coop with no electricity -- dealing with frozen water

[libbybeth]

I am a new forum member. My husband and I built our coop this summer to house an escaped "Tyson" chicken and then bought two others to keep Libby company. Outfitting our coop with electricity is really out of the question so I'm wondering what I can do to deal with frozen water. So far it hasn't been too cold -- I just made sure to haul warm water out in the morning before we leave for work since it only froze at night. But today was the first day the temps were below freezing during the day as well. We both work full time in the city and don't get back home until 5:30. Today I bought one of those warming devices for pet water and ran an extension cord from our house outside outlet to the coop but I'm afraid this isn't safe. Does anyone else have any experience with this or any ideas on how to make it safer? There probably won't be too many days in our area where this will be a problem, but I want to make sure I have a solution when it does occur. Any insight would be much appreciated!!!

 

[justusnak]

If you can run a cord out there, a warming device for the water is perfect. I built my own like the one here...http://www.website-design.ca/chick_heat.html

It works great!!
We have had a fed nights in the single digits so far...and the water is not frozen. I use a metal waterer...5 gal. Hope this helps!

 

[Standard Hen]

Hi libbybeth and welcome to BYC. I run extension cords and have both heated dog bowls and a big metal heater that the big waterer sits on top, this is all in the pen of course and they work great. Nothing can catch fire as they are outside and safe. I run one extension cord from an outside outlet on the house and the other one from my barn for two seperate pens. The best thing I ever did. Now if the horses would only drink out of their new heated buckets I would be in business but they won't! My days of cracking ice are coming to an end.

 

[lacyloo]

welcome to byc, all you need to do is run a exstention cord from your house too the coop.Then attached a heat lamp to it and hang it in the coop. Put the waterer near by so maby it will not freez as bad.

 

[Jayare's Chicks]

I have a 80 foot extension cord hooked up to a red heat lamp clamped to the 2 x 6's in the overhead of the coop and have a couple of long screws screwed partway into the triangle opening of the clamps so there is no way the lamp could come loose from the overhead and fall to do any damage. It is over the area where their water and food is and I haven't had any problems with any ice yet. It is currently 13 degrees outside and it's 9:30 pm here.

Granted I live in Alabama but it does get cold here for a few days or should I say nights.

Jayare

 

[libbybeth]

Thanks so much everyone for all of the advice! Last night on my way home from work I picked up a warmer for my metal waterer and set it up outside of the coop in the chicken yard. I feel greatly reassured that lots of people do this using outdoor extension cords and don't seem to have any safety issues. Now I can relax at work and not worry about my chickies having only frozen water during the day! My husband thinks I worry way too much about my feathered friends, but I'm glad to see that there are many others out there who worry just as much as I do and are just as emotionally attached to their chickens as I am! Thanks again for all the great advice!

 

[McGoo]

I get the same flack from my DH about how much I worry and fuss over my chooks. Just ignore it and do what you are comfortable with.
And I too, have a 100' outdoor extension cord to the water dish to keep it from freezing.

 

[okiechick57]

Quote:
Hey....I am going to make one of these.love that idea........thanks for the link Justusnak !

 

[jjthink]

My feathered friends are now in a building with electricity but before they were, they were in a coop where I ran a couple hundred feet of extension cords to and thus was able to provide light (to cheer things up on a gloomy day but off at night) and heat (ceramic heat lamps). Used the heavy duty exterior weather proof cords...
JJ

 

[Jayare's Chicks]

Well it was real cold here last night and by the time I got up at 8:00 this morning it was 5 degrees outside. I don't know how much colder it was in the night but when I went out to check to see if their water was frozen I noticed just a little bit of ice had formed on the surface in the back side of the waterer where the red heat lamp was not shining but the rest of it was fine and not frozen. I guess I should have stuck my finger in the water to see if it was cold but I didn't think of that untill just now.

Glad you got something worked out, and yes we do worry about our chickies a little too much i guess.

Jayare