Winter is almost here!! Share your tips and tricks for coping the elements with your chickens!

[wamtazlady]

Even when chickens have been drinking from the typical waterers their whole life, they still figure out how to use the nipples?

Mine have. One night I locked 5 new pullets in the coop. They were 4 months old. By 7 am the next morning they were using the nipples. I didn't show them anything. I didn't jiggle the nipple to make water drip out. They figured it out on their own by being curious. As I said, even the neighbors' chickens learned to use the nipples at my place.

 

[CuzChickens]

Mine have.  One night I locked 5 new pullets in the coop.  They were 4 months old.  By 7 am the next morning they were using the nipples.  I didn't show them anything.  I didn't jiggle the nipple to make water drip out.  They figured it out on their own by being curious.  As I said, even the neighbors' chickens learned to use the nipples at my place. 

I guess ima gonna have to try them! They sound easy to use!

 

[wamtazlady]

Just wanted to say that we had our first snowfall today in NW Montana. Chickens didn't mind it at all. They are running all over the yard as usual. Last year they didn't like the snow. They don't seem to mind this year.

 

[crealbilly]

Any reviews here of heated water base? I pretty much decided heated base with double walled steel waterer is the route im going this winter. Although i am going to paint the outside of the waterer black and place it so it has southern exposure. l live in southern IL and can experience a couple of weeks were thw temps can drop into single digits (F) at night and not get above freezing during the day.

Thanks

 

[Mrs. K]

I don't heat mine, and went with black rubber and this what I have found, down to the high twenties, the black would absorb enough heat to keep the water open during the day, little ice on top at night. But below 25 degrees, and it would freeze pretty hard and the nipples would not work.

I dumped the water at dark, and carried down warm water in the morning. Once it got into the teens, I cannot use the nipples. I go to the smaller black rubber bowls. They will freeze solid by late afternoon.

I don't have electricity at my coop, which keeps me from having electrical fires. But only limited warm water for my girls. They seem to do fine.

Mrs K

 

[wingdwolf56]

This is our first winter also. We are in Ohio and some winters can be brutal. I have a 2 gallon water bucket with cups that have a little lever in them. It took our 4 girls, golden comets, a day to figure it out. I have a bird bath heater that I'll put in the bucket to keep the water from freezing. I'm also blocking of the north and east sides of the run with bales of straw. Also, we have been trying to decide whether or not to heat the coop. I have a small personal ceramic heater that i've tried out in the coop the last 2 days. It doesn't do too much heat wise but moves the air around. There is good ventilation in the coop. The only reason we are thinking about heating the coop was to increase egg production during the winter. I've read that by providing 10 hours of light and some heat, that hens will lay better during the winter months than they would without the added heat and light. But like I said, this is our first winter so it'll be a learning process.
This is the best website and forum that i have come across for great info!

 

[CuzChickens]

Yeah, I think that if I can not get any nipples or heated water system rigged up, I will just buy 3 rubber bowls, I am just afraid they are going to make a mess with them in the coop. And if they dip their combs in them, they might get frostbitten. But frozen water stomps out of them soooo easily.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I've used rubber buckets and bowl for many years. Hens are okay, but roosters can get some frostbite on the wattles. They don't make a mess, the ducks do a bit, but the chickens don't.

 

[aart]

I've used rubber buckets and bowl for many years. Hens are okay, but roosters can get some frostbite on the wattles. They don't make a mess, the ducks do a bit, but the chickens don't.

I have a closed waterer with HN's.....cockbirds and hens get some frostbite on their wattles from noshing on the snow banks...ya just can't win. <shrugs>

 

[CuzChickens]

I've used rubber buckets and bowl for many years. Hens are okay, but roosters can get some frostbite on the wattles. They don't make a mess, the ducks do a bit, but the chickens don't.

They do not ever try to roost on them, or get into little spats and splash them everywhere?