Liquid water in winter?

[Ohhhdear]

There's not room in my elevated coop for food and water plus 12 hens. It has a nice roost bar with 3 nest boxes on each long side and a two foot wide central aisle. Basically it's designed for egg laying and sleeping, because my hens free range in the 1/3 acre backyard. They have a semi-sheltered under the deck area where I store the straw bales under a big tarp on sawhorses. They huddle under that when it's rainy.

So I thought if I didn't try the chicken nipples in a hanging gallon jug, changed out 2-3 times a day with warmer water (pretty time consuming) I'd try a light bulb enclosed in a big metal cookie tin to set underneath my gallon plastic waterer and warm the water from beneath. Someone had a few pictures with this system on BYC. I have a power outlet under the deck so that'd be easy, and that way their water would be where they're already used to finding it.

I don't want to deprive my girls liquid water during the cold weather either. Rubbing vaseline onto their combs to repel water is a great idea. My mom used to do that with me before sending me out to play in handknitted mittens. Pretty sticky but it worked.

 

[WoodlandWoman]

As severe as your winters are, I'm sure they're going to be looking for a sheltered place for during the day, on all the bad days. Mine spend a lot more time indoors during the winter. The area under your deck sounds like a good spot to make sure they are dry and have a wind break during the day, as an alternative to their coop.