How to keep water warm with no electricity?

[chicken mama 0908]

My coop doesn't have electricity. I use extension cord for the lights, but that is all. We have mild winters where I live, but it has been getting cold at night. I have been finding ice in my chicken's water. I filled it up in the garage sink with warm water, but it is really hard to carry as my garage is really far from the coop. Any ideas n keeping my girl's water warm?

 

[rural mouse]

1. Take an empty soda bottle, fill it about half way with salt, then fill with water. Screw the lid on tightly and drop it in the water bucket. Salt water freezes at a lower temp than fresh water does. It will have an osmosis effect and lower the temp the water freezes at. Just check the bottle for leakage periodically.

2. Alternatively, fill the bottle 1/3-1/2 with water and float it in the water. As long as it's moving a little bit, it will break ice on the surface. Ranchers use the trick like buoys to keep their ponds and extra large stock tanks open.

Note: 2 will NOT work if it's cold enough to freeze all the way to the bottom. 1 will work down to around 15F

 

[ChickenCanoe]

How many chickens?
They don't need water at night or every minute during the day. They just need thawed water in the morning, midday and an hour or so before dark.
Remove the water at night, that will eliminate needing to deal with ice in the morning. Carry it out in buckets or jugs and fill founts by the coop.

 

[chicken mama 0908]

1. Take an empty soda bottle, fill it about half way with salt, then fill with water. Screw the lid on tightly and drop it in the water bucket. Salt water freezes at a lower temp than fresh water does. It will have an osmosis effect and lower the temp the water freezes at. Just check the bottle for leakage periodically.

2. Alternatively, fill the bottle 1/3-1/2 with water and float it in the water. As long as it's moving a little bit, it will break ice on the surface. Ranchers use the trick like buoys to keep their ponds and extra large stock tanks open.

Note: 2 will NOT work if it's cold enough to freeze all the way to the bottom. 1 will work down to around 15F

1. Take an empty soda bottle, fill it about half way with salt, then fill with water. Screw the lid on tightly and drop it in the water bucket. Salt water freezes at a lower temp than fresh water does. It will have an osmosis effect and lower the temp the water freezes at. Just check the bottle for leakage periodically.

2. Alternatively, fill the bottle 1/3-1/2 with water and float it in the water. As long as it's moving a little bit, it will break ice on the surface. Ranchers use the trick like buoys to keep their ponds and extra large stock tanks open.

Note: 2 will NOT work if it's cold enough to freeze all the way to the bottom. 1 will work down to around 15F

I had no idea salt could do that. The water defiantly does not get that cold. How cold can I let it get, as I said before I live in mild climate and freezing weather is not common.

 

[rural mouse]

Should be good to 15-20F....-10C roughly. Also depends upon big the water bucket is and how much water is in it. Less water/smaller bucket will freeze faster. I used the salt bottle last year and had liquid water for most of that. I do know that when temps dropped below zero F (-17C), the water froze. If you don't fit temps that cold, the bottled salt water should work fine.

 

[chicken mama 0908]

Should be good to 15-20F....-10C roughly. Also depends upon big the water bucket is and how much water is in it. Less water/smaller bucket will freeze faster. I used the salt bottle last year and had liquid water for most of that. I do know that when temps dropped below zero F (-17C), the water froze. If you don't fit temps that cold, the bottled salt water should work fine.

Can I just give them water in a bucket? My waterer only has a small hole to put water into.

 

[saysfaa]

Can I just give them water in a bucket?

Yes. I do. I use insulated buckets (3-quart, vacuum sealed, stainless steel ice buckets meant for chilling wine for 3 to 5 hens.) They work very well. Hm, without the salt water.

 

[Smokerbill]

1. Take an empty soda bottle, fill it about half way with salt, then fill with water. Screw the lid on tightly and drop it in the water bucket. Salt water freezes at a lower temp than fresh water does. It will have an osmosis effect and lower the temp the water freezes at. Just check the bottle for leakage periodically.

I'll have to try that.

 

[McChooky]

Can I just give them water in a bucket? My waterer only has a small hole to put water into.

The downside of using buckets is your roosters wattles and combs are more likely to get wet and cause frost bite

 

[chicken mama 0908]

Thank you.