Has anyone ever tried this?

[Bear1978]

As the cold weather approaches I’ve been looking into ways to keep my chickens’ water from freezing when it gets down below freezing temps. I don’t have access to electricity near the coop and I came across this vid.

Has anyone tried this? And does it work?
thanks!

 

[SnootyHen]

Great idea! I wonder if it really works.

 

[Compost King]

I have serious doubts about that working, I can see the water in the bottle not freezing but the temperature will be colder than 32 degrees and the non salt water around it will be frozen. Maybe there is something I am missing and I never tried it to verify it does not work. So I won't say it can not work but I will say I have serious doubts.

 

[Compost King]

From what I was reading this works because the salt water bottle bobs up and down agitating the fresh water keeping it from freezing. I still doubt that works but again I never tried it so I can't say it won't work. If anyone tries this and works let us know.

 

[Bear1978]

Yeah.. I’m just trying to get a jump start on figuring out how to keep my water from freezing during the colder months. But living here in north central Arkansas most of our winters lately have hovered right at 32 degrees for the coldest part and only dip down below freezing for the night.

 

[sunshine ducky]

I actually watched this video last fall and I tried it in the winter. It has semi-worked for me, I am In Illinois so the weather here in winter could be cold or extremely cold. In 30 degree weather with the saltwater solution bottle in the waterer parts of my chicken waterer were frozen but there was still some water left. Anything below thirty though, the water was completely frozen and when I broke the ice even the saltwater bottle solution was frozen at times to. I honestly think the best way to go is electric heated waterers.

 

[Ridgerunner]

When I was in Northwest Arkansas I used black rubber bowls to water in winter. If you set them in the sun they stayed thawed pretty well, down into the teens in a bright sun. The sun doesn't shine all the time. If it were that cold I'd beat the ice out by banging the rubber bowl on the ground and refilling it, like every morning when it got that cold.

It was 4* F when I took this photo, you can see where I had banged the ice out, once in the morning and again in the afternoon for a couple of days. It was cold. But those black rubber bowls sure made my life easier.

I'd put a big rock in the bowl to make it harder for them to knock it over by perching on the bowl. Didn't always work but it helped.

 

[WindingRoad]

As the cold weather approaches I’ve been looking into ways to keep my chickens’ water from freezing when it gets down below freezing temps. I don’t have access to electricity near the coop and I came across this vid.

Has anyone tried this? And does it work?
thanks!

I do have electricity in my coop. I have a pole right outside my coop with a double outlet. I plugged in a #12 extension cord and buried about 14 inches deep drilled a hole high up on the wall and put in a 5 socket extension cord outlet. run another short EC and plug in my base heater. Keeps the water unfrozen in the trough. I also put outside another base heater and leave 3/ 1 Gallon Arizona Ice Tea (AIT) jugs on that. Neither the waterer melts nor do the jugs. And that base heater is too hot to touch. I also leave another AIT jug on the floor of the coop and that is my temperature gauge. Skimmed over a couple of times but not frozen. Un heated, no light, shed. I live in Maine -20F many nights. If I have no power for awhile I keep 4-5 AIT jugs in the house and fill the trough as needed. No power no water.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

As the cold weather approaches I’ve been looking into ways to keep my chickens’ water from freezing when it gets down below freezing temps. I don’t have access to electricity near the coop

Hi there.

I saw the coolest water system the other day for exactly this cause and happen to remember the person that posted it.. @R2elk pretty sure that was your composting water heater?? TIA!

 

[WindingRoad]

Hi there.

I saw the coolest water system the other day for exactly this cause and happen to remember the person that posted it.. @R2elk pretty sure that was your composting water heater?? TIA!

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