Giving water twice a day - no heating

[azygous]

Or just get a 12 volt car battery and a cheap inverter (runs around $50) and you can then plug in any small heating device such as a cookie tin water heater with a 60 watt bulb which keeps water from freezing all day.

 

[UtePassChickens]

that is a good idea and cheaper than the 75' or so of romex it would take!

 

[JackE]

Or just get a 12 volt car battery and a cheap inverter (runs around $50) and you can then plug in any small heating device such as a cookie tin water heater with a 60 watt bulb which keeps water from freezing all day.

You'll be charging that battery everyday.

 

[IdyllwildAcres]

You'll be charging that battery everyday.

two batteries if he can swing it would be better, or lugging it to power to charge each night and lugging it back next morning....

I don't know anything, I am new here

Gary from Idyllwild ca here

 

[FoxRiverRat]

Hello all, thanks so much for all the great ideas. I think I have the battery system ready to test again. Today will be the worst day for the chickens. They got fresh water this morning, but after a test yesterday it probably only remained unfrozen 3-4 hours.

The system I'll test again today involves 2 6 volt batteries. 1 to charge while the other is in use. Combine that with a light switch dimmer, and a submersible heater and I should have a decent solution.

I feel bad for the chickies today, but I know they got clean water in the morning and this is hopefully the last day without the batter system in place.

the glycerin, floating ball and insulation ideas are great too so I appreciate all the input!

 

[ladyearth]

I used two 100', 12Gauge cords, rated for outdoor use. They were plugged into an outside GFI outlet. This was used for two winters, from Nov to Mar, with no problems. You could go with outdoor rated romex(The gray stuff) But if you are going with that, you might as well take a spade, and open a slit in the ground all the way to the coop, bury the wire, and be done with it. You'll know where it is, so you won't dig into it. And someday, if you want, you can pull it out of the ground and do something all legal and proper, with a new wire.

yeah you might want to add above the wire some of that plastic neon colored flagging tape. the pink etc or yellow "tape" is cheap course it not sticky at all just used it for marking things.
just my 2 cents worth
Also Marine batteries can be charged quite often too
we use 6 volt expensive batteries for a golf cart..expensive but charged over and over