Frozen tundra = another frozen water/bust waterer

Date sort Score sort
Ted Brown

Ted Brown

Crowing
Premium Feather Member
7 Years
6 Years
Friend
Joined
Dec 12, 2018
Messages
2,601
Reaction score
6,622
Points
446
Location
near Shawville Quebec Canada
My Coop
My Coop
It was -36C/-33F this morning; short but intense.

I had a cord disconnected by a bird (ie my fault) resulting in frozen/destroyed plastic $75 heated waterer (the 3rd) .

Trying a 120 watt heater plate; first with a plastic waterer (did not work overnight but that was below spec). Contemplating buying a 5 gal dual wall metal one; then read the two sleeves freeze together.

Seems no perfect solution for winter water when its cold? Anyone?
 
Last edited:
I am quite as cold as you, but I do the two black rubber bowls.

Fill one bowl. It will provide water for everyone to get a drink. Birds don't drink 24/7. Mine stay alive.

Next morning, flip the frozen bowl upside down in the sunshine, fill second bowl.

If you had a good sunny day, the day before, the ice block will melt from the heat absorbing black rubber and fall out of the bowl. Use that bowl for the days water, flip the frozen one into the sunshine.

:mad: Days there is not enough sunshine, cloudy and snowy... well then you have to stomp out the ice, and what will really get your goat...those silly chickens would rather eat the ice chips than drink the water? Go figure!

Works for me and mine. I do think you get better egg production if you provide more water, but electricity is not an option for me, so mine don't get the electric light or heated water, and the rubber bowls works. If you wanted to use the electric when the temps were not so darn cold, it would get you through that.

Mrs K
 
i have similar process for handling without electricity when it’s cold all day (just dump/refill when frozen) but my chickens are too messy for water on the ground like in the rubber bowls.

i use the omlet brand water containers. they have hooks on the back so can be rigged to hang on the sides of the run/coop. the thing i like most about them is they are indestructible. to break ice out of them, i’ve had to whack them against a fence pole, slam them down on a paver, and stomp on the bottoms with the heel of my boots. not so much as a scratch on them after 2 winters of abuse.

https://www.omlet.us/shop/chicken_k...nkers/18156/waterer_for_eglu_go_-_leaf_green/

however, i don’t like that they can get their wattles wet and frostbite (which happened to one pullet in december), so i try to use the nipple waterers as much as possible (which means remembering to bring them in on cold nights).
 
Mrs. K said:
I am quite as cold as you, but I do the two black rubber bowls.

Fill one bowl. It will provide water for everyone to get a drink. Birds don't drink 24/7. Mine stay alive.

Next morning, flip the frozen bowl upside down in the sunshine, fill second bowl.

If you had a good sunny day, the day before, the ice block will melt from the heat absorbing black rubber and fall out of the bowl. Use that bowl for the days water, flip the frozen one into the sunshine.

:mad: Days there is not enough sunshine, cloudy and snowy... well then you have to stomp out the ice, and what will really get your goat...those silly chickens would rather eat the ice chips than drink the water? Go figure!

Works for me and mine. I do think you get better egg production if you provide more water, but electricity is not an option for me, so mine don't get the electric light or heated water, and the rubber bowls works. If you wanted to use the electric when the temps were not so darn cold, it would get you through that.

Mrs K
Click to expand...
What brand water bowls do you use? I'm on the hunt for a large rubber bowl since my plastic one has a crack (stomping ice). Ideally made in USA. It seems a lot of people complain about the smell of the black rubber and are concerned about chemicals. Have you noticed that?
 
biscuit7 said:
What brand water bowls do you use? I'm on the hunt for a large rubber bowl since my plastic one has a crack (stomping ice). Ideally made in USA. It seems a lot of people complain about the smell of the black rubber and are concerned about chemicals. Have you noticed that?
Click to expand...
This one looks intriguing....
https://www.acehardware.com/departm...5bb51b2272761172e6a37f092f4fd003&gclsrc=3p.ds

Or this one:
https://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail...tm_source=bing&utm_medium=shopping#tab-review
 
Mine are livestock bowls that are found in any livestock store. Birds will die of lack of water long before the chemical gets them. I have had the bowls for years, use them in the winter - outside, not in the coop. I have rather a long list of things I don't worry about, and that is one of them.
 
I have a heated dog bowl and even when I have forgotten to plug it back in and it's frozen solid, it hasn't broken. Do you mean it's cracked or it stops working? We had some cold snaps like you
 

Similar threads

mattman1978
    • Like
Home-built incubator with Professional-quality controls on a budget!! Getting GREAT hatch rates!
Replies
4
Views
8K
dheltzel
dheltzel

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom