Cool water

[FloridaFarmGuy]

Well I heard chickens like cool water much more than warm and sometimes would rather dehydrate than drink warm water.
Last night I froze a quart sized Ziploc bag filled with water and put it in the waterer.
Anyone else have experience with keeping the water cool or have any tips better than freezing water every night?
Guess it's a long shot thinking there is a way to keep water cool, but I thought I would ask.
Maybe I'm wasting time

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[ChickenLegs13]

During the summer mine drink hot water. Don't know if they like it, dislike it or even if they even care but that's all they have. I saw a video on YouTube where people put ice in their 6" pvc pipe reservoir waterers. If one were to insulate the reservoir & pipes it would stay cooler longer.

 

[jmagill]

There are studies on the temp of water and the health of chickens. There is no findings that they prefer cooler water. It is found that they do better when water is not to cold or too hot and they actually drink more when the water is temperate.

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

Like you, I live in a very hot climate and my birds seem to appreciate it when I provide them with cool water. During the hottest parts of the summer (when temperatures reach and exceed 110) we rotate out frozen gallon jugs of water that we put into the waterers. I have a five gallon bucket waterer with nipples on the bottom and covered in Reflectix radiant barrier insulation (left over from insulating the roof of my coop) and another waterer made from an old cooler. Both reservoirs work very well at keeping the water cooler than the ambient temperatures at the hottest part of the day even without adding ice, but the ice keeps it very cool all day long. Studies that I read (eg. this one) suggest cooler water is helpful for performance in hot climates.

 

[marktoo]

I also heard they prefer cool water. The temps here in the summer often run 105 +, so I rigged up a 5 gal. water cooler in which I place frozen water bottles when it's hot. The water in the cooler stays nice & cold but the water in the plumbing gets warm, not as warm as the ambient air though. There's also a valve in the line so the plumbing can be flushed if required. I'm hoping this offers some freeze protection as well, since it doesn't get too cold here.