/Holy-*censored*-Managin ... 1603582517

HAAA, i got it! Me and fred were wondering this thing was for... now we know, its a chicken coop heater Here is a pic of the "toy antique pot belly stove"

Bootstrap wrote:One pic here is my coop. Its small. I wouldnt shove more than 6 chickens in there. On the back, there are little doors that get to the nesting boxes and another to get to the waterer and food. The other picture is of the inside. where you see that piece of corn, is where the composting pile is now. Keeps the coop about 35 degrees or so. A big coop would be more difficult to heat. I believe proper coop size is important.

Thanks for the info...I'm gonna try it.

well my chicken problem is over, no they are still alive and pumping out eggs...went to tractor supply yesterday got a electric dog water bowl 20 bucks, that really did the trick no frozen water this am. thanks for that tip...the chickens thank you too...also got a small ceramic heater 900/1500 watts keep it on 900 thermostat set low keeps that terrible cold off...plan on using it on single digit nights..electric is e
xpensive here...rural electric co-op so you are kinda paying twice for the juice...the water bowel only draws 50 watts and only comes on under 40 deg.these eggs are getting a little expensive but its fun ...something to break up the boredom of retirement...lol...thanks all for your help and the compost tip i was cleaning every week, trying to be nice to em.better off to let the sheet build up and create heat...just got to be careful i dont let it get to deep that i burn the chicken house down lol...

buffalo bob wrote:well my chicken problem is over, no they are still alive and pumping out eggs...went to tractor supply yesterday got a electric dog water bowl 20 bucks, that really did the trick no frozen water this am. thanks for that tip...the chickens thank you too...also got a small ceramic heater 900/1500 watts keep it on 900 thermostat set low keeps that terrible cold off...plan on using it on single digit nights..electric is e
xpensive here...rural electric co-op so you are kinda paying twice for the juice...the water bowel only draws 50 watts and only comes on under 40 deg.these eggs are getting a little expensive but its fun ...something to break up the boredom of retirement...lol...thanks all for your help and the compost tip i was cleaning every week, trying to be nice to em.better off to let the sheet build up and create heat...just got to be careful i dont let it get to deep that i burn the chicken house down lol...

So long as you keep adding layers of shavings over it, there is no smell. In case it isnt obvious, I would not leave it in there during warmer weather...

Sounds like you're all set. I was going to chime in. I've never had electric to my coop, so electric heater is not an option.

I use the rubber buckets from tractor supply for all my winter watering. I have old atv tires that I stuff with straw. The buckets sit down in the middle. Twice a day, during morning and evening chores, we drop the bucket on the ground. The layer of ice breaks, we refill, and repeat. Half my flock uses an old greenhouse for a winter coop. Most days the water doesn't freeze at all. In the spring I move the chickens out, and the beds are nicely fertilized. Oh, no weeds either.

BTW, my main coop has never been heated or insulated, the windows are always open, year round, and my chickens go outside every day. I've never had any respiratory problems in my flock of 30 laying hens.

A good book is Harvey Ussery's "the Small Scale Poultry Flock".

As far as buying eggs at the supermarket and going on a cruise...I'm ruined for mass-produced eggs. There's just no comparison. I don't order eggs when I'm out for breakfast anymore because of this. And there a cruise ship being towed to Alabama full of people who would rather be tending their chickens about now.