For people who suffer from frozen waterers...

[Msbear]

Ok, Farmer Kitty, where did you get this heated water dish? Do they make battery operated ones? We do the rechargeable thing.

 

[annmarie]

I can't recommend enough those black rubber (Fortex) pans for winter watering. It's puzzling for me to see so many people worrying over frozen water. I live in a cold mountain valley in Vermont but I use the black rubber pans for water and I keep them outdoors in the sun so the water never freezes in the daytime, since typically the coldest days are also the sunniest days. It only freezes overnight, which doesn't matter because they're sleeping anyway, so all I have to do is flip the pan over each morning, stomp on it once to get the ice to fall out, and refill it with a jug of warm water and I'll all set until the next morning. I have a feeling the pan will last longer than I will and I think I paid about $4 for it.

 

[Farmer Kitty]

Quote:
Some use the heated dog dishes and some use a pan made to put under the chicken waterer. They are found at your local farm supply store. The heated dog dish can also be found at Wal-mart, pet stores, etc.

I doubt they make battery operated ones.

annmarie-I don't know how you keep them thawed out even in the daylight time. Our cattle livestock tanks are freezing over on the colder days we have now and when the temps really get into gear for winter I will have to put the heaters in those too. Two of the three are outside in the sun. The third one being in a loafen type barn. If those big tanks will freeze I have no hope keeping a small dish of water open for the chickens.

 

[annmarie]

annmarie-I don't know how you keep them thawed out even in the daylight time. Our cattle livestock tanks are freezing over on the colder days we have now and when the temps really get into gear for winter I will have to put the heaters in those too. Two of the three are outside in the sun. The third one being in a loafen type barn. If those big tanks will freeze I have no hope keeping a small dish of water open for the chickens.

Possibly the difference is because I'm able to fill my chicken waterers with very warm water (borderline hot) from the kitchen versus large livestock tanks that I'm sure you're not filling with hot water every morning? I also have my coop in a very sunny location, and I think because the pans are black they really soak up the sun. Whatever it is, I guess I'll just be thankful I'm so lucky!

 

[mountaintopchicken]

live in a cold mountain valley in Vermont but I use the black rubber pans for water and I keep them outdoors in the sun so the water never freezes in the daytime, since typically the coldest days are also the sunniest days.

annmarie - wow, I can't imagine mine not freezing if I didn't have a heated water base, sun or no sun. I live near the top of a mountain in Vermont. It is very cold and windy. Even on a sunny day the cold wind would freeze them, if I left them outside. Actually, I couldn't leave them outside at all, because of the huge drifts of windblown snow that arrive regularly no matter how often I shovel and snowblow. We do get the rare mild winter day, but I can't count on them!

Maybe you lucked out with a protected microclimate - is your set up protected by a building maybe, like a farm-yard near a barn?

But to address the original question - I have had to de-ice my waterers that have frozen 4x a day in the last few days, because I don't have my heated water bases set up yet. And I do start with warm water in the morning. So those heated water bases save me worry and work and save my birds from periods of thirst.​

 

[ThreeBoysChicks]

Quote:
I hear you on the cold. They are saying this winter is going to bo a hard one.

 

[the simple life]

I like the heated waterers. I don't have a problem going out to replace frozen waterers in the morning/night, but there are times during the winter when you wake up to several feet of snow and it takes a while to get the area leading to the coop cleared out.
That is where the heated waterers come in, you are not worrying that the chickens are without water for any length of time.

 

[Gazinga]

We dont get too many freezing temps here where im at, however, janurary and feburary will sure freeze water over night. I just keep one waterer in the coop and one in the run as well as one feeder in the coop and one in the run. I pull the ice off the top of the waterer in the run in the mornings and all is well.

 

[ncCHICKS]

I just got my first frozen water well this week. I fixed it by putting a few rock pebbles. It helps break it up so even if there are chicps, it's okay since they can stil get water.


To the one who complained about the school. I have the same problem. I have shoe covers *like at hospital* and use those to keep poo of my shoes and spend a whole 5 mins in my morning on the chickens. I do it before I get dressed(long robe and fuzzy socks

 

[VT Chick-lit]

I have made insulated covers for my 1 gal plastic waterers and their smaller counter parts. The covers are made from an insulating batting used to make pot holders. It is a batting simmilar to the type used in quilts but it has an inner layer of a mylar foil. I sandwiched the batting between two layers of fabric and machine quilted it to hold it together. I then measured the bottle of the waterer at its widest point and cut the fabric 1" larger. I stiched the fabric into a tube and fit it over the bottle. I tucked and pinned the extra fabric at the top so that the cover was fitted to the bottle. I then stiched the tuck into place.

These covers seem to work fairly well. We have not had sub zero weather, but they do keep the water from freezing all day when the temp is in the mid - low 20's. I fill the waterer with hot tap water (my tap water is quite hot). I carry the waterer out to the coop and run, about 100 feet from the house. I set the waterer into the run and slide the cover over the bottle. The drinking tray portion of the waterer is still exposed for the girls to drink from. The heat of the water in the bottle keeps the water in the drinking tray part of the waterer from freezing and because the drinking part is exposed, the water is not too hot for them to drink. The insulated covers help keep the water in the bottle from cooling too quickly. I place the smaller waterer in the coop with a cover and have not had it freeze at all. That waterer has a metal base which also is good at conducting the heat from the warm water. We will see how this works when the weather gets below zero. I will be happy if I only have to go out a couple of times a day to change waterers.