Can chickens eat snow?

[Wolfwoman]

Quote:
Actually it is enough. I drink VERY VERY little, and oftentimes one bottle of soda, water, juice, etc are more than plenty for me for a day. So, that kinda blows that theory all out the window doesn't it?

If you read my reply above you'll see that my chickens fared just fine for 2 winter without water and only snow and there was nothing INhumane about it. They acted no different in the summer than the winter.

 

[teach1rusl]

Quote:
Actually it is enough. I drink VERY VERY little, and oftentimes one bottle of soda, water, juice, etc are more than plenty for me for a day. So, that kinda blows that theory all out the window doesn't it?

If you read my reply above you'll see that my chickens fared just fine for 2 winter without water and only snow and there was nothing INhumane about it. They acted no different in the summer than the winter.

Credit to your chickens for surviving...
Many animals come out of neglect situations okay (you see news stories all the time about it); that still doesn't make it right IMO. I see you have dogs. Do you expect them to eat snow to survive as well?? If so, then nothing else need be said. If not, why not??? So what if one is typically considered a pet and the other livestock??? They're both animals under your care/protection.
“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated” Mahatma Gandhi

 

[wildeflowers]

FWIW, I live in New England, there is no electricity in my coop, but I know that they need water, so I will either be running and extension cord for a low grade water heater, or taking out water a couple of times a day. Most likely I will run the extension, as I am lazy in the winter.

I saw your post when it was new and decided not to answer because, honestly, I think you know that answer to the question. That or you just are just not using logic. I don't think it's treating chickens like newborn babies to give them access to fresh water. It's something every animal on the planet -needs-. Chickens especially need a lot of water. It would not be a good idea to expect them to use snow as their water source.

 

[davekrista]

Have you thought about solar heat? We are researching it at the moment because we don't have power in ours either.... If you google "diy solar heater" there are so many websites that have Directions on how to do this fairly easy. I will make a post with a link that I have found because I am curious to know if anyone does this and how it works for them.

 

[Wolfwoman]

Quote:
Actually it is enough. I drink VERY VERY little, and oftentimes one bottle of soda, water, juice, etc are more than plenty for me for a day. So, that kinda blows that theory all out the window doesn't it?

If you read my reply above you'll see that my chickens fared just fine for 2 winter without water and only snow and there was nothing INhumane about it. They acted no different in the summer than the winter.

Credit to your chickens for surviving...
Many animals come out of neglect situations okay (you see news stories all the time about it); that still doesn't make it right IMO. I see you have dogs. Do you expect them to eat snow to survive as well?? If so, then nothing else need be said. If not, why not??? So what if one is typically considered a pet and the other livestock??? They're both animals under your care/protection.
“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated” Mahatma Gandhi

My animals are treated better than I would treat most humans, I just lost a dog two days ago, had to put him down and have been crying for two days. It is the HARDEST thing I can do, but I do it for them.

If you were here and knew something about severe cold weather situations you'd know that there's no neglect (and screw you for even IMPLYING that I neglect my animals, ask anyone that's been here) and that not only were they fine, they THRIVED. Animals don't thrive in neglect situations (I'm sure you'll have an excuse for that too).

My dogs get slurry ONCE A DAY just as HUNDREDS of other sled dogs here in Alaska also get. That is their daily intake of water and feed for the day and they also thrive on it. In extreme cold it's twice a day. So yea, they eat snow too.... What the heck do you think animals in the wild do up here for water? Think that wolves and fox and spruce grouse and ptarmigan have heated water bowls? You best get a clue.

Get over yourself and thinking that just because it's not YOUR way it's not the RIGHT way.

I see you had no comment on how much I drink.

 

[jesse_levi]

Since snow has a density of roughly 8-10 percent water,it would would make me think that a chickens body would work 90 percent harder metabolize it.
I do see that keeping the water thawed poses a problem where you live. I know that they make heated waterers,that's if you have electricity to your coop.
The best of luck to you

 

[AllTheseCreatures]

Animals that live climates that see deep winters tend to use methods similar to those used by desert animals. Conserving moisture comes top of the list - the less you lose, the less you need to replace. Food is often the main source of water. Animals in hibernation don't eat or drink. Bison have been observed eating snow when all the water was frozen, but they also observed them trying to break the ice with their hooves before they resorted to eating snow. Other large animals like elk and big-horn sheep will eat snow to survive but they also put on a layer of fat and grow a heavier coat for winter. I don't think domesticated animals are as hardy as wild animals.

Your chickens can apparently do it, but I'm sure that would kill most of mine. My grandmother used to tell me about having to go out every day and break the ice on the stock tanks to their animals could have a drink, but she didn't live in Alaska.

 

[babyblue]

I bring hot water out to the barn and coop twice a day. bust the ice, the horses and chickens have a good long drink and the hot water lasts for a while. my chickens laid eggs all winter and the horses acted like nutters as usual. so a good drink twice a day and then whatever they drank when I was not around is apparently fine for them. I need a garden wagon to haul that much water, but egh thats part of winter in pa.


a larger water container filled with fairly hot water wont freeze for several hours. the bigger the container the longer it will take to freeze.



edit to add. when they feel like it, even with warm water in the barn the horses will bust right threw the pond to drink. even 4-5 inchs of ice is nothing for them to get threw....even if its just to slop in the mud and be gross because they like it.

 

[annagarret]

You're absolutely right that it's a good question.


How many of us started out knowing EVERYTHING there was to know about chickens when we got them. Give her a break.


team realtree, I'm in Alaska. This is my 2nd time having chickens and I know a LOT more now because of this site than I did a few years ago when I only had 5 chickens (see, I didn't know about chicken math either).  So, let me tell you how my 5 chickens fared for 2 winters before I was a know-it-all /img/smilies/wink.png


I threw some chicken wire around a batch of trees on my property where I did not have have electricity OR running water. I had no coop, no nesting boxes. I had an upside down 1/2 of an XXL dog kennel that they slept in. They came out during the day and ate and scratched and ATE SNOW for two winters because there was no way to keep water not frozen at FORTY BELOW. They did fine and they all lived 7 years as PETS.


So to answer your question, yes they can eat snow as mine did it.


Now, watch the onslaught of people telling me I abused my chickens, they were quite happy and tho (of course) they didn't lay eggs in the winter (and I didn't know that they could at that time) they were always healthy and never lethargic or sick.


Of course, now I'm going to have a semi-heated coop for my new chickens, as now "I know better" /img/smilies/roll.png

Glad to read this....very wise

 

[Bocktobery 10]

My chickens love to eat snow. In fact, they prefer it to the water that is in their heated water bowls. Last night I had to give one of my hens some medication during the evening after they had gone to roost for the night. It was also snowing, so when I made the trek out to the coop, my boots had snow all over them. When I stepped in and the hens saw the snow on my boots, one by one they jumped down from the roost and ran to my boots to start pecking at that snow that was on them. ALL of them came off the roost to eat the snow on my boots. So it seems, they always see snow as a treat to eat.

By the way, my water dishes are cleaned daily and are usually stay fairly clean except for a scrap of pine chip or two in them, maybe the occasional dropping.

I would not think it is abuse to let chickens just eat snow for their H20 needs. Mine seems to prefer it to water and it is probably cleaner than what a water bowl in a chicken coop would be.

I will say this though- in the wintertime, my birds are always very thirsty, so providing them with water (in some form) is a must.