Picture of the Day 1/13/2013

Winter storm Gandolf was not as bad as forecast.  In Billings, we only received 8" of snow -- where 12" had been forecast.  The temperatures did stay close to 0 degrees, but the temperature rose to 20 degrees today.

In fact, the girls came out on their shoveled path, onto the shoveled patio, and down their shoveled sidewalk.  Not for long, but they did get out today. 

The water heater tins worked great.  A 40-watt bulb prevented the water from freezing!  The tin inside the coop also gave off "safe" heat for them.

The girls seem to have survived their first below zero adventure.  I am having some trouble cleaning the poo -- it is frozen to the floor of the coop.  Go figure!

Picture of the Day 1/8/2013

Here in south-central Montana, a cold front is due soon.  Highs will be single digits and the lows will be close to 0.  When the weather turns so nasty, the ladies seem to spend more time in the coop.

I created another water heater tin to keep their water inside the coop from freezing.  The food has also been placed inside the coop so the ladies don't have to go into the weather.

Water Heater Tin

   

In Montana it gets cold occasionally.  To keep the water from icing up, I found a tin for twenty-five cents and a lamp for fifty cents at garage sales this summer.

In the tin, I drilled a 3/8" hole.  I took the lamp assembly apart.  Then I reassembled the lamp assembly inside the tin.  The screw-on fastener on the bottom of the lamp assembly is on the outside of the tin, which keeps the 40-watt bulb stationary in the center of the tin.

I have both plastic and metal waterers.  I have read that the tin works for both plastic and metal, so I don't know which I will do.  Or, I may make a second water heater tin.  Did I mention that I garage sale...  I have enough parts to make one more heater.