Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Ponypoor]

Is this chicken math?

No this is chicken math:

Or rather the end equation!

 

[Sylvester017]

@RoyalChick

I happened to buy the Premier One insulated heated waterer the first winter (2020) and it works well. Last summer for the first time I kept it in use (unplugged) and found it works incredibly well in the heat -the insulation keeps it cool, no light gets through it so there’s no mold growth, and the water stays clean. I stand it on an upturned 3-gallon bucket.

You can put just one gallon in there and the water is above the nipples and it’s not heavy (it holds three gallons which becomes seriously heavy) but depending on how much they drink you’ll have to fill it more often. I’ve replaced the nipples once so far, the springs wore out. Nothing froze at all this last winter.

A downside I’ve found is that the twist action of the lid (three ridges slide into three slots) is a little stiff, so I use a small stick inserted in the handle to help untwist it. I have put a little mineral oil on the slots sometimes, like I do for the base of my food processor /blender. You also want to make sure there’s no water in the slots (I dry them) after cleaning and filling it in winter, or it will freeze shut. Happened once, had to bring it inside to thaw the slots out.
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Hi Chicory, TY for the Premier link about heated waterers for freezing temps. We don't have freezing temps so our concern is for keeping water cool & clean in our mostly hot temps. We not only use both our old style & new style Rubbermaid Brite Tap waterer nipple extensions but we have also placed our Rent-a-Coop chick waterer outside so that we have 3 water stations now. I bought a half dozen extra replacement Premier elbow nipples for the smaller chick waterer but haven't needed to replace any yet.

We prefer the elbow style nipples rather than the horizontal nipples cuz the Silkies like to take dribble "showers" under the elbow nipples ~ they press the nipple w/ their beak & let the cool water dribble onto their chest then they work the water to their skin & start all over again. At 1st I thought they accidentally dribbled water but one Silkie really liked the "shower" & kept doing it over & over. So now our preference is using the vertical nipples. We don't like the cup nipples since the water "slimes" in the little cups.

Rent-a-Coop offers optionally a vertical or horizontal nipple attachment w/their waterers.

Silkies taking a chest shower under an older style Brite Tap vertical nipples attachment in a Rubbermaid cooler

 

[Sally PB]

Bgmathteach will appreciate it

Me too!

 

[BY Bob]

It took so long! Of course, I think it has been shuffling around a lot so far, being that they're only pullets still, technically. But now that everybody is laying and getting close to a year old, they're really settling in to their spots in the flock.

On a related note, I have mentioned that Gytha is rather roosterish (no crowing or mounting or anything like that but she stands tall and proud like a roo, and is usually the one on the lookout for predators when they're out of the run). Is it always a high ranking hen that takes on the role of a roo or can it be someone lower down the ladder? Is middle of the pecking order (especially in a small flock like mine) high enough to be a roo-hen?

Great question!

In my tribe the responsibility was usually shared. At a different point of the day someone different might be serving as sentinel. Since the last hawk attack and Hattie's slow down, Aurora stands most watch herself. Sydney will also stand watch but mostly Aurora. I've not seen Lady F stand watch and Aster does not have the patience to reliably stand watch.

 

[featherhead007]

If fuentemoon can read this post,
Then there is nothing wrong with her eyesight!

 

[featherhead007]

Hi Chicory, TY for the Premier link about heated waterers for freezing temps. We don't have freezing temps so our concern is for keeping water cool & clean in our mostly hot temps. We not only use both our old style & new style Rubbermaid Brite Tap waterer nipple extensions but we have also placed our Rent-a-Coop chick waterer outside so that we have 3 water stations now. I bought a half dozen extra replacement Premier elbow nipples for the smaller chick waterer but haven't needed to replace any yet.

We prefer the elbow style nipples rather than the horizontal nipples cuz the Silkies like to take dribble "showers" under the elbow nipples ~ they press the nipple w/ their beak & let the cool water dribble onto their chest then they work the water to their skin & start all over again. At 1st I thought they accidentally dribbled water but one Silkie really liked the "shower" & kept doing it over & over. So now our preference is using the vertical nipples. We don't like the cup nipples since the water "slimes" in the little cups.
View attachment 4073995
Rent-a-Coop offers optionally a vertical or horizontal nipple attachment w/their waterers.
View attachment 4073979
View attachment 4073980
View attachment 4074013

Silkies taking a chest shower under an older style Brite Tap vertical nipples attachment in a Rubbermaid coolerView attachment 4074023
View attachment 4073984
View attachment 4074024

My nipples seemed to get harder to work for the chickens in cold weather. In the heat of the summer, they would leak even when not in use.
So I just stopped using nipples

 

[Ponypoor]

Hi Chicory, TY for the Premier link about heated waterers for freezing temps. We don't have freezing temps so our concern is for keeping water cool & clean in our mostly hot temps. We not only use both our old style & new style Rubbermaid Brite Tap waterer nipple extensions but we have also placed our Rent-a-Coop chick waterer outside so that we have 3 water stations now. I bought a half dozen extra replacement Premier elbow nipples for the smaller chick waterer but haven't needed to replace any yet.

We prefer the elbow style nipples rather than the horizontal nipples cuz the Silkies like to take dribble "showers" under the elbow nipples ~ they press the nipple w/ their beak & let the cool water dribble onto their chest then they work the water to their skin & start all over again. At 1st I thought they accidentally dribbled water but one Silkie really liked the "shower" & kept doing it over & over. So now our preference is using the vertical nipples. We don't like the cup nipples since the water "slimes" in the little cups.
View attachment 4073995
Rent-a-Coop offers optionally a vertical or horizontal nipple attachment w/their waterers.
View attachment 4073979
View attachment 4073980
View attachment 4074013

Silkies taking a chest shower under an older style Brite Tap vertical nipples attachment in a Rubbermaid coolerView attachment 4074023
View attachment 4073984
View attachment 4074024

This is why I don’t have automatic waterers in the horses stalls. They are prone to playing with the lever and flooding the stall. Brats!

 

[Sylvester017]

My nipples seemed to get harder to work for the chickens in cold weather. In the heat of the summer, they would leak even when not in use.
So I just stopped using nipples

That concerned me in the beginning cuz I researched & the most noted comments about vertical nipples was leakage ~ especially from DIY projects. So I bought ready-made waterers w/extra attachments, nipples, & jugs in case that happened to us...but in 10 yrs it never did. Were our chickens more gentle using them? Was it cuz we had a very small flock & therefore less wear-&-tear? Were the brands we bought better quality? Maybe following strict mfr suggestions did the trick?

But we never replaced any water attachment except to tryout Brite Tap's newest model horizontal nipples which the chickens use but the Silkies still prefer using the vertical nipples better for their "showers".

Old style Brite Tap waterer w/vertical nipples

Newest Brite Tap w/ horizontal nipples.

And we keep out 3 locations for water & feed in case one area runs out.

 

[Marie2020]

Unfortunately the migratory habits of wild bird (esp water fowl) are what introduces the virus into our flocks.

At the moment the wild birds are coming back up here and they will bring the pathogen with them. Wild birds have been living with this virus for eons, but our domestic flocks have not, thus they don’t have any sort of natural immunity to it.

All poultry producers up here are on high alert for any signs of illness.

I guess I will be out there jumping up and down waving my arms around like a mad thing again for the next little while heaven knows what my neighbours think

That depends, if you had your thigh length rubber boots on

 

[Marie2020]

Happy Caturday

Éowyn watching Eve's new puppy run around the front yard.

View attachment 4073157View attachment 4073158

He looks as grumpy as Oliver