Preventing water from freezing WITHOUT electricity

[Ruralhideaway]

Add a rubber ball to the surface water. As it moves around it'll help keep ice away. Works in horse stock tanks.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

The OP lives in Wisconsin, I live in Wisconsin, poop and balls do no good at -20 degrees, that's more than 50 degrees below freezing. They need a power source, or water changes.

 

[Molpet]

The OP lives in Wisconsin, I live in Wisconsin, poop and balls do no good at -20 degrees, that's more than 50 degrees below freezing. They need a power source, or water changes.

I know the balls work if you have a breeze that keeps them moving(which I don't)
R2elk who uses the poop, lives in wyoming and says
"At -20°F I usually get a very thin layer of ice that the poultry have no trouble pecking through to get at the water. At -30°F I may have 1/2" to 1" of ice that I remove first thing in the morning and the water in the bucket stays open until it freezes the next morning."
I have small chicks year round so I haven't tried the poop.

 

[21hens-incharge]

I am wondering......
If someone is gathering eggs to get them before they freeze. If so maybe they could take warm water out too.

The only other suggestion I would have would be to house them in winter closer to the home so they can be tended more.

Aquarium heaters are designed to be used where the air temp is more mild. I do not think they will work at -20.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I know the balls work if you have a breeze that keeps them moving(which I don't)
R2elk who uses the poop, lives in wyoming and says
"At -20°F I usually get a very thin layer of ice that the poultry have no trouble pecking through to get at the water. At -30°F I may have 1/2" to 1" of ice that I remove first thing in the morning and the water in the bucket stays open until it freezes the next morning."
I have small chicks year round so I haven't tried the poop.

Is he changing out the poop daily so it's warm. My donkey poop freezes solid within an hour in winter, poop doesn't stay warm on it's own, and no composting heat happens below freezing. Our frost can go as deep as 6 feet here. Water lines need to be 7 feet below the surface not to freeze.

How does a ball keep the water from freezing solid, I've had tennis balls frozen into the bucket that a dog dropped in.

From my reading on here in the last few years Wisconsin and the surrounding states get their winter weather mostly from Canada which is much colder than Wyoming. I have compared daily winter temperatures with people. We definitely get the coldest here.

 

[Molpet]

Is he changing out the poop daily so it's warm. My donkey poop freezes solid within an hour in winter, poop doesn't stay warm on it's own, and no composting heat happens below freezing. Our frost can go as deep as 6 feet here. Water lines need to be 7 feet below the surface not to freeze.

How does a ball keep the water from freezing solid, I've had tennis balls frozen into the bucket that a dog dropped in.

From my reading on here in the last few years Wisconsin and the surrounding states get their winter weather mostly from Canada which is much colder than Wyoming. I have compared daily winter temperatures with people. We definitely get the coldest here.

a wind will move the ball and keep the water open in the middle.. until the wind stops and then it freezes solid

He starts the poop waterer now so by the time the colder weather hits it is composting well in the earth. I know my manure pile is hot in the middle in the winter.. but I am farther south than you, -25f is as cold as I get...The top of the pile the gets the wind will freeze,, His is in the ground.
people heat greenhouses with composting manure.. for cold crops not tender crops

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I still don't think either will work around here due to our extreme lows, unless we get a lucky warm year where temperatures don't go too far below zero. A compost pile has to be pretty large around here to keep heating, and I personally wouldn't rely on one.

As far as using solar OP, we get many cloudy days in winter, so I don't think solar would do much for you either, and batteries freeze, it's the reason cars won't start in winter.

As far as I can see you have only 2 sustainable options, change waters or run electric for a heater.

 

[slycat929]

We do have many cloudy days, but there will still be some solar charging going on and the coop is south facing. I live in southeast Wisconsin and closer to the lake, so while it is still obviously cold, it tends to be a little bit warmer. An insulated battery box and keeping it in a sheltered location should help with both freezing and reduction in capacity due to the cold. I will be using a 50 watt heater in a well-insulated cooler that is only 4 gallons, ideally being able to keep the smaller volume warm enough that the heater will not need to run constantly, although I am trying to find a thermostatically controlled heater with the lowest possible temp setting. So far, the lowest I have found is 67 degrees.

Of course, it may not work, but you never know unless you try. If it doesn't, I can always repurpose nearly everything that I bought.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I have seen a plug in thermostat that you can plug your heater into that turns it on and off at a preset temperature, so maybe something to look into. You definitely will be warmer where you are located. I would be interested in hearing how it works out for you.

 

[Elyrian1]

Thermostatically controlled plug as oldhen said. You won't find an aquarium heater that drops much below 67F because that's room temperature water, roughly. I have a 50gal and a 10gal in my living room so I know a little about that specific kind of heater, less about stock tank heaters though... an adjustable 50W is appropriate for 2 to 10 gallon containers in a room temperature environment. Don't go cheapest option! Get something with good reviews. More than one cheap hobby aquarium keeper has come home to electrified fish tanks because the heater glass broke and exposed elements. It can mean a lot of money in dead fish and a very electrified human if you don't unplug the darn thing first. That's if it doesn't start a fire as well...

Honestly I don't know if the heater, even running full blast, in -20F will be able to keep up with the efforts of air temps and in your case ground temps as well. I would look at a number of approaches honestly. Put your water container in an insulated container, painted black for thermal retention on those occasional sunny days. Do the dung idea as well under that. Get your solar powered heater and thermo plug... Just combine stuff, give yourself a better chance of success.