Bounce off Heated Waterers

[Mommysongbird]

If you don't have these and really can't afford them and you don't have electric in your coop anyway, then WHAT???

I was thinking of just keeping a few extra buckets out and when one freezes, I would just bring it in to the house and set another out, the problem there is I still have to purchase the items to MAKE the waterers, but I know it is a bit cheaper than those that are sold like at TS or other farm stores.

Also what about heat in the coop? Will we need it??? We only have 6 birds and the roo is going to leave ONE WAY OR ANOTHER and our coop is approximately 4' x 6'. I will be putting a tarp over the clean out door and the egg compartment door just to keep out any major drafts. We will also start closing the front door again, the way we did when they first started getting use to coop. We will most likely put plastic sheeting on the outside of the run to keep down any drafts as well, but NOT the whole run.

We live in VA, so the winters are too bad, but since we had such a hot summer, who knows. I was hoping to get a few more pullets after ridding the rooster, but I don't know if I will and where we would put them for a few weeks for the others to get use to them and for like a quarenteen (sp?) time.

What do you think about any of this? Do you have other suggestions???

 

[kittycooks]

I think you are on the right track. My granparents said they brought water to the chickens twice a day in buckets and the chickens got trained to drinking before it froze. I'm a little more modern and use a heated dog bowl. I use a 100 foot contractor extension cord to power it. Works great!

If you have winter hardy breeds you do not need heat - just keep them from wind and wet. Here are some very simple winterizing ideas .

 

[Mommysongbird]

Thanks, kittycooks

But how do you keep them from pecking at the wire from the heated dog bowl??

I would like to do this, but

1. the money

2. not sure where we would run the cord from. Our basement is a good ways from our coop and hubby likes to keep the window shut in the basement in the winter. There is NO heat in the basement, so the windows being closed helps a bit. We don't have outside outlets.

 

[kittycooks]

My hens have never bothered the extension cord and the plug is up on the ceiling. If you don't have an outside outlet that does present a challenge. Hmmm, I'm sure others have a good idea. If you are taking buckets out some heated ceramic tiles might keep the water unfrozen a little longer. Don't use stones though - they can break. Simply get a few tiles from a home store and heat them in water, then place in the bucket when you take it out.

 

[DawnCols]

The heated water bowl shown in that link has a spiral wire wrap around the electrical cord that seems to discourage animals from messing with it. I did this last winter--ran an outdoor extension cord from the house, made sure the plug was up high where the girls wouldn't mess with it and it wouldn't get wet. It worked great, but one problem--something chewed the extension cord. When I was coiling it up in the spring, I found several spots with teeth marks and the bare copper wire showing. I think it was squirrels--where the spots were, it definitely wasn't the chickens. But it's a miracle nothing got electricuted, especially as snow was melting.

This year I will probably use cheap PVC conduit to run the cord through so nothing can chew it.

 

[Judy]

Squirrels used to eat the aluminum ties off our chain link fence.

Lots of people just carry warm water in a bucket twice a day. No "iffy" electrical setup that way. They'll learn to come when the water comes. If your kid has a little red wagon....

 

[Mommysongbird]

Quote:
You mean like the tiles you would put on a back splash in a kitchen or tile the bathroom with?? I have a bunch of those somewhere. They are glazed though, is that going to matter??

 

[Mommysongbird]

Quote:
So if you do the buckets of water, what do you pour them in? Their regular water (we have these http://www.jefferslivestock.com/product.asp?camid=LIV&pn=0040003&cn=3503 just went to the first website I found)

I want water nipples, but then I thought about winter and wondered how well they would be???

Yep, we have a red wagon, guess that will work.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

You mean like the tiles you would put on a back splash in a kitchen or tile the bathroom with?? I have a bunch of those somewhere.

They wouldn't hold enough heat to make more than a few minutes difference​

 

[DanEP]

I use rubber bowls from tsc and water twice a day. If the water freezes just slam it on the ground and the ice pops right out and the bowl doesn't break.