A coop cam: A perfect solution for surveilling the coop for a nefarious egg eating hen! And also perfect for a bazillion other uses that I thought of as I installed it. Here’s the scoop on how I set it up.

I’m surprised at the sheer number of articles out there on the internet that earnestly claim floating a few ping-pong balls on a water container will prevent them it freezing in cold weather. The idea seems to fly in the face of logic and science. Interestingly, of the 15 articles I found that tout ping-pong balls, only three indicate that the writer had actually tried them. And none of those three actually said that they’d prevented or slowed ice formation in their chicken water. And I found no mention of a controlled experiment. On the other hand, I’m being pretty earnest about ping-pong balls not working. Where’s my controlled experiment? Oh. Well. It’s right here.

As long as there have been domestic animals in cold climates, there has been the problem of keeping the animals’ water from freezing. Here is a list of suggestions for keeping your chickens’ water liquid this winter. I also debunk some widespread “solutions” that just don’t work.

The basic requirements to keep your chickens happy and healthy during the cold winter months.

Chickens in your backyard provide a unique ambience. They also provide nonstop entertainment. And don’t forget the eggs - they generously offer daily eggs. What else? Oh, yeah. Poop. They give us lots of poop. They are veritable pooping machines! Who would have imagined?! Here’s how to deal with it.

Every double-walled water fount will eventually start to leak due to tiny holes in the sleeve that allow air to enter. Repair is simply a matter of filling those holes. Read this post to learn how to do the fix, and I’ll even throw in a magic trick!