Emily Sweet

Sorry Mike Jay... I forgot to tell you all my location... I am in the North Eastern USA.  Zone 5a.  

Thanks for the link.  I will take a look.

The old water tank is an interesting idea.  I was thinking of an old mini fridge, but I was worried the inside of the fridge could not take the heat... but an old water heater tank could work.  I think we have one in the scrap pile (farms always have old stuff around).

Would I fill it with rocks and drill holes in the side facing up (above the waterline when buried)?  Because I want there to be airflow and I want heat to release from the tank at night through the holes.  Correct?  I wonder if I should I make a small drainage hole on the bottom for the tank for if some water got into the insulated tank it could drain out?

There is already a ditch dug to divert the water around the house and yard, but our farm has about 300 acres of hilly fields behind us so the snow melt and rain is unavoidable.  When they build the house in 1853, they were thinking it was a good location because it is sheltered by the hills and right next to a brook that runs year round... that was their priority.  

I'd be worried that they were not getting enough calories or minerals.  My birds free range and don't need a lot of grain, but they still need it to produce eggs with strong shells and maintain a healthy weight.  

I'm sure you folks know, but what many people don't understand is that not all feed/grain is equal.  A lot of feed is not made with the whole grain, so the chickens are not getting the nutrition that they would from a feed made with whole grain.  Many feed companies also add fillers or byproducts to keep their costs down, but nutritionally they may be inferior to the feed your great-grand parent was feeding their critters.  So, I think a better question for this "grain free" person to ask would be "What do you feed your chickens."  

We grow our own grain and make our own feed.   It's all natural, non-GMO, whole grain with no byproducts or fillers.  We add different mineral packs for the layer feed and grower feed and we grind the grower finer for little beaks and tummies, but otherwise it is only corn, oats and soy.  I haven't had any problems with my chickens... other than the wildlife seem to find them extra tasty, but that is a conversation for another thread.  

I could really use some help... I've been researching and the lack of information is making me crazy.  I'll try to keep this brief...

I recently purchased a greenhouse kit from Harbor Freight 10x12.  It is not as perfect as the one I designed to build, but it will do.  I could not resist the price!  I'd like to modify it to grow plants in the winter (in the coming years) and I've been researching ways to use passive solar for heat.  I would like to dig a heat sink (or whatever you'd like to call it... it has a billion names) before I assemble the greenhouse.  

I'm thinking of trying the type that is a deep hole in the ground.  An insulated 3ft x 3ft x 3ft hole with a perforated pipe extended to the ceiling with a fan to push the warm air into the ground, filled with gravel and rocks from around the farm.

BUT My question is, will a subterranean heat sink work in ground that floods a few times a year?

I know that water is a good conductor and retainer of heat but I'm assuming that the ground water will rob the stones of their heat and obviously destroy any insulation I line the hole with.

Do any of you have suggestions on how to create a simple heat sink underground for these ground conditions, or should I just put down a thick layer of crushed stone for the flooring and line the north wall with 55 gal water barrels?

Oh and placement... should I dig it in the center of the greenhouse?

Thank you so much in advance for your help...
~Emily