freezing water in winter?

[blueseal]

Quote:
This sounds good. They don't drink at night. Maybe filling up with warmer water would help too, takes longer to freeze. Good luck.

They do make heated animal dishes, I can't imagine it would use a lot of watts to run.

they say warm water freezes faster then cold water so iv been told.

 

[tsmith1499]

If you are going to be keeping chickens long term. I would look into some kind of solar setup. I have heard and seen some that work very well.

 

[AAJ]

When I go to the chicken pen I put warm-hot water in the waterer and I do the same thing for the chicks in the winter.

 

[BellevueOmlet]

A solar unit will be expensive but will be worth it. An extension cord that is long enough and thick enough would probably cost you just as much and with solar, you don't have to pay for electricity.

 

[Me & Jack]

Solar is a great idea! I've thought of putting up solar lights around my coop just so I could see at night, but some of the reviews I've read for them suggest they don't work so well when temps drop too low. Not sure if that'd be a problem with keeping the water unfrozen. Anyone done the solar thing and had success in the dead of winter?

 

[jeetthemeet]

Use a low wattage heat lamp with extension cords and plug it in on an external outlet of your house. There are several different heated waterers available in different styles from Tractor Supply Company, Southern States, or your local farming store.

 

[SIMZ]

Hi neighbor! I'm in NW Indiana, also, and I've seen that forecast for next week!

I'm so grateful for electricity in the coop about this time of year. Someone on BYC uses heated electric dog bowls filled with sand and sets the waterer on top of the sand. The sand heats up and keeps the water warm, so she didn't keep it plugged in all the time. I wonder if you could heat the sand at your house and then carry the bowl with sand out twice a day??

 

[Me & Jack]

Someone on BYC uses heated electric dog bowls filled with sand and sets the waterer on top of the sand.

That's a pretty awesome idea, too. Might try that one.​

 

[maggienchamp]

If you don't want to use any electricity, try heated rocks. Just boil some water in a microwave or on the stove, let the rocks sit in the water for a while (maybe 10 minutes), then place then in the waterers. It really does work! I don't like the idea of using electricity in the coop for safety reaosns, so this is the method I use. On really cold days, you may have to re-heat the rocks once at night in addition to in the morning. Some might think this takes to much time, but it works pretty well for me!

 

[Pepurr]

I break the layer of ice on their water in the morning. If it has turned into a solid block of ice, I bring them water from the house.