How do you manage iced water?

[Ridgerunner]

In Northwest Arkansas the lowest temperatures I saw were -8 F (-22 C) but more typical was a low in the teens Fahrenheit when it actually got below freezing. I had a frost-free hydrant in that area so fresh water was easy.

I winter I used black rubber bowls for water. If you could set them in the sun during the day the water would stay thawed well into the teens Fahrenheit (-9 C) due to solar heating. The sun does not shine at night and on some cloudy days so they would freeze. I'd smash them against the ground to knock the ice out and refill them. Since the bowls were rubber they would not break.

When I was a kid growing up in East Tennessee we'd cut a hole in the ice in the farm pond for the horses, cattle, and chickens to drink.

 

[sybonbon]

My coop once looked like a crime scene when that happened. I had a hen (sparkle, who may have been a black austrolorp, and weighed 8lbs) who went for a midnight drink of water. We think she got some water on her comb, and that it froze onto one of the metal bars of our cattle panel hoop-coop. in the morning there was a lot of blood on the white tarp, and a still open sore on her comb. we at first thought they had attacked a vermin (vermin being those rats) and that it had escaped and died somewhere in our backyard. luckily, our engineering skills had held up and no rats had come creeping in.
there's a reason to put a tarp on the inside walls so that doesn't happen again

So sorry to hear. My question, why do the chickens drink at night when they should be sleeping? Do you keep their coop lit so they can see what they're doing? Just curious to what other chicken keepers do.

 

[Shabby Chic-Hens]

So sorry to hear. My question, why do the chickens drink at night when they should be sleeping? Do you keep their coop lit so they can see what they're doing? Just curious to what other chicken keepers do.

for a certain amount of hours, yes. I do have the coop lit up. we light our coop at about 4 am so they get all the daylight hours they need to keep laying eggs in winter. we let them go to sleep naturally with the sun.

 

[DickMidnight]

Break out the ice and pour new water in

too much work. just plug the waterer in.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

too much work. just plug the waterer in.

That requires electricity at the multiple coops, which is not an option here

 

[Shabby Chic-Hens]

That requires electricity at the multiple coops, which is not an option here

same with our new coop. we're wishing there was some kind of battery operated heated water bowls, but alas... there's none. guessing I will have to be tramping up the snowy and/or icy hill (because of course that's the best place to put a coop it ) to stamp out the hen's water. at least I can just break the ice and they'll peck at it. I also sometimes will give them a few little snowballs to eat. they love those

 

[Imataken]

I also use the heated dog bowls for the chickens and ducks and I use heated warming bag under the morning hot mash so it stays warm longer I'm in NJ when it's real real cold and lots of snow they have a guess call it a hangout house that is lightly heated for them to hangout in during the day I don't supplement light always try to give them a egg break for winter but so far all winter summer get 1 egg from each everyday

 

[Shabby Chic-Hens]

I also use the heated dog bowls for the chickens and ducks and I use heated warming bag under the morning hot mash so it stays warm longer I'm in NJ when it's real real cold and lots of snow they have a guess call it a hangout house that is lightly heated for them to hangout in during the day I don't supplement light always try to give them a egg break for winter but so far all winter summer get 1 egg from each everyday

one egg a day is great! that's really all they will lay naturally, but sometimes the hens will end up trying to take a month or two off... after a week or so I tell them that they will be roast, soup, or sandwich if they don't start laying soon.

 

[Henfla]

It has already been below 0 degrees celcius here, so the water froze, but I have now installed a heater for the water so it doesn't freeze. But soon I will move it inside my new insulated coop, so it won't stay outside and freeze for much longer.

 

[Argen]

Colder water inhibits bacterial growth. Thus animals have adapted to prefer cold water.
Similarly running water inhibits bacterial growth, so animals have adapted to prefer running water.

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