Frozen waters

[aart]

water didn't freeze today and they ate some snow when I let them out lol so they seem fine. They love the ice and snow well they like eating it so I'm gonna guess the frozen water is a treat for them. thank you all for the suggestions and help.

I wouldn't say it's a treat, but it will do the trick in a pinch.
I've used bowls of snow for back up, works fine.
Heated water consumption goes down when there is fresh snow on the ground.

 

[629864]

I have a heated dog bowl that I keep filled, so they always have one source of unfrozen water once they're out for the day...because it's plugged in to the only outdoor outlet we have and that isn't in their enclosed area. Once they're out free ranging each morning, they have access to that bowl. But there's only about half an hour each morning between when they come out of their coop into the run and when I come out to feed them and open the run door for them to free range. The chickens all know where it is, but often choose the colder water in the bowls that I've had to break the ice on.

 

[MaryW2K]

 

[PippinTheChicken]

My waterer is filled with a water butt (rainwater) so I have to turn the knob to let the water run out into the waterer. If my water freezes, I just let the rainwater on top and it melts the layer of ice below it.
Yesterday, the water in the water butt was blocked because there was ice in the hose. So I just get some warm water from inside and put it in the waterer

 

[SueT]

I've been using a heated dog bowl for 6 yrs. It keeps the water just above freezing, even when we had that Polar Vortex last year w temps of -20º

 

[My Very First 6 Chickens]

I have 2 waterers. One is plugged in and stays thawed in any cold CT has seen. The other is a normal hanging style that i fill twice a day and when it starts to ice up, i’ll finger out the ice on top and the girls love to eat/fight over the ice. Its cute.

 

[TJAnonymous]

I set my waterer on a cookie tin that has an incandescent light bulb inside, and that's just enough to keep the water flowing into the trough - as described here: https://the-chicken-chick.com/make-cookie-tin-waterer-heater-under-10/

Now, that requires electricity, but I wonder if the cookie tin could house something else that gets warm enough to provide the same results, either battery-operated or rechargeable? Say a small lantern or string lights or are there long-lasting hand warmers that might do the trick?

I have done this in the past. First of all, I live in the South and it doesn't get nearly as cold as NJ. The cookie tin warmer did help when the temps hovered around upper 20's to 30's. When it dropped down into the teens or lower, the cookie tin did not work as expected. Another issue I had with this solution is that it is getting harder and harder to find incandescent bulbs. Most are now LED.

Anyway, just my experience.... I still have the cookie tin warmer I made, but never use it. I did buy a heated base from TSC which works much better and wasn't terribly expensive.

 

[TJAnonymous]

Today in nj it was now cold enough to turn the chickens waterers into ice cubes. Even the horizontal nipples froze. I have two waterers. Ine that sits on the ground (3 gallons) and one that hangs with horizontal nipples. How can I keep them from freezing without any electrical source.
Every morning before I leave I have hot water for them. By the time they get out of the coop itll be warm. (I give water at 5:30 am before I leave)

I remember reading a post on BYC where someone dug a hole in the ground, put manure in the bottom and packed around a bucket that was dropped in the hole. Packed it in good....added some water to essentially start a composting mechanism in the manure. That process, combined with it being under ground, works to keep the water in the bucket from freezing.

 

[Stoney Meadow Maple]

Could you just paint it black? Might work if it doesn’t get too cold. I would think a chicken waterer with a lid might hold up in temps not super cold. Here we have been doen to -15 a couple times, i have heated buckets for my ducks, they do a good job and are 40-50W not too terrible.

 

[Cryss]

I’m in northwest NJ so I know the weather you’re experiencing. I balked at using electricity too. After a winter of swapping thawed water for frozen every 2 hours I gave in. But not before research. I bought an extreme weather rated extension cord and a heated waterer. I ran the cord through the high side of the run wall portion that has a roof covering. I put the waterer against that same run wall. I’ve used it 3 years now. The type of waterer I use is bullet shaped which prevents them perching on top and soiling the water. I have it raised up on an old cooler to prevent kicking up surrounding debris into it and to help the plug reach the extension cord. I put a couple of bricks around the base so the chickens can stand up closer.