FROZEN water and NO electricity!

[HEChicken]

Since the chooks sleep all night so aren't drinking anyway, I bring the water bowl into the house overnight and let the water warm up to room temperature (around 60). I purchased a thick rubber water bowl from TSC and that seems to retain heat quite well. As an example, yesterday we had a high of 22 but there was a little sun. I positioned the water bowl so it got as much sun as possible and the water was still unfrozen at 5:30pm, after being outside all day. On days where there is no sun, I sometimes put the water bowl in the coop, where the body heat of the birds seems to keep it from freezing. However it helps that I have a smallish coop for 7 birds (32 cubic feet of air). If the coop was bigger or I had fewer birds that might not work so well. Also, on really cold days I'll fill the water bowl with hot water from the tap so it is considerably warmer than room temp at the time I put it outside. I've had very few days where the water completely froze but was lucky that I was home on those days (weekends etc) and able to replace the ice with warm water halfway through the day.

 

[QuailHollow]

An old time Poultry breeder told me not to worry about frozen waterers if the ground has snow on it. The birds will eat the snow if they get thirsty. He also said, that he would water his birds 2x per day. Once in the early morning, and once in the afternoon. They will drink their fill of water until it freezes over. When you go out again prior to roost, they'll drink again and be fine until morning.

 

[mdbokc]

Nice to know info in QuailHollow's post. I always sort of suspected something like that but never heard put that way with such conviction.

 

[slightlyscrambled]

try using the small insulated lunch boxes, like by igloo coolers, I use these for my geese and their water doesnt freeze over as fast as the chickens. I am making cookie tin heaters as I type, these I will use for the chickens as they dont throw their water around like the geese.

 

[Kittymomma]

Snow isn't enough for a water source. Fill a cup with snow and bring it inside to melt, you'll be surprised at how little water a cup of snow provides. It also takes a lot of energy for a bird or any other animal to melt snow. They'll supplement with it if the water is frozen over, but will dehydrate if that is their only source.

 

[QuailHollow]

Truthfully, my Turkey's PREFER to eat snow. I can sit a fresh bucket of water in front of them, and they'll walk away and eat snow instead. You do what works for you, and I'll do what works for me.

Edited to add: I never said that you shouldn't give your birds fresh water.

 

[mdbokc]

I should clarify my earlier post. I was thinking of the watering the chickens 2x a day as being sufficient when cooler/cold...one time being in the evening before bedtime. Snow is not so much the issue here as is the cold.

 

[Agricola]

I have similar temperatures and my water usually freezes over night, but not the whole way through. I bring out a gallon or two of hot tap water in the morning and melt the ice with it, and add the rest to water can. Usually it does not refreeze during the day, and they don't drink at night so that works pretty well. On exceptionally cold days I try to go out and add another gallon of hot water. Sometimes I also put a couple of old firebricks on my wood stove to heat up, then take them out and put them under the water can. I don't know if that is really worth the effort though.

 

[Kittymomma]

Quote:
That's all good. I wasn't trying to be a know it all, just wouldn't want anybody to rely on snow thinking it would be enough and lose some birds.

QuailHollowP&P
Today 10:40 am Truthfully, my Turkey's PREFER to eat snow. I can sit a fresh bucket of water in front of them, and they'll walk away and eat snow instead. You do what works for you, and I'll do what works for me.

Edited to add: I never said that you shouldn't give your birds fresh water.

I wasn't try to say you did. They'll eat snow is something I've seen before (not on this board and in regards to dogs not birds) as a reason not to worry about providing water and there have been some tragic results. The thing is that it sounds logical, your turkeys enjoy it and so does one of my dogs, in the long term though it doesn't provide enough water. I did see where you mentioned bringing water out twice a day and my comment wasn't meant as a critisism of your practices, just a clarification so someone didn't come away with the idea that snow would take the place of fresh water.​

 

[PeepsInc]

I like rubber maid bowls in the winter. You can just bust the ice out of them ,& refill twice a day.......................And they love to pick the snow off my boots....I wonder who waters all the wild turkeys all winter long.