HELP! need a cordless way to keep water thawed!

[izzyanchickies1]

My coop is about 300 feet from my house and up a hill and has no electric. I have been hearing that this winter is going to be freezing where i live (half an hour or so from St Louis) and i have yet to find a cordless water heater with a majority of good reviews! since i leave for school at 6:10 AM, i don't have time to change the water before i go! please help!
-sincerely, izzyanchickies1

 

[Krazzy]

you could explore solar power options for the coop, but it might cost a bit. im in the same boat. my coop is far from my home and i dont want to string power cords across the yard. i think im just going to get up extra early and trade out the frozen water for fresh water in the morning before work. when i get home ill check the water and do it again as many times as i need to.

 

[Hokum Coco]

Adding sugar.
Every gram of solute particles added to water lowers the freezing point by a precise amount. Specifically, adding 1 gram molecular weight of nonionizing solute (like sugar) to 1 liter of water lowers the freezing point by -1.86 degrees Celsius (C).

1 gram molecular weight nonionizing solute per liter = -1.86 degrees C decrease in freezing point​

 

[Ridgerunner]

Not sure if this will work for you, but I use those black rubber tubs you can get at Tractor Supply. If water freezes in them just turn them over and stomp the ice out or bang it against the ground or something hard. You won’t break that rubber tub. Just carry some water to refill it.

If you put it where the sun can hit it, it will stay thawed even in pretty cold weather. Of course, that is when the sun shines. If the sun is not shining, that won’t help you. Still, if you give them fresh water in the morning they will be OK until you get home.

Since you are now responsible for animals I don’t buy it that you don’t have time to take care of them in the morning. You have a responsibility to take care of them. If you can’t do that, get rid of them.

I used to get up and milk a cow as well as feed the cows and horses before school. If it was really cold, that might include busting the ice off enough of the farm pond that the animals could get a drink. What you do is set your alarm early enough so that you can handle your responsibilities. There is a secret that makes that easier though. Go to bed earlier than you are now.

 

[coop-er]

Since you are now responsible for animals I don’t buy it that you don’t have time to take care of them in the morning. You have a responsibility to take care of them. If you can’t do that, get rid of them.

I used to get up and milk a cow as well as feed the cows and horses before school. If it was really cold, that might include busting the ice off enough of the farm pond that the animals could get a drink. What you do is set your alarm early enough so that you can handle your responsibilities. There is a secret that makes that easier though. Go to bed earlier than you are now.

Amen!!

 

[shannondee12]

I had the same question for my brother, who has been keeping chickens for some time. He said that he gets black ping pong balls and keeps one or two in his waterer. He uses this method when ice fishing. The constant movement of the ping pong balls keeps the water from freezing completely and because they are black, they absorb heat also. He has used this for several years with no problems so thats what I am going to try. Of course, I am in WV so your winters might be way more severe.

 

[izzyanchickies1]

Since you are now responsible for animals I don’t buy it that you don’t have time to take care of them in the morning. You have a responsibility to take care of them. If you can’t do that, get rid of them.

I used to get up and milk a cow as well as feed the cows and horses before school. If it was really cold, that might include busting the ice off enough of the farm pond that the animals could get a drink. What you do is set your alarm early enough so that you can handle your responsibilities. There is a secret that makes that easier though. Go to bed earlier than you are now.

It appears that some people misunderstand my situation. I began this thread to gather information to help me with a task that i take QUITE SERIOUSLY! Please do not make false accusations against me when you know absolutely nothing about my life! I work very hard to care for my animals, all 28 of them! I entered this website to find advice on a project that my whole family has invested greatly in! When i became involved in this site, i was only looking for helpful advice, so keep your comments in that direction please.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

Quote: There is no "cordless" way to heat water for your chickens without spending hundreds of dollars, or using open flames,. so it's almost always more cost effective to just run electricity to the coop, or resign yourself to carrying lots of water

 

[Scifisarah]

There is no "cordless" way to heat water for your chickens without spending hundreds of dollars, or using open flames,. so it's almost always more cost effective to just run electricity to the coop, or resign yourself to carrying lots of water

I agree, just have electric run to the coop, or if the coop is small enough move it close enough to use a long extension cord. I would absolutely hate not being able to have a heated waterer in the winter!

 

[lbrykowski2011]

When i became involved in this site, i was only looking for helpful advice, so keep your comments in that direction please.

Most on here understand that some people are trying to learn and don't know everything right from the start. I hope you don't give up on this site, I have learned alot from it. Maybe if you go to your states site, you'll get people in your area that are dealing with the same weather and issues like that. Mine has a great bunch of people that offer (usually) constructive criticism. We got some 12-2 gauge wire that were gonna run 150 ft to our's. I'm thinking about burying it and making it permanent just so i can run 2 heated dog dishes off of it. It cost $65 plus $40 for 2 dishes. Getting to cold now so gonna wait till next yr and install it over summer. For now, I also use the rubber bowls from TSC and fill milk jugs up w/water in the morning and dump ice and fill with fresh water and then again at night or when it freezes back over. I'm gonna try the ping pong balls this yr to if I come across any, that sounds like a great idea. So many on here have wonderful and helpful ideas and you get tried and true methods, instead of having to experiment through everything. Have a great weekend