Freezing Water Heated Waterers not an option.... HELP - Page 2

We have pretty mild winters here, but I can't stand dealing with frozen poultry waterers. I use a 5 gallon hanging waterer in the warmer months, and those black rubber pans in the colder months. I put the pans in a nice sunny spot and they stay liquid during the day. They still freeze at night, so in the morning I just dump the ice (which helps keep the pans nice and clean since all of the debris comes out with the ice). We don't have, nor plan to put electricity in our coop. Good luck!

If you can't run an extension cord...

 

Since the chickens sleep at night, you could bring the waterers inside someplace where they can thaw at night and take them back out in the morning. Put them in a garage or a barn where they may stay warm enough to thaw.  Even empty them out at night before they freeze, and bring out fresh water in the morning.

We keep two sets of waterers in the winter time. During really cold weather, one set is in the house, and I just carry those full of water out to the run and bring the frozen ones in. I find rotating this way is easier than chipping ice, or emptying ice and re filling the frozen ones. My winter waterers are frosting buckets from the deli with a hole cut in the side, and the handles make them easy to carry.

I use the black fortex rubber tubs and fill them with hot water (not hot enough to cause crop burn though) twice a day when it gets so cold here that the water freezes (not often).

 

I just turn them upside down and step on them...the ice pops out. Since they are black the sun heats them up a little.

I live in Maine so winters are cold. I use the black rubber Fortex bowls and fill them up once a day on work days and twice a day on my 2 days off. The rubber bowls are easy to stomp the ice out of most of the time, though a couple of times I had to bring them inside to thaw. I keep 2 sets of bowls so I can alternate them if I have to bring one inside.

 

Also, I buy the electrolyte and vitamin powder that I mix with the water. It keeps the water liquid a bit longer than plain water.

I run an extension cord to a heated base in the chicken coop. My ducks don't have that luxury though and I bring out hot water to throw on the frozen waterer which is a black rubber bucket when I can. If you can put something to float on the top of the water if it's minimally below zero, the bobbing action will increase the freeze time... like a whiffle ball or something...