Reminder to check those water dishes!!!

[NYREDS]

They do need water daily but they don't need access to water 24/7. It gets pretty cold where I am & often in the winter water in my pens freezes at some point during the day. When I water in the morning the birds all come & drink their fill. Water is available to the birds until it freezes. By the time I get home from work it's dark & all are roosting. It would be foolish of me to turn on the lights & rewater so I dump the ice & water again the next morning. If there is any problem associated with this it's not apparent to me.

 

[teach1rusl]

Quote:
Okay, for you San Diego-ans...think of your chickens being out on a big boat in the middle of the ocean, and they're thirsty. Water, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink!! Or go inside, open up your freezer, take out the ice cube trays, and dump them into a bowl for your chickens to drink...lol. See how they look at you. Okay, that STILL wouldn't paint a good picture, because they'd end up with liquid H2O within 30 minutes...lol. My brother is stationed down in S. Diego. Sometimes I think I'll scream if I hear my SIL (although I love her dearly) complain about the weather there one more time!!! I guess it's how people up in Alaska view us wimps down here in Indiana...lol.

 

[suburbanminifarm]

 

[Gwen]

Patman, where did you get your heated waterer? This is our first winter with chickens and my other watering system won't work when it freezes (soda bottles with the nipples).

 

[patman75]

Quote:
I picked it up at my Local Family, Farm & Home for $37

Here it is.

http://www.google.com/products?hl=e...esult_group&ct=title&resnum=4&ved=0CB8QrQQwAw

 

[Gwen]

So you just set the waterer on that base? That would not work for me. My chickens would just knock it off! They are very clumsy and boisterous.

 

[TriciaHowe]

One of the benefits of living in Florida

 

[patman75]

Quote:
You need a 2 gallon or bigger double walled steel watering can to be used for a heater base.

Here is an example.

http://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?pgguid=52d632e1-8db5-4f49-88cd-4560d0db05e4

Easy to clean, refill, etc

 

[Gwen]

so you put that on the heated base? Isn't that too low to ground for full grown chickens?

 

[patman75]

Quote:
I have the heater base on 3 - 12 inch round concrete steping stones that I had laying around. Then the watering can. That way the heater is not on the wood shaving, high enough for the chickens and reduces the amount of wood shaving that get tossed in the water.