SubArcticFowl
Songster
I've got a heated plastic bowl that formerly belonged to my dog. It worked well for him.
Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.
Note: This feature may not be available in some browsers.
I use a winter extension cord and this: https://www.chewy.com/farm-innovato...k5ZwJ3ke-IDHC8f24ZbSliwL2mi-vIzRoCwdoQAvD_BwEAs we get closer to winter, I'm sure many newbies, such as myself, will want to know the answer to 'How do you keep your waterers from freezing?' I saw a video and I am going to try the rock salt in a water bottle trick and see if they guy was telling the truth or just blowing smoke... What are your thoughts?
Do you have a link that might have directions on how to make the waterer?I remember reading that someone tried the salt water bottle last year. It failed to keep the water thawed.
If you don't have the ability to run electricity out to the coop, the only way I have read that really might work is manure. Dig a hole. Fill it with fresh manure. Put your water bowl on top. The composting of the manure will make heat and keep the water from freezing.
If you do have electricity the proven way of keeping your water thawed is a container with horizontal nipples. The container could be a tote, a plastic barrel, a bucket, or a large jug. Then you need a source of heat to keep the water thawed. I use a 250 watt stock tank deicer that is rated for use in plastic. It has a thermostat so turned on at 35 degrees and off at 40. Some use an aquarium heater. My 14 gallon tote with lid, horizontal (not vertical) nipples, and stock tank deicer has kept my chicken's water thawed down into the -20s F. I live in NW Montana where winters tend to be long and cold.
It's easy. First you need a plastic container. It could be a bucket, a keg, a large jug...basically anything that can hold water preferably with a lid of some sort. I use a 14 gallon tote and lid I bought at Walmart. Then you need to get horizontal nipples. Vertical nipples will freeze when it gets cold so don't use them. Drill the proper sized holes on the side of the container a couple inches above the bottom. You will also need to add a hole near the top of the container for the electrical cord to pass through. This last hole also prevents having a vacuum form inside the tote. Lastly you will need a stock tank deicer. Mine is a submersible 250 watt deicer that is safe to use in plastic containers. Here is the one I use. The first one I had lasted through 4 winters before it needed replaced. The deicer is the expensive part of this at a cost of about $45. I will try to remember to take a picture of waterer tomorrow. All you will really see is a rectangular tote with horizontal nipples on the outside. Last you need to get the container off the ground. The nipples should be as high or a bit higher than the chicken's beaks. A neighbor gave me a wooden box to put the waterer on this past winter. My waterer needs filled every 2 weeks.Do you have a link that might have directions on how to make the waterer?