Wait, hang on. Did you say scraps every other day AND they still hammer layer pellets? That is wild. My birds would straight up boycott the pellets if they knew scraps were coming the next day. Mine act like I'm starving them if I miss one single morning of kitchen leftovers. How did you train them to be so polite? I'm jealous.

Wow, only 30 seconds? That's just not right. For 80 bucks you'd think you'd at least get a few minutes of resistance. I had the same thing happen to me a couple years back with a U-lock I bought at Canadian Tire. Came back from lunch and my bike was gone with a cut lock on the ground. It's gotten so bad that I just don't leave my good bike locked up outside anymore. I use a beater bike for errands now and keep the nice one in my garage. Honestly, a grinder will go through pretty much anything if they want it bad enough, so you might be better off buying a cheaper lock and using it as a deterrent rather than a fortress.

My old man swore by a shot of dill brine before every meal.

Man I felt that cringe through my phone screen and I wasn't even there. My first year in the trade I tried mesh on corners cause some guy at the supply house swore by it and I ended up cutting out every single corner three weeks later when they all bubbled up like blisters. Paper tape has never once let me down on inside corners and I've been at this long enough to have gray hairs and a bad back to prove it. Mesh has its place on flat seams and patches sure but on those tight 90 degree angles it just fights you the whole way. I'd rather spend an extra two minutes bedding paper tape than come back to fix mesh failure six months down the road.

Totally feel you on this. I used to crank the heat lamp all winter until a buddy convinced me to try without it one year. Was super nervous at first. Honestly, my birds did fine down to about 10 degrees with a good draft free coop and deep litter method. I have lost a bird to cold once though, but it was a sick one that probably wouldn't have made it anyway. So I'd say if your birds are healthy and your coop isn't a wind tunnel, you might be over doing it with the heater. But better safe than sorry if you're worried.