Can chickens eat snow?

[Kaitie09]

We live in the North East and we went out and got an electric dog bowl. You plug it in and and keeps the water from freezing all winter.

 

[cluckcluck42]

I am from Ontario as well. Over the winter we brought water out for the chickens every day, sometimes twice. This year we are putting a heat lamp over the water so it does not freeze. They absolutely must have unfrozen water, but you dont need a heat lamp. Get a rubber feed thingy and they are easier to break ice out of.

 

[Happy Chooks]

I pull my waterer inside on the really cold nights and take it full of warm water in the morning. I would not give them snow as their water source.

 

[maryboland]

With no electricity you have to take them water. Easiest way is just to keep an empty bottle you fill, take to the coop and pour into their waterer, then take back to the house with you. You have to go out and check for eggs at least 2x a day anyway, right? Unless you want to eat frozen eggs.

 

[dsqard]

Quote:
This is how people who are forced to eat snow die of hypothermia. Please give them water.

ETA - There are buckets that have heaters built in to them if you can find a way to get electricity out to your coop

 

[team_realtree]

At the most I can get out there once a day. So if I bring them warm water and they all get a good drink will that be sufficient? I'm told by all the local chicken owners that they do not drink much in the winter.

 

[Orchid]

Would you want to drink all your daily fluids once a day? I'm not trying to be snotty, really I am not, but I do urge you to think about it.

How far is your coop from electricity? Can you run an extension cord? My horse trough is quite a ways from electricity so I run three extension cords to the tank heater. I'm sure it suffers some voltage drop but it gets the job done and my horses always have 40º water available.

 

[OregonChickenGal]

My chickens drink water all day long, even in the winter. Water freezes so fast when it's cold. You'll need something to keep their water ice free or they'll die, especially if you're gone all day. If you have no way to do this, you probably shouldn't have chickens. Certainly not in the winter.

 

[teach1rusl]

I'm going to presume the OP is just trying to get a rise out people (and it's working with me...lol)...
If you cannot or are not willing to provide the basics for your chickens this winter, you should not have chickens.

 

[tasymo]

My girls love to eat snow! They don't especially like walking in it, so when the snow is deep they will stick thier heads out the pop door and grab mouthfuls of snow. I DO provide them with fresh water every day, inside the coop, so it doesn't freeze so quickly, but that doesn't stop them from eating snow. I like knowing that IF thier water freezes, they can still get H2O, but I wouldn't expect them to eat snow in place of liquid water.