Keeping Your Coop Water From Freezing

[Manok-Tao]

I use a reptile heating pad. The small one I got is about 5"x8" . I put the pad on an equally sized piece of plywood then put waterer on it. Plywood is put on top of cinder block. I bought a light dimmer switch from lowes and have it plugged in between the heater and the outlet. It takes a few nights of adjustment to get it just right...between freezing and being too warm.

 

[Gunnygranny]

We have a water container that looks very much like the one you have -- it fits just inside a heated dog dish ( with some wet sand in it) We have nights that can go as low as -20 (and more) and so far it keeps the rim (red part) open -- the top part of the water container has frozen, but the rim is open -- I do have to change it everyday, because of the freezing.

I like your idea of the heater -- we do have small heater in the coop and on the coldest nights --as close as we can tell it stays around 20 in side -- girls are doing well!

Gunnygranny

 

[chicachic]

I think all th eideas for keeping the chicken water bottles from freezing are great. Thanks for all of them. My problem is that I don't have electricity in the coop and would have to have an extension cord run from the garage. Does anyone have any ideas for a heater that maybe runs on propane or something? You know, like camping heaters. I'd appreciate it.

 

[chookchick]

Chicachic--running anything in a coop on gas etc.. is dangerous--please don't try it!
In the past, I've used a product called "snuggle safe" (a large plastic gel-filled disk) that is microwaved to heat it up, if I put it under the water it would give me several hours of ice-free water. I've also used concrete pavers that I heated next to the fireplace insert. I've heard other people on here using small "personal size" coolers--you could preheat the cooler with hot water, then fill it with warm water, or perhaps put hot bricks in the bottom (wrapped in towels?) and the water on top. I'm kind of thinking out loud on this last idea--I think I'm going to have to try that one out......

 

[geosheets]

There's another thread on here about a cookie tin water heater... it's quick, easy, and cheap to make. Here's a link to it
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=107951

 

[ktm-don]

The thing that bothers me about these is that the metal cookie tin is not grounded in most cases. If there is a wiring short, the cookie tin becomes a shock hazard. This could also happen with a busted bulb if the filament wires touch the case.

I'd recommend a three-wire cord with the ground securely bonded to the cookie tin if you are thinking about building one like this.

 

[chicachic]

chookchick..Hey, that's a great idea using the cooler or the snuggle pack. I could always combine the two ideas - use the pack in the cooler, or I like the brick idea because I remember back in the day when my aunt used heated bricks to help warm her "shed kitchen". She heated them in the oven and placed them strategically around because the oven worked on gas and that was pricey. Thanks. This might even start my creative juices flowing. I appreciate all the ideas everyone has on the site. I have seen more good ideas in the last month than I have in all the years that I've tried to raise chickens. I started with and stillhave ducks and am enjoying the chickens very much.