Keeping your water from freezing

[Alaskan]

I don't have electricity in my coop but my cousin does and has had chickens for YEARS. she uses a crock pot filled with water set on warm

I can't imagine that being an efficient way to keep the water thawed.

You want the water thawed... not warm. Keeping the water warm = extra money spent as well as more water evaporated into the air, so higher humidity. Higher humidity increases frostbite risk.

 

[jreardon1918]

We use a stock tank heater in a 5 gallon bucket with horizontal nipples. The nipples did not freeze. The lowest temp I noticed last winter was -4f. The bucket always sits outside the coop. It is sheltered from the elements. The heater sits on the bottom of the bucket. The nipples are a couple inches off the bottom. It keeps the water temp just above freezing. Not sure how much it cost to run.

 

[Mosey2003]

I bought heated dog bowls for a friend who had chickens before I even had chickens. He loved it and it worked well. I didn't do the dog bowl for myself as it requires fairly frequent refilling. I have COPD and I'm 67. Between not being able to breathe when it's cold and the fear of falling in all the snow and ice and me breaking, I just couldn't see the bowls working for myself. The only negative I've read about using heated dog bowls is that chickens or roosters with large combs and wattles can get them wet while drinking and have them freeze. Otherwise heated bowls are a great system and do the job.

You may have already thought of this, but you could fill a large garbage can with water and put a tank heater in it. If you put it close to where you water the birds, then you wouldn't have to carry water very often. My friend does that in her barn for her hogs, just dips out of the big cans.

 

[wamtazlady]

You may have already thought of this, but you could fill a large garbage can with water and put a tank heater in it. If you put it close to where you water the birds, then you wouldn't have to carry water very often. My friend does that in her barn for her hogs, just dips out of the big cans.

I am fortunate to have a faucet inside my well house. Well house is heated by the forced air furnace that heats the house. I just hook up one of the shinky type hoses to the faucet. The birds can then be watered. Then turn off the water and the hose shrinks up and can be stored back in the well house. My waterer is 10 gallons and only needs filled once a week.

 

[Mosey2003]

Oh good

 

[imneva]

I can't imagine that being an efficient way to keep the water thawed.

You want the water thawed... not warm. Keeping the water warm = extra money spent as well as more water evaporated into the air, so higher humidity. Higher humidity increases frostbite risk.

She has done this for many years and never had any problems. They live on top of a mountain in Wv.

 

[Alaskan]

She has done this for many years and never had any problems. They live on top of a mountain in Wv.

Not saying it wouldn't work. Just saying it would be expensive.