No electric NEAR coop and waterers keep freezing...

[sangel4you]

I know I've asked this before, but its actually happening so I'd thought I'd thtrow this out there and see if I can get some answers one more time. There's bound to be someone more creative than me!
There's no electric in, near, or anywhere NEAR our coop. Theyre coop is actually inside an old barn so it's not quite as cold as outside, but probably only about 7 degrees different. So when it's in the 20's here already, that's too cold for my waterers not to freeze. I have the plastic hanging 1 gal waterer types because I use ACV. and today it was so frozen I broke all the ice but couldnt get it open to refill it bc it was frozen shut. So I could only fill the outside trough of it and filled an old tin pan I had out in the barn (which they proceeded to still ASAP bc they were all fighting over it). I think what they have now will suffice until well...now when the sun goes down. But since nothing electric is an option for me, and I can't go to the barn more than 2x day, does anyone have any "out of the box" ideas that could help me with this solution. If I can't come up with anything tmrw I am going to the city to buy another waterer to alternatein the morning/afternoon while the other thaws, but I know if it's too cold here that wont last long enough before it freezes again. I feel so bad for them, and hate that they are so far away from me and electric but for now it's the best I can do.
Ideas, would be great...THANKS!

 

[Riverside chicken]

If an extension cord is a possibility, you might buy a heating device that is designed to keep birdbaths free of ice and use that in your waterer.... this may be impractical if you have to cover a great distance.

 

[Noble Rooster]

I just posted this in one of the other heated water threads. This might be a good wireless option to put directly under a waterer. I've never tried it -- literally just found the product when researching heated dog bowls -- but am considering it since while we have electric in our barn we'll have to do some drilling to enable a cord to run out of the coop to the outlet, and I'm not crazy about the idea of electricity + water + shavings + chickens....

http://cozywinters.com/shop/snugglesafe.html; Jeffers has it cheaper, or just run a Google search. http://www.jefferspet.com/ssc/product.asp?pf_id=998

 

[TrystInn]

There's an aluminum can solar panel you can make which should help if the barn's roof gets enough sunlight during the winter days.

 

[ole-crone]

we bring ours in at night

 

[sangel4you]

oh that's cool! I wonder...do you think I would put it in something and set the waterer on top of it or what...

 

[Mahonri]

When I was a kid, even though we had a light on in the coop, we usually just left the water on a drip and then we had a set up where the water would drain outside of the coop... They always had water.

 

[Beekissed]

You might exchange your waterer for one of those thick, black, flexible buckets or feed pans that many folks use, in the interest of actually getting the ice out of it easily when needed.

If you opt for a bucket, you can fill an old tire with straw and set the bucket right down into the tire. I would also make sure you have a good layer of straw underneath this unit. Some folks do this for their horses and I've heard it really works. That way, you can merely break the existing ice film each time you go, as it shouldn't freeze solid. If it does, these types of buckets and pans do not break, they are very easy to overturn and remove the ice block.

 

[Noble Rooster]

I think you could probably just stick it right under a plastic waterer (though you might need to tie the waterer elsewhere so it's stable). It's meant for a pet to snuggle near so I don't think it would melt the plastic. If you think the warmth would attract the birds to try to sit on the waterer, maybe you could protect it with a metal pie tin or something. I'm seriously considering it so if I try it I will post back to let you know how it works!

 

[Cindy in PA]

Quote:
I ordered one of these from amazon & it should be here any day. I will be using it with a 1 gallon plastic waterer for my bantam tractor. Will report back how it works ASAP. I've been looking at it for months. Wish I would have ordered it BEFORE the temps went down to 17!