Prepping for winter ugh

[thecatumbrella]

I use a Premier 1 Heated Waterer. You do need to plug it in. I start training my girls on horizontal nipples in September to prepare.

 

[Folly's place]

We use metal waterers with the heated bases, and we do have a base that works with plastic waters, but have had issues with those waterers either leaking or blocking, so don't use them in winter.
We use the smaller rubber feed dishes in summer.
The feed bowl type water dishes, and the heated dog bowls, do work in winter, BUT birds with big wattles, or birds who like to have a foot in the water dish in cold weather, will have frozen wattles and toes or feet. Bad experiences here, won't use open bowls in winter any more.
The birds need ventilation in winter, and wind protection, Do you have more window openings on other walls?
Also, birds hate snow! Our last coop revision included a roof over the small predator proof run, so when they can't or won't free range, there's still plenty of space for them.
Mary

 

[Devyn Nagy]

Hello fellow michigander! I use a heated dog dish in the winter. It's not perfect, but it works pretty well. The only drawbacks are that the water tends to get dirty and also when it's really cold the relatively warm water evaporates really fast so you have to refill it daily. My coop is not electrified but I run extension cords from my house. I also saw a cool video about using geothermal heat to keep it thawed. I don’t know if I can find the video again though.

 

[Appalachickens]

I have a nipple water made with a 10 gallon trashcan. I bought a submersible stock tank heater that I plan to use in the winter.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CH7NCWRQ?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1

 

[Folly's place]

Also, consider how far you will be carrying water and feed to your coop? Snowbanks? Ice? Been there, done that!
We have all season hydrants for critter water, one next to our coop, others for other livestock, so carrying water no longer happens. They run from our water line below the frost live to each location, love them!
We rented a trencher, and DH dug the trenches and installed the water lines and hydrants, a miserable job, but so worth it!
Also, hydrant quality varies, we've replaced all of ours, and now have these:

Complete with a froggy! We keep a black rubber bucket over the hydrant all year, a haven for the tree frog, and keeps ice off it in winter.
Mary

 

[CraziChknLady]

Hello fellow michigander! I use a heated dog dish in the winter. It's not perfect, but it works pretty well. The only drawbacks are that the water tends to get dirty and also when it's really cold the relatively warm water evaporates really fast so you have to refill it daily. My coop is not electrified but I run extension cords from my house. I also saw a cool video about using geothermal heat to keep it thawed. I don’t know if I can find the video again though.

I do the same thing! Heated waterer hooked to an extension cord. Really was a big improvement last year. Made such a difference! Still have to carry jugs out to fill the waterers, but that's a whole other issue..

 

[CrossBreederForFun]

Also, consider how far you will be carrying water and feed to your coop? Snowbanks? Ice? Been there, done that!
We have all season hydrants for critter water, one next to our coop, others for other livestock, so carrying water no longer happens. They run from our water line below the frost live to each location, love them!
We rented a trencher, and DH dug the trenches and installed the water lines and hydrants, a miserable job, but so worth it!
Also, hydrant quality varies, we've replaced all of ours, and now have these:View attachment 4166958
Complete with a froggy! We keep a black rubber bucket over the hydrant all year, a haven for the tree frog, and keeps ice off it in winter.
Mary

These hydrants are great in providing water at the coop eliminating the need to haul water from a house faucet. But, you can't just leave them open to provide water to an automated system since they will freeze when water is not being drawn by the automated system.

So, having read the advice that allowing a faucet to trickle will prevent it from freezing, I'm wondering about setting up a water trough with a constant stream of water that ends with in a drain area outside the coop. The hydrant is always flowing.

How else can you leave home for a winter vacation except by having a neighbor come by every day to change water in a water can on a heated base every day?

 

[People who like chickens]

We use a 40-60 watt bulb (incandescent) in a cell of a cement block with a galvanized waterer on top - never had a problem in freezing temps.

 

[Swivelhip]

I use a homemade horizontal nipple waterer with a 100 watt fish tank heater in it. Easy to make, We used a square cat litter bucket. In Michigan you will probably want to step up the wattage. If you are not familiar with horizontal nipples, they are the clean and easy to use. Get 10 or 20, cheap and if one goes bad, just screw in a new one.

20 Pack Horizontal Chicken Nipples Waterer - Automatic Chicken Water Feeder, Easy Install Poultry Nipples Horizontal Side Mount Drinkers or Quail Duck https://a.co/d/fWaKEvP

HiTauing Aquarium Heater, 50W/100W/200W/300W/500W Submersible Fish Tank Heater with Over-Temperature Protection and Automatic Power-Off When Leaving Water for Saltwater and Freshwater https://a.co/d/9ygB6nu

 

[Pukkits]

We don't have a lot of chickens, but we use this.

https://www.amazon.com/Farm-Innovators-HB-60P-Poultry-Drinker/dp/B005BV1WLE

I plug it in in October, and switch to a larger hanging waterer in summer. It's not a huge capacity, but it's heater has neither failed nor burned up when water volume gets low. If ours failed, I'd buy another of the same.