frozen water!

[i sa rules]

How do you prevent the water from freezing

thank you

 

[roxyblue]

I built a heated waterer yesturday! You can look up designs on youtube, or look up cookie-tin heated waterers in the google box. I've seen a couple BYC posts on building them.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Different ways. You can build various heating devices like the one Roxyblue mentioned. You can get a heated dog water bowl. In anything you do, remember that water and electricity together is dangeous. You can safely use electricity to keep water thawed, but just be careful.

I don't worry about it. I use a black rubber water bowl. Every morning if it is frozen I turn it over and stamp it to get the ice out. I put it outside in the sun. It stays thawed down to the lower to mid 20's, if there is sun. But I am home during the day and can refill it if it is really cold and cloudy.

It was 4 degrees Fahrenheit when I took this photo a couple of years ago.

 

[1muttsfan]

Hi I sa and welcome to BYC from cold northern Michigan

Our winters can be bitterly cold, so heated water is a must even in the coop. I bought a heated base after considering a homemade one because the wiring is completely sealed and the cord is protected by a thick chicken-proof cover. Just seemed safer to me. What will work for you will depend on where you are and how many birds you have, and how often you are there to check the water. It is very important for them to have a generous and constant supply of fresh water.

 

[clairabean]

For years I brought out fresh water three times a day. This year I bought a heated waterer and I am kicking myself for not doing it sooner.

 

[sonew123]

Quote:
I have FINALLY switched to these bowls. I have 3 heated water pans-one I use in the big egg layer side of barn-out of convenience but I just bought 10 big black rubber bowls and do exactly what Ridgerunner does everyday--its awesome~

 

[vfem]

Heated bowls work for most, I can't run electric here... so I just have 2 waterers per coop and I swap them out after a freezing night with a freshly filled waterer. I do enjoy we have short mild winters here though, so I only have to do this a couple weeks each year at most.

 

[sonew123]

Quote:

you are very lucky--we do the breaking of water bowls 2x a day from Dec-April

 

[i sa rules]

thank you for telling me

 

[happycountryhens]

I have no electric in my coop. I go to work in the dark and come home in the dark in the mid winter.

What we do is fresh water in the morning. We hang the waterers by chains from the ceiling of the coop. We put flat feed tubs upsidedown on the floor under the waterer and put Snuggle Safe disks on the pan.

The waterer hangs a little above the snuggle safe disc so the water won't get too hot. That keeps it open for a large part of the day as they stay warm for 8 hours. The snuggle safe's are disks you put in the microwave for 5 - 7 min and they stay warm for 8 - 12 hours. We got ours on Amazon.

At night we bring out fresh water and a lantern and wake everyone up for water and a snack.

If you can run electric, I would do the dog water bowl.