Cookie Tin water heater

[vicki5112]

Vicki, if you hang something over the waterer so they can't hop onto the top of the water jug, you'd probably solve the problem. I had one hen who is high strung and she was hopping on top the waterer to perch above her "enemies". When the water level got low, she'd end up tipping the whole thing over.

I just took a square of netting, fashioned a sort of cone (like a dunce's cap) out of it, clipped it in that shape, then suspended it over the waterer which is near a fence that I could hang it from. It solved the problem neatly. Anything you could come up with to discourage them from utilizing the top of the waterer would probably keep the thing from ever tipping over again.

Thanks so much, that's a great idea, I'll tell hubby about it.

 

[CGinJCMO]

Is it OK to reply to your own post?

Polar Vortex? Man was that cold. My 24 watt light bulb was not enough to keep the water from freezing. The fix was to switch to a 40 watt light bulb. More heat solved the problem.

Concerns? Yes. I believe too much heat could be bad and might cook some of the sawdust the Chickens keep flinging around. This is why I have surrounded the cookie tin with brick.

The extreme cold also caused concern for chickens getting frost bite and the answer for me is a heat lamp two feet above the ground for the coldest weather. When the chickens get cold they huddle together under the lamp.


Wind chill was a minus 15. Chilly.

I have a 39 watt bulb that can't keep up when the temps go into the single digits and have to put the brooder light on over it to keep the water melted. I'll have to remember to turn if off when I open the coop door tomorrow. If it doesn't get frozen overnight, the daytime temps (13 for the high today) should be just high enough for the bulb to keep up.

I am so ready for spring...I strongly dislike the cold.
CG

 

[azygous]

If you leave the waterers out all night, they'll freeze pretty much solid in single digit temps. 40 watts isn't going to even come close to melting that ice berg.

Try bringing your waterers inside at night. I fill a minimum of waterers with just enough water for the chickens to drink during the day, and that way, they aren't so heavy to trot out to the run come morning. Filling them with warm water helps the small watt bulb even more to keep up with the freezing cold. And bringing the water inside instead of leaving it outside with the light burning underneath will save you on your electric bill, too.

 

[douglydorite]

Last fall when it appeared that it was really going to be a cold winter I started to panic. I read about the cookie can water warmer and decided to try it. It was a little more money than I thought it would be (aprox $20.oo each) but was worth it. They work like a charm until you reach -10 and then it only keeps the bottom of a half gallon Plastic watering jug free of ice. so depending on how cold it gets, you put less and less water in the jug, and do it more times in a day. I am actually working on a bigger an better version which will be vented, higher heat capabilities, and not much more to build.

Doug Bailey
Clearwater BC Canada

 

[Hooligans7]

Last fall when it appeared that it was really going to be a cold winter I started to panic. I read about the cookie can water warmer and decided to try it. It was a little more money than I thought it would be (aprox $20.oo each) but was worth it. They work like a charm until you reach -10 and then it only keeps the bottom of a half gallon Plastic watering jug free of ice. so depending on how cold it gets, you put less and less water in the jug, and do it more times in a day. I am actually working on a bigger an better version which will be vented, higher heat capabilities, and not much more to build.

Doug Bailey
Clearwater BC Canada

Hello Doug, two questions: What wattage of incandescent bulb are you using, and, is your coop insulated and free of drafts?
I can use a 60-watt down to zero and the waterer stays ice free — even though it's suspended 12 inches above the heater. You may need to use a 75 or 100 watt-er.

 

[pawtraitart]

If you put a 2-5 gallon food grade bucket with horizontal nipples on top of your tin heater, you won't have any freezing issues in single digit temps. In subzero temps, if you insulate the top part of the bucket even those temps won't let it freeze.

 

[WheatBread]

has anyone tried to solar power this idea? We have a tractor that we move daily that would cause a problem with being "plugged in" constantly. Could you use a small solar panel battery charger on a 12 volt battery to run a light during the day to warm the cookie tin?

 

[Hooligans7]

has anyone tried to solar power this idea? We have a tractor that we move daily that would cause a problem with being "plugged in" constantly. Could you use a small solar panel battery charger on a 12 volt battery to run a light during the day to warm the cookie tin?

Answer: "It depends." If you only need to keep the tractor's waterer ice free during the day, then you might be able to use a 12-volt DC bulb and skip the voltage inverter, but those bulbs typically only last 200-300 hours. As it's is a chicken tractor, you wouldn't want to add a significant amount of weight, which is possible with the panel(s), battery, voltage inverter (if you plan to use an AC bulb), and charge controller. Adding wheels to the tractor can help with the extra weight, but realize that you'll need to keep the panels pointed toward the sun as well, so you may need the capability of changing their orientation to the sun easily each time you move the tractor.
Are you planning to put this together soon? If you're *way* up north, you'll want to get moving. I wouldn't go too small with the panel(s) or battery, because on cloudy days you'll need enough battery power to keep the light on.

 

[klutz347]

I've read this entire post and found it to be really informative.

The past couple of years, I have had a real problem with the water freezing so twice a day I would have to trudge through show to get to the coop, get the waterer, break up ice and add fresh water then take it back out to the coop. It was a real chore.

After reading this thread, I have decided to try this set up for water.

The only question I have is, how do you keep the waterer on top of the tin? My girls are very playful with each other and I would be afraid they would knock it off and water will get every where. I was thinking about some sort of spring going from the tin, over the top of the waterer (which is 3.5 gal plastic) and then reconnecting it to the tin. Does that sound like it would work?

Thanks for the input.

 

[Hooligans7]

I've read this entire post and found it to be really informative.

The past couple of years, I have had a real problem with the water freezing so twice a day I would have to trudge through show to get to the coop, get the waterer, break up ice and add fresh water then take it back out to the coop. It was a real chore.

After reading this thread, I have decided to try this set up for water.

The only question I have is, how do you keep the waterer on top of the tin? My girls are very playful with each other and I would be afraid they would knock it off and water will get every where. I was thinking about some sort of spring going from the tin, over the top of the waterer (which is 3.5 gal plastic) and then reconnecting it to the tin. Does that sound like it would work?

Thanks for the input.

You could do that, but if the bottom of your waterer has a slightly smaller diameter than the top of your cookie tin, then a bead of silicone caulk applied around the topside circumference of the cookie tin's lid will prevent the waterer from sliding off. You can build it up taller with additional beads of silicone, but it really doesn't take much height in order to be effective.