Yup, the buckets were frozen. That's okay, though, because they needed refilled anyway. I do have a heated bucket, but I'm thinking of pulling it apart and making the heated base for a gravity waterer like Leahs Mom posted a while ago. Less chance of a hen falling in and ending up with frozen feet. Yes, this will need to be plugged in. I am wholeheartedly against heating the coop for multiple reasons beyond the potential fire hazard, but when you can't be there to refill their water as it freezes, you have to do something for them to make sure they can stay hydrated. The best thing you can do is to make sure you dust outlets and cords regularly, and check the length of the cord often to make sure you don't have any wear or tear. If there isn't electricity available in your coop, make sure you use an outdoor extension cord that is rated for the amount of electricity that you will be running through it.
I posted this from last year in the DIY thread but posting it here too regarding heating the water heaters. This is what I made last year. *************************** [COLOR=008000]Base Water Heaters[/COLOR] And the base heaters I made from heated dog bowls last year. Will probably use again with these glass waterers this year but I also have a different idea I'd like to try too. I needed to rig something to keep water from freezing on the broody side of the hen house with the vintage glass waterer. I also used these under pie pans with fermented feed in them to keep it from freezing solid since I put out a bunch when I go out to work in the morning for the whole day. [COLOR=FF0000]I first thought about making a "cookie tin heater" or a light bulb and block but decided not to do that as I feel that they may pose a fire risk for various reasons. [/COLOR] Instead, I decided to use the heating element from a heated dog bowl. That way, if my experiment doesn't work - or when I'm done using it - I still have a heated dog bowl to use! Double duty and [COLOR=FF0000]these heat elements are designed to do the job already and wired correctly to handle the jo[/COLOR]b..[COLOR=FF0000].[/COLOR][COLOR=FF0000]I feel the risk of fire is much lower using these elements. [/COLOR] They also have the thermostatic control built right in so I don't have to purchase another item! So...here we go. Here's the water bowl right from the farm store. $14.99Here's the bowl after I removed the heating element.
Here's the heating element. I believe the part in the center is the thermostatic heat sensor. It will only heat when the temperature drops below a certain degrees. I think it upper 30's on these. Under the heat element is Styrofoam for insulation and the plastic base that normally sits under the dog bowl.
Here is a cookie tin I picked up at Good Will $0.75. Notice that the top has a rim that will catch water if I have a leak. It was just the right size for the heater base....this is VERY COOL as I purchased it the day before I picked up the dog bowl and had no real idea that it would fit. I think that was Providential...just sayin'
I used Duct tape to attach the cookie tin lid to the heater base. Here you see the plastic bottom-side of the heater base which is normally under the dog bowl.
When completely taped down, the duct tape is fully covering the edges so that no water or shavings can get in there.
In the hen house:
Here is is with an evil plastic waterer base before I got the vintage glass bases.
These bases only run 50 watts.
It was noted that the bottom won't sit flat on those because of the cord, etc. [COLOR=FF0000]It won't sit flat on a surface without a little more "tweaking".[/COLOR] When it's used on the dog bowl, they have recessed it in. The bowl actually sits on the bottom rim of the bowl and there is a cut-out in the rim for the cord to go through. You can see it in this photo...the cut out is at the top left on the outer rim; the heat part sits up in the inner circle part.Being somewhat lazy and not wanting to build anything else
, I did a couple of easy fixes for this. 1. I got 2 bricks or patio blocks, set them side by side with a gap between them, and let the raised part and cord sit down in the gap. That way the flat part of the base was resting on the blocks and the raised parts weren't causing things to "rock". 2. Just set it on a block (as in the photo in my post) with the cord and uneven stuff partly hanging over the back. If the cookie lid had a taller edge, it could just sit on the rim like the dog bowl but you'd have to make a cut-out in the side for the cord. Oh...and I did try using a flat cookie tin lid on one of them but the chickens knocking things around like they do, the pans tended to slip right off of them. That little raised rim on the cookie tin lid helped keep things from sliding off. And not all heated dog bowls are created equal. Some of those heat bases are made differently so they may have different challenges than this one.
I like having them inside so I can watch them but as they get bigger they get smellier and the work it takes to keep the house free of the barn smell is not worth it. But this cold weather did mean a heating issue. I had them under normal lights in my basement but now they are back under heat lamps to keep the temps somewhat close to what they were used to. So it is not saving me money to move them out but at least most of the smell is gone and I'm not going to have to change wood chips every other day. That gets costly too. I don't use the tree trimmings in my brooders in the house as the tree trimmings have bugs. So I have to break down and buy the bagged pine shavings and at $5-6 a bag it adds up.
Do you have a link to the chicken history video? I'm not the best at searching you tube and I could not find it.
The outside duck pond had a 1/2 layer of ice on it. It broke really easily and the ducks hopped right in. Took me by surprise, I did not think they would like icy water.
