FROZEN WATER - What's the answer?

[Moabite]

I built one of those Christmas cookie tin heaters I learned about on BYC forum. (search function

) It has a 25 watt bulb inside and is connected by a 50 ft extension cord. My water froze once last winter when the mercury dropped below 0 deg F. Otherwise, I had to replace the bulb once. I still check their water twice a day anyway. So far, I think it is a great idea.

 

[del gallinero]

Thanks for the heated dog dish ideas, and the rubber horse dish. I'm going to check those out. And thanks for the extension cord comments.
It helps put those warning instructions into the perspective of real - life use. My extension would be about 50 ft. So if I get one of those thick
orange extension cords from Home Depot and plug it into my outdoor outlet I should be okay I guess. Thanks
I've spent the in-between time while people were responding to this thread looking up organic feed sources that I read about on another thread.,,,

 

[Rosaleen]

I use the rubber bowls as well...just part of the daily routine. I fill it partially first thing in the morning and then again at 3:30 in the afternoon....works fine and no added electricity costs. I also have my four week old chicks in a brooder in the barn. I have a small plastic waterer on two bricks that are side by side. The heat lamp is partially over the water and the chicks stay warm under the lamp. I imagine the bricks are a little warmer as well. The water hasn't frozen yet and I do see the chicks around the bricks as well....they also have extra shavings for added insulation. I was a little worried about them last night....temps got to 7 degrees so I went to check on them at about 10 pm and the water wasn't frozen and they were fine.

 

[VelvettFog]

Quote:
Pay attention to gauge not just thickness. Yes, lower gauge cords will be 'thicker', but some cords come with thicker insulation, but they are higher gauge wires. Lower the gauge the better it carries the electrons

That said -- for 50' most any cord that long will handle the draw your heated waterer will require. Mine only request heat when the temp is below 35.

 

[del gallinero]

Quote:
Pay attention to gauge not just thickness. Yes, lower gauge cords will be 'thicker', but some cords come with thicker insulation, but they are higher gauge wires. Lower the gauge the better it carries the electrons

That said -- for 50' most any cord that long will handle the draw your heated waterer will require. Mine only request heat when the temp is below 35.

Thanks. I'm getting the info I need on this thread. Everyone answering is Great! Electronics 101 for chicken owners!

 

[goldies99]

i use extension cords for my waterer....(even though it says not to)...just make sure you use a GOOD heavy duty outdoor extenstion cord...not the cheap indooor kind...i have had no problems

 

[allpeepedout]

Quote:
This. I have two of the flexible black rubber water bowls in each run. During hard freezes I haul out milk jugs of hot water each morning, kick the ice out of the bowls and refill with hot water. I also make sure that the bowls sit where the sun hits them almost all day. Even on days when it stays in the single digits all day, the water bowls are merely slushy by bedtime. It means some schlepping of water, but it is easier than dealing with ice.

I gave up on the official waterers years ago. They either leak or freeze or get nasty and they are a pain in the tookus to clean. I now use these rubber bowls year around. They are super easy to scrub out and they are practically indestructible. In the summer I position them where I can hit them with the hose from outside the runs and just keep them filled. Easy peasy.

This. I'm using standard Fortex rubber buckets. Fill with warm or even hot water, and place in warmest corner of coop, even wrap with something to insulate. Easy to break out the ice. They stay surprisingly dirt and poop free for me, and the rubber helps insulate.

 

[CityGirlintheCountry]

The deal on the black water bowls is to get them large enough that the birds can't knock them over. I like the ones that are more horizontal. They are at least 12" in diameter at the bottom. My girls even perch on the edges and they don't tip.

The bowls do get gunky because the birds like to play in them. In the summer I find them standing in them all the time.

However, the regular waterers get nasty too and they are trickier to clean out. I had constant algae problems with mine and the bottom "bowl"gets just as nasty as the black bowls. The black bowls are really easy to scrub out though and seem to have fewer algae problems.

If you can safely run heat, then by all means go for it. Just make sure you get a very high quality extension cord and that you inspect it regularly. A good 12 gauge or better cable will run you $50 or more. It is worth the money to get a good one.

Good luck!

 

[tdgill]

try some vinegar in your waterer citygirl? I use about a tablespoon per gallon waterer. But I really like those fortex rubber pans. Especially in the winter. I use the smaller $4.99 ones for feed mostly, because the girls don't tip them or get in and scratch the feed out either, and they work GREAT for water, don't they?

 

[Pitchfork]

Good Morning. Hope everyone had a blessed and happy Christmas. We had such a beautiful day here in northeast Oklahoma. Just wanted to add one final comment to this thread.
CityGirl said:

"If you can safely run heat, then by all means go for it. Just make sure you get a very high quality extension cord and that you inspect it regularly. A good 12 gauge or better cable will run you $50 or more. It is worth the money to get a good one."

And I wanted to second that comment. You can save money on those little cheap "made in China" cords but they will break down on you seems like every time. The heavier ones are probably "made in China" as well, but they will last for years, and as someone else said be sure to check the wire gauge size. In electrical work the smaller the number the larger the diameter of the wire and the larger the diameter of the wire, (assuming all are made of the same material) the lower the resistance to electron flow, hence the less power loss. And I don't want to get too far off topic, but if you are living in a rural area and are physically able you might be able to do a lot of the work required to run electricity to your coop. Talk to an electrician and he/she might come out and show you where to dig your trench and how much wire to leave on both ends of the trench and then you can rent a hand operated trencher, lay in the conduit and pull your wire through it, cover the trench and have it ready to go so that the electrician can just come out and hook every thing up for you. Even if you live in town, if the zoning laws allow for a home owner to do the grunt work, most electricians will help you out with that. There is not too much that can go wrong just pulling 10 or 12 gauge romex through pvc conduit. Some people even skip the trencher and dig the trench by hand. Just a thought.