Methods for keeping water from freezing

[off-grid hen]

@off-grid hendid you ever find a good option? If I was home I could do hot bricks, but I work long hours.

Yes, actually I did. I went to Petsmart and got an 18 watt heated dog bowl (holds about 1 gallon) and ran an an extension cord. You can also order them on the internet if you don't have a Petsmart by you. I specifically wanted very low wattage. This uses less than a 25 watt cfl bulb so I felt safe running the extension cord. But I keep it on a bed of bricks in case of a short, and check the bottom every day to see if it gets hot.

Temps got down to -20F at night last winter, and it worked fine when I left it full and plugged in. I usually dump it out at lockup time and unplug it at night, but once in a while I forgot to unplug. I have 27 chickens and check it when I get home from work and top off as needed. Hope this helps.

Edited to add: I have an open front coop design (Woods style coop) so there is good ventilation. Even on the coldest nights just the edges of the water started to freeze.

 

[daxigait]

Thanks, Do you put a 'moat' in it like some describe to keep the car as area small or have you had trouble with waddles getting wet? How far north are you?

 

[jdmekus]

I use a bird bath heater in mine

 

[off-grid hen]

Thanks, Do you put a 'moat' in it like some describe to keep the car as area small or have you had trouble with waddles getting wet? How far north are you?

I don't do a moat.

I have a few hens with longer wattles that just the tips dip in the water. They get very dry and cracked but haven't ever had any turn black and fall off. I have mostly breeds that have shorter wattles. I am up u the Canadian border inNY state.

 

[naivetefarm]

I have a heated dog bowl in my pen, but my rooster just got frostbite on his wattles a couple of days ago. The only thing I can figure is that he got it from dipping his wattles when drinking and the water froze on them. Any ideas for preventing that without a nipple waterer? I can't keep that darn thing unfrozen (the heated dog bowl barely keeps up-I have to remove about an inch of water each morning).

@off-grid hen

As far as the cookie tin heaters, have either of you had issues with birds dipping their wattles in them? Sounds like that may be a potential solution.

@Eagleeyeice and @urbanindiana

 

[naivetefarm]

@mamadawnThis looks like a solution that might work for my issue (rooster keeps freezing his wattles when using the heated dog bowl as they get wet). Did you just put the heat tape over the plastic of the brite tap? I'm not 100% clear on how you rigged this. How cold does it generally get where you are in UT?

 

[RonP]

Forever Water Heater one that lasts.

Unfrozen Nipple Watering for those cold days.


My solutions

 

[EagleEyes]

This is the waterer sitting on my heated cookie tin, so I think really no room for the wattle to get wet.

 

[urbanindiana]

No problem, I use a 5 gallon plastic waterer from Tractor Supply. The water ring is probably only 1 inch wide so hard to get whole head dipped. On my second year with cookie tin heater, works great!
I also rub petroleum jelly on my girls combs if it is going to be really cold (below 10')@naivetefarm

 

[EagleEyes]

When it gets down to around 0 deg F I put a 60 watt bulb in the cookie tin heater. I went out this morning, (got down to -10F last night, a little warmer in the hen house where the water is) and their water was starting to freeze, so switched over to the 60 watt bulb. I'll leave that in for a while. Same thing happened last winter. 60 watt did fine in below 0 F temps.
Right now it's 0 F outside and +12 F in the hen house.