Battling winter

[Keene's coop]

i just fill up a small bucket with warm water. it usually stays unfrozen. and if it does start to freeze over, the ice is so thin that the girls can just break through. i gave up on the waterer thing. too much of a hassle.

 

[Uzuri]

We had two weeks recently where it never got over 22 -- and looking at your state, we're not far apart geographically. My method might not work much farther north, or in some of the more interesting sections of the Great Plains, but it might work for you.

I use a black hog bucket in the winter; it'll keep open enough for drinks all day unless we don't break into the teens -- and if it's clear and cold, with the sun out, it'll stay open to an even colder temp due to its color. On the rare occasions where it does ice over, I just break it out when I get home from work and give the girls fresh before bed. They drink up and go to sleep and everyone's just fine. I've never been mobbed for water, so they're clearly getting their fill. They don't drink at night, so I don't worry about keeping it open then.

I am careful to get their actual waterer inside and dried out and use the hog bucket instead before we hit freezing temps -- that's not so much for the chickens' sake as it is to keep from having to buy a new waterer every year. Freeze-thaw cycles are HARD on those things (as evidenced by the number of rabbit bottles we go through every winter), but the hog buckets will take repeated freezing and abuse.

 

[ADozenGirlz]

You could try the Cookie Tin water heater in this thread: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=107951

They're cheap, super-easy to make and work like a charm! I have two of them in operation right now. We have 40 watt bulbs in them and lately we've needed them on both day and night. The metal from the cookie tin is a great conductor of heat yet stays cool enough not to melt the plastic waterer.

Sure beats hauling water out to the coop several times a day! Plus, the water stays clean b/c you use your regular waterer (plastic OR metal).

You'll be amazed at how simple and easy this idea is to implement and use.

 

[MIKE555444]

I used the cookie tin heater last year but choose to just buy the whole heated waterer this year. It is more compact and auto kicks on when its cold enough.

Note that it is CHEAPER to buy the entire heated waterer than to buy a seperate heated base.

Good Luck and God Bless!

http://www.enasco.com/product/C29400N

 

[palochknldy]

Heated dog dish. We found that it held too much water and we unplug it at night and then the water would freeze. Now we place another bowl in the heated dish and fill the smaller bowl with water and dump it at night. Works great and don't have to worry about dumping the big bowl and having ice spots around the pen.

 

[snowflake]

we have a heated water the plastic kind you fill from the bottom, works well but it is a pain in the neck cause if you don't turn it right side up just right the bottom falls off and you have to start all over, DH made a cookie tin heater this year and it works great, I bring the clean waterer out every other AM (I have 2 that I use on the cookie tin) 1gallon size. The cookie tin feels warm to the touch, hubby didn't think it would keep the water thawed but it has worked great even when we hit 5 degrees. we have 24 birds and are using both heaters . the larger pain in the neck one holds more water and lasts 3 days. lots of choices have fun!

 

[LynneP]

I love my heated dog bowl too Putting it inside a rubber stock bowl encourages the hens to perch on the rubber, keeping the water in the bowl clean.

 

[BrewedInNh]

Quote:
Here is our version of what you're describing. This is our first winter with it, but so far so good. https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=57188-waterheater

 

[Tofer76]

Quote:
why on earthwould you un plug it at night

if you unplug it of course it would freeze its supposed to kick on when it gets cold and off when not needed

i use a 5 gal bucket w nipples in the bottom and a bird bath deicer in it it also only runs when temps are below 32degrees
fill it up 3/4 full and it lasts 3 to 4 days its clean maint free and makes no messes at all i love it

 

[MTopPA_18707]

This might help too . . . a thermo controlled electrical outlet. [ThermoCube]

Turns ON at 35F and OFF at 45F

It's a handy item for anything you might want to only run when it's cold in the coop.
http://www.premier1supplies.com/detail.php?prod_id=21548&cat_id=144

http://www.premier1supplies.com/detail.php?prod_id=21548&cat_id=144