I have found that a large water bowl is preferable to my chooks, they will use the waterer, but they prefer the bowls. And I found that they stayed thawed if I placed them near the IR heaters.

Thanks goodness it’s getting near Spring now - getting tired of frozen water (which reminds me I forgot to plug in the trough deicer for the horses water trough), and spending money on electricity for keeping things thawed!
Ever have a garden hose freeze?
 
It took so long! Of course, I think it has been shuffling around a lot so far, being that they're only pullets still, technically. But now that everybody is laying and getting close to a year old, they're really settling in to their spots in the flock.

On a related note, I have mentioned that Gytha is rather roosterish (no crowing or mounting or anything like that but she stands tall and proud like a roo, and is usually the one on the lookout for predators when they're out of the run). Is it always a high ranking hen that takes on the role of a roo or can it be someone lower down the ladder? Is middle of the pecking order (especially in a small flock like mine) high enough to be a roo-hen?
I figure they're like people ~ some are born leaders, some not. Some are forced into alpha hen status like our Dominique hen Dana. From chickhood to adult she was never a leader but after all her original flockmates were gone & we introduced new Sikies she assumed alpha status but pretty much in a non-injury way. She's oldest & Silkies give her respect.
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I have found that a large water bowl is preferable to my chooks, they will use the waterer, but they prefer the bowls. And I found that they stayed thawed if I placed them near the IR heaters.

Thanks goodness it’s getting near Spring now - getting tired of frozen water (which reminds me I forgot to plug in the trough deicer for the horses water trough), and spending money on electricity for keeping things thawed!
My chooks like bowls of water, and wild water when they can get it.
 
Ever have a garden hose freeze?
Yup - let’s not go there….. very eggspensive to replace a 100’ hose…..

I bought one of those X-hoses that expands and then shrinks when the water drains - best thing ever! Wish I had bought one yrs ago! When it’s drained it’s very light, I gather it up and throw it in a bucket!

Great invention. I can fill up the chooks water bowls and hoses’ buckets easy peasy.
 

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