Topic of the Week - Heat Sources: Yes or No?

[Doodlemom63]

I’m a nervous Nelly so having electric heat in the hen house unsupervised would make me nuts. Currently, at 6 degrees, My 5 3yr old GLW’s wont leave their hen house and I dont blame them. This afternoon I bent my rules. I hung a brooder type red lamp from their Roof for 2 hours. They are not enduring the cold as well as previous years. I sit near my window looking out into their henhouse window where i can see the glow of the red light. All 5 ate and drank and looked much more alert during those 2 hours. Thank goodness tomorrow morning will be 12 degrees and Tuesday 20’s. I suppose my chicken keeping practice is supplemental heat to help with a bunch of freezing hens standing frozen in place and not eating or drinking enough. (like i know whats best for them. HA Ha). I need them acclimated for the cold as its a long cold season. 6 degrees is uncommon this early in the season and a couple girls are still molting….sometimes with mother nature, ya gotta take it an hour or 2 at a time. keeping water thawed is another topic that makes my head spin. Tomorrow is a new day tho!

Soda bottles filled with salt heavy salt water helps with the freezing here in nc

 

[Robert Kazlauski]

Soda bottles filled with salt heavy salt water helps with the freezing here in nc

Please explain how that helps. Do you put in boiling or very very hot water in the bottle?

 

[Doodlemom63]

Please explain how that helps. Do you put in boiling or very very hot water in the bottle?

I can’t explain the chemistry behind it but I fill soda bottles with water warm enough to melt the salt and place them in the water bins and water doesn’t freeze may get a thin icy coat but nipples don’t freeze up and the cups will have a little chunk of ice but 5 gal buckets don’t freeze old farmer told me and it’s worked for me

 

[FrostRanger]

I can’t explain the chemistry behind it but I fill soda bottles with water warm enough to melt the salt and place them in the water bins and water doesn’t freeze may get a thin icy coat but nipples don’t freeze up and the cups will have a little chunk of ice but 5 gal buckets don’t freeze old farmer told me and it’s worked for me

Salt water has a lower freezing point than fresh