My eco solution to rat problems

[xraylady]

. . .the chooks were warm & snug!

 

Just HAD to post! Major success!

Over here in the Rocky Mountain West, we face unbelievably cold temperatures, both day & night.

My fellow Eglu-owner, Janet, just posted on the Omlet US site with details about her success keeping her girls warm in the Eglu.

She is in Colorado - reporting a min temp of 0 degrees F. I checked my min/max thermometer this am - we had min temp 5 degrees F here in Utah.

Here it is in Celsius:

 

Outside Eglu min: -18 C (Colorado) -15 C (Utah)

Inside Eglu min: 7 C (Colorado) 12 C (Utah)

 

We had to provide heat to the Eglus to achieve this, a combination of rigid plastic heating pads under the roosting bars & low temp ceramic heat emitter - installed via ventilation hole in front wall above Eglu door. (You can put your hand in the wire mesh that protects the emitter - it only gets warm to the touch).

 

What a triumph! The Eglu's insulation works great to help keep the warmth in - but there is no way it would stay above freezing in there, in these kind of temperatures.

 

All the hard work (Janet & her husband had to drive 50 miles for some of the equipment) has really paid off! Even while I was struggling to work out how to heat the Eglu safely & effectively, I wondered if maybe I wasn't being a little bit nuts . . .

 

But I am so glad I did this for my chooks - means I can sleep easy at night.

 

I know there are other new Eglu owners here in the US, who will be facing the same problems this winter. I am so glad for the opportunity to share the information on the US Omlet Forum.

Yay!

[The Dogmother]

Great news Sarah, I am so glad that you've worked it out.

 

Snowy pictures always welcome

 

Here's hoping that your chooks remain warm and snug.

[ubereglu]

That's really good news. Lucky hens are spoilt rotten!!! With their own eglu centeral heating. Well otherwise their little tootsies would freeze-poor things!!!

[Laura & CTB]

That's fabulous news Sarah - glad to know all the chooks are warm and toasty.

[chocchick]

It's so cold there

Glad your chickens are warm though. Here a bit of snuggling up (ahh) does the trick. If you lift a chicken or wing you can really feel the heat.

[Aunty e]

If you lift off the top four of five chooks you can really feel the heat....It's not been that cold recently, but it's a nightmare trying to separate them at night. Maybe I should heat the ark.....

[Sheilaz]

Thanks for sharing that, it's interesting hearing news from Utah & Colorado. So far it's been unseasonally mild here near London.

Just to add, "Ooops, word censored!"ody need worry about their chooks in an Eglu here in usual UK temperatures. Inside will be warmer than outside, and fine for hens. But -18 & -15 all winter! I'm not surprised you took action!

[Charlottechicken]

Well done Sarah!

 

[AnnieP]

I just cannot begin to even imagine that temperature!

[theherd123]

Really pleased that you got this sorted - your chickens will be warm all winter long now!

 

[Charlottechicken]

I bet it's a nice 'dry' cold, not all wet and manky like we get over here.

[Louise]

I am now feeling guilty I sometimes get lows of about -10 and have never even thought about providing extra warmth

 

Well done to our cousins over the pond

[xraylady]

Don't feel guilty, Louise!!!

You are the expert on your chickens! You are the one who sees them cuddled up at night and up bright & early the next morning. You didn't "think about providing extra warmth" because they are doing fine as they are!

How well your chickens cope with the cold depends on a lot of factors, including humidity, draughts - & probably a lot of others. I am sure that, just as Sheila mentioned, in the UK, the Eglu does not require additional heat. How do the staff at Omlet know? By the experience of their many customers. If folks were regularly waking up to frozen chickens , I'm sure Omlet would hear ALL about it, pronto!

 

Why did I choose to experiment with heating our Eglu? Several of the experienced local chicken owners I spoke to, (although not all) - suggested it might be necessary. As Omlet US is still quite new, I thought it prudent to go with the local viewpoint.

 

Our winters in Utah can be brutal. If you are outside, unprepared, at the wrong time, it can be deadly. Every winter livestock,pets and people regularly die this way. A young man did last night.

 

So please don't take my post as any kind of recommendation for you & your local weather conditions - we live in a very different climate here.

All the best

[Happymama]

I am now feeling guilty I sometimes get lows of about -10 and have never even thought about providing extra warmth

 

Well done to our cousins over the pond

 

We do too, last year in Feb next door reported an overnight temp of -5 Deg C in his heated greenhouse. So take another 8 Deg C (what the greenhouse SHOULD have been) off that as well as well brrrrr. But my hens seem to be all right. It's been so mild here with overnight temps in double figs, I've not been closing the door at night (it's always past half way shut anyway) unless a proper frost is due.

 

I'm sure it would be possible to do something to a 4 demijohn heating mat's thermostat. (need mine for cheap wine and beer, though).

 

Those of you with hens and heavy frosts/cold days, don't forget to vaseline the combs to stop frostbite. You only need to do it once a day, and I would do it if it was windy and below 7 Deg C or still and below 5 Deg C last year, daytime temps. Basically, if the dogs didn't want to go out, I would pilgrimage down the garden with a pot of vaseline and get pecked for a highly entertaining ten mins. A dish of sweetcorn or oats in yoghurt helps.