Chicken heated waterer issue

[Rosanelda]

First year chicken owner… so I have a heated waterer with the nipples. It been very cold here in Wisconsin and the nipples are frozen with ice, any tips to prevent this? Our waterer is in enclosed run and we put corrugated plastic roof panels to help with wind and snow.

 

[Debbie292d]

Hi,

We're in Wisconsin too. We have DIY nipple buckets in the coops, but the coops are heated. For the electric ones outside in growout pens that freeze up, it's usually only when it hits zero. Those we've secured a small quilt around, leaving the nipples open.

Another thing we do in one pen is a fishtank heater plugged into a Thermo Cube in an ice cream bucket.

In fact, the one 5-gallon nipple bucket in the coop, even though it's heated to 40F, will sometimes freeze so there's a fishtank heater w/ Thermo Cube in that one too.

 

[Memaw5]

1st year chicken mom here. I live in SW Virginia.I made the buckets with the drinking cups and no matter where I placed or hung it my chicks kicked bedding and poop into the cups. I got one of those big rubber bowls and 3 ping pong balls and placed the bowl directly on the ground in a sunny spot in the run. Success! No bedding, no poop AND no freeze!