frozen water & no electic

[kritterkeep]

any ideas on how to keep water from freezing so fast when you do not have any eclectic in the chicken coop...

 

[lleighmay]

I use the 3 gal plastic waterers. I fill one up with the hottest tap water I can get and put that out in the morning. Meanwhile, I bring the other waterer in to thaw. In the evening I reverse the process. So far so good and it seems that on all but the most bitter days the water is not frozen in the morning. I guess the warmth of the birds generally keeps the coop above 32.

 

[Andi]

I just rotated buckets also.

I didn't bring out buckets of hot water though. I've heard it said that hot water freezes faster (that's what my grandma told me about making ice cubes) and I didn't want my girls burning themselves. You know how when your hands are really cold and you put them under water that's not hot but just warm and it still stings, I didn't want that happening to my chickens mouths.

I was going out every 1½ - 2 hours to collect eggs before they burst anyway, so I just brought a bucket with. On those days where I wasn't able to do musical buckets I just made sure they had access to the fresh snow and used the eggs for scrambled eggs or French toast.

I've since ran an extension cord out there and put a heat lamp up with a thermal switch. Now I don't have split eggs or frozen water, most of the time. When the temps drop below zero with the coop closed up over night I still get frozen water. At least there's no egg laying over night.

 

[RocketDad]

I've heard it said that hot water freezes faster

Only under certain conditions that are hard to replicate. As for ice cubes, I think you get clearer ice if you boil the water first, to release any dissolved oxygen.

All things being equal, hot water will take longer to freeze than cold water - it has to dump the heat first, then undergo "phase change" to solid. The heat will also warm the coop a bit.

and I didn't want my girls burning themselves.

This is an important point.​

 

[jetto]

We dump the waterers at night before going to bed figuring the birds aren't drinking overnight when the water is most apt to freeze. Then I go out at 5 am when I plug in the light and give everyone warm water. Out again 2 hours later to check for eggs and check water. Dumping the waterers at night helps speed things up in the morning. Not ideal but it works for us. Kristi

 

[jerseygirl1]

Ido the same, fill in the morning with hot water and it hasn't frozen up yet - and it's been about 9 degrees here

 

[chookchick]

I have used either a "snuggle safe" or a concrete paver under their waterer. The snuggle safe is a plastic gel-filled disk that you stick in the microwave and heat up. It holds the heat for several hours. I also would take a concrete paver (like 12" by 12") and heat it by our insert. If I put one of these under their water, it lasts at least half the day, so I do two switch-outs per day when it is freezing.

But I have just purchased a heated dog bowl and I am very happy with it so far. No frozen water in morning!

 

[CityGirlintheCountry]

I have started using the black rubber bowls that Tractor Supply sells. I put them in the runs as a backup water source, but have found that they work a lot better now that things are freezing up. They melt faster than the white plastic waterers and seem to not freeze up as fast. I can only assume that the black color absorbs more heat from the sunlight and helps keep the water from freezing. When I'm home I go out with warm water, but the black bowls help on days that I have to be at work all day.

When they do freeze over, it's really easy to break the ice out as the bowls are flexible.

Good luck!

 

[EweSheep]

Quote:
DITTO! I love those black Fortex rubber bowls! Snap them out like ice cubes!

 

[Luvducks]

Quote:
DITTO! I love those black Fortex rubber bowls! Snap them out like ice cubes!

ME THREE! For Ducks and chickens