Freezing waterer in upstate New York

ChristinaBee

Songster
Jun 23, 2020
118
176
141
New York
I need some help. I’ve been researching different ways to keep my waterer from freezing and can’t find what I think is the best solution. I live in upstate NY so it gets cold. I have 7 chickens including polish. I don’t want to use a heated dog dish as I fear my crested chickens feathers will get wet.

What works well for you? Do you keep your waterer inside the coop or outside?
 
I use a Galvanized fount with a heated base inside my well ventilated coops.
20201025_173736_resized_1.jpg

I use a hundred foot outdoor extension cord plugged into a WR GFCI outlet.
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Outside of coops I use rubber bowls.
20201031_055028_resized.jpg

GC
 
I need some help. I’ve been researching different ways to keep my waterer from freezing and can’t find what I think is the best solution. I live in upstate NY so it gets cold. I have 7 chickens including polish. I don’t want to use a heated dog dish as I fear my crested chickens feathers will get wet.

What works well for you? Do you keep your waterer inside the coop or outside?
I use this in the run set to chest height on a level block base.
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And this in the coop with a thermostatically controlled birdbath heater inside.
horizontal nipple waterer.jpg
 
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When i live in Delaware county, I used the same set up as @GC-Raptor.

The outside rubber bowl was easy to kick out the frozen water to refill.

I didnt have an outlet on my coop so i just ran a good quality extention cord through a window to the heated base. Not the safest way but it worked.
 
Thanks! I feel I have a well ventilated coop as i built it like a shed with soffit, a ridge vent, and windows but was concerned it may be small to keep the water inside? It’s 6x8x8 ft at the ceiling peak.
 

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I need some help. I’ve been researching different ways to keep my waterer from freezing and can’t find what I think is the best solution. I live in upstate NY so it gets cold. I have 7 chickens including polish. I don’t want to use a heated dog dish as I fear my crested chickens feathers will get wet.

What works well for you? Do you keep your waterer inside the coop or outside?
I have a pole right outside my coop. I use a base heater ( easy to DIY. just a metal dish. drill a hole for cord a light bulb and then a metal top, super glue the dish and the cover plug in and go. ) I bought a commercial one at TSC. I use Arizona tea jugs on it they won't melt. I usually keep 6 AIT jugs filled in my kitchen and lug out in the morning. I keep a partial jug in my coop with a cap on it to judge how cold my coop was overnight. Rarely have an ice skim in the jug. Well ventilated unheated coop in Western Maine 60 miles from the Canadian Border. Good luck
 
My coops are small 18 and 22 square feet.
I keep the waterer near the people door.
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How do you fill the metal waterer? Can it be filled from the top?
Yes, you fill from the top.
I have read that people seem to have issues with this style leaking.
When temperature fluctuates from night to day excessively, water in trough will rise. I check as temperatures rise and tilt to dump excess if needed. GC
 
I use a Galvanized fount with a heated base inside my well ventilated coops.View attachment 2446456
I use a hundred foot outdoor extension cord plugged into a WR GFCI outlet.View attachment 2446459
Outside of coops I use rubber bowls.View attachment 2446461
GC
I live in Vermont and I also use the galvanized watered with the heated base plugged in with an extension cord. It shuts off above a certain temperature and doesn’t get real hot. I switch out to a plastic watered in the summer so my galvanized watered will get through a couple seasons.
 
How do you fill the metal waterer? Can it be filled from the top? I like the metal base set up. I have read that people seem to have issues with this style leaking.
I haven’t ever had a leaking problem. The cover drips a little when you take it off and if you don't empty the tray before filling you are likely to splash water when you set it back on. The only reasons I could think of that would make it leak are rust or if the tension spring gets stuck.
 

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