Lorne Martin

You don't say what region you are in but around here we also have wild aster that looks very similar to that.

Thank you all for your input.
To me heating water and pumping it through pipes requires too much attention and will also be fairly costly. The solar idea is for set and forget, heating in winter, cooling in summer. Panels running direct energy to an a/b switch for either heating cables or cooling fan. No controllers or inverters is my way of thinking.

I'm not trying to heat the greenhouse with it. Just keeping the soil a little warmer. I have a wood stove for the heat. Otherwise the greenhouse is warm but the plants feet are cold.

Currently I have no solar system. I'm thinking it should not require too large a system as low amp heating cable does not require more than a 15 amp 110v to run. I may have problems to get the full length to heat up. Just assuming mostly, hoping an expert will comment.

One should never get that attached to homesteader livestock/poultry that they can't cull the poor traits. What nature can't do under these conditions we must.

I'm looking to place an underground heating cable/fan set up in my greenhouse. Total cable length about 220 feet.

Would appreciate any ideas on how best to do this. It would be a direct system with a switch to go heating cable or fan with no storage batteries or inverter if feasible.

Thank you

In the wild, inbreeding is common and used to better survival in most herd species. Take a bull elk that that will be dominant enough to mate with often up to 3 generations of his offspring. Even when replaced by a young aggressive bull it will often be one of his own sons which will still keep the inbreeding intact. This gets repeated over and over through multiple generations.

The drakes should be about 11-15 lb., ducks 4-7 lb. live weight to be mature. I think for young birds, 12 weeks and then again about 20 weeks are your window of opportunity. Unless you plan on skinning them you want to make sure they are not growing new feathers. I would catch at least 2 and inspect their breast feathers carefully. Run your fingers through them, if they feel rough, bumpy or you see shorter feathers than the full ones wait a few weeks.
Ducks are a lot of work to pluck and the more you can help yourself the better. Enjoy, Muscovy are delicious.

Yes, roosters do develop at different rates. Usually there is a late bloomer often mistaken for a pullet, even up to 16 weeks depending on breed.

Maybe a piece of thin window weatherstripping, sticky one side, soft on the other.