Methods for keeping water from freezing

[Fred's Hens]

Quote:
We run power as needed by extension cord--and yes, I've run over it with the mower and plowed it too.

You have some kind of tough, energetic grass to be mowing in the winter up there!!!

 

[Cindy in PA]

I have a coop where I use an electric base, but for the past two years I've had a mobile coop for bantams without electricity. This winter it was very cold from December on & I used a black rubber feed bowl. I cracked the ice each morning & also refilled with warm water at night, as they have solar lights on in the evening. Most times it did not refreeze during the day, as the sun on the coop made it warm enough, except on the coldest days. The rubber bowl was much easier than the waterer I used last year, as it is unbreakable. It wasn't nearly as bad as I would have thought. I think an insulated thermos or cooler would keep it unfrozen longer.

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

I carry hot water to the outside water several times a day, and keep their inside water on a shelf.......it stays mostly thawed. However, I do live in VA and I'm sure our winters aren't as bad as yours.

 

[2DogsCoop]

Up north my uncle uses a bird bath heater!

 

[edible_chicken]

Morning ya'll! After buying my chicks in April, i have been thinking of ways to prevent their water from freezing. (I'm from Ohio) I've scoured this forum and found some really good ideas for coops without electric. But I was just thinking, cold-water fish have natural antifreeze in their bodies and scales to prevent them and the water around them from freezing. So couldn't I just add a crappie (or however many it'll take) into their tank of water to keep from freezing? crappies normally don't eat a lot in cold winter months, and i could just feed them wax worms every so often to keep the water from being too dirty. And since crappies don't eat much in the winter, they shouldn't produce too much waste.

I know this is a very odd method, but I think it'll work. Any ideas? Think this would work?

 

[goldtopper]

Quote:
Around here, if shallow ponds aren't aerated, they freeze out, killing all fish. We have lots of crappies.

 

[bigdogmom130]

I have to agree with Fred's Hens.... We have a heavy duty extension cord plugged into out garage, the out into the run to use on the waterers out there. We use heat tape sold at Home Depot that wraps around the bucket and plugs in. Works great! No more frozen water out in the run....

 

[off-grid hen]

I am subscribing to this thread in hopes of other non-electric suggestions. I am off the grid, running on solar panels and batteries. In the winter, we use a generator to charge the batteries due to more power consumption (lights on longer + circulating pump for water baseboard heat from the wood boiler) and fewer daylight solar charging hours. If I ran a 100W water de-icer, it would require us to run the generator even more, and it would be the most inefficient load we have. I used an ecoglow brooder heater for the same reason. If I can't rig up a small solar panel with something, I am probably going to end up using the black buckets that someone suggested.

I'm still wondering...

1. Would a larger (5 gallon) bucket system stay thawed longer or would it just freeze at the fount/dish level anyway? The double wall galvanized founts with the rubber bit looks useless in winter.

2. Is there a lower wattage water de-icer? The lowest I have found in my search has been 100W which is NOT an option.


I might have to go to the other forum to check this out. This is the only issue I haven't many alternatives for here on the BYC. The pipe insulation seems like a good idea, but I think the chickens would peck at (and possibly eat) the foam.

 

[1livelychick]

Quote:
Hi, Tractor supply has a 9 qt. heated water bucket for $30. 50 watt. The cord is six feet long completely covered in wire to prevent any damage to the cord. It's normally for horses. I have two of them. I have both bantam and standard and they all do fine with it. I use a piece of 4x4 for my bantams on one side as a perch. I don't know if that will help you or not.

 

[off-grid hen]

Quote:
Thanks for the suggestion! I amhoping to not use electricity at all, as the coop is about 150 ft from the house. That wattage seems doable though, I will look into it.