How to keep water from freezing...

[lathorne65]

As 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?

 

[JustAChickenLoverOverHere]

I don’t live anywhere cold. The coldest we usually get is a nice breeze.

I did get a freeze once in Texas. Although I couldn’t keep the water unfrozen. I had to set a brooding lamp for it, but that’s inconvenient.

 

[JustAChickenLoverOverHere]

I don’t live anywhere cold. The coldest we usually get is a nice breeze.

I did get a freeze once in Texas. Although I couldn’t keep the water unfrozen. I had to set a brooding lamp for it, but that’s inconvenient.

@MysteryChicken i believe you get snow?

 

[wamtazlady]

As 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?

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.

 

[MysteryChicken]

@MysteryChicken i believe you get snow?

All we use is hot water, not hot enough to harm the birds, just hot enough that lasts all day.

 

[Folly's place]

Where you live matters a lot. In the frozen north, either get out there with fresh water three times daily, or have electricity available for heated waterer bases or something. It's essential that you treat electricity with respect, don't cobble something together that's unsafe!
We use the heated bases for our waterers.
Mary

 

[EmmaRainboe]

Personally, I just go out with boiled water a few times a day and pour a large kettle worth into their waterer. The water is so cold it doesn't heat up the water to the point where it's hot, just enough to melt the ice.

 

[Alaskan]

We go out 2 to 3 times a day with fresh water...

When the water freezes over in an hour or less we use a water de-icer.

 

[kerbotx]

The saltwater bottle trick works more as a surface floating object, where it's harder for moving water to freeze solid; it doesn't actually warm up the water any. It sort of works around the freezing point, but not for long.

The Chicken Chick has an article for using a cookie tin with a lamp kit, which I use myself - I wonder if battery-operated christmas lights inside the tin would also work? I know most lights these days are LED, so they don't get as hot as the old incandescents, but that doesn't mean they don't put out some warmth... https://the-chicken-chick.com/make-cookie-tin-waterer-heater-under-10/

 

[Ryguy3684]

I use a small aquarium heater in the waterer. If it gets really cold, I'll hang a heat lamp above the waterers. I was able to find one that is meant to hang above stables, for newborn livestock, and it's a very safe design. Obviously, those only work if you have electric in your coop/run.