Ugghhh- frozen waterers....

[Minniechickmama]

Hens & Hounds :

I found this site/blog called Tilly's Nest & she has a great idea to keep water from freezing w/o use of electric. I have not yet tried personally...it involves heating a rock LOL

Here is the site w/ her directions: http://www.tillysnest.com/2011/01/water-water-everywhere.html

Hope it is of use to you or anyone else who may be concerned w/ water freezing.

Good luck & let us know if you do try it how it works out.

Jackie

Jackie, Thanks for sharing that site! That sounds like a fantastic idea. And if anyone has a wood stove they could set their rocks on, it would eliminate having to take time to heat them up! How cool!​

 

[Tracydr]

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You can insulate pretty well around the waterer somehow. Maybe wrap with some foam insulation and cover that with something to keep the chickens from eating it. Depending on how cold it gets, a couple of thick layers of foam insulation in a coop where the chickens are helping keep the coop warm may be all you need. The larger the waterer the slower it freezes.
Can you run an extension cord?
I wouldn't feel safe running a propane or kerosene heater but maybe a solar charger of some sort could be rigged with just enough juice to heat your waterer. I'm thinking am electric fence charger or the solar panel from an RV could be used if you have somebody with some electric knowledge who could rig up a little heater for the inside of the waterer and figure out how to wire it up.

 

[Tracydr]

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I've used dog dish heaters in severe cold weather in CO, like -20 degrees.

 

[Tracydr]

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You can make less expensive extension cords, too. Just buy the wire and the plugs. Just need to have a wire stripper, and attach the plugs to the wire. Buy really heavy duty wire, like the stuff used to wire houses with, I can't remember what it's called.

 

[top of the hill]

Someone posted that they put a tennis ball in the dish part of the waterer that way if it freezes, the chickens can peck around the ball and break the ice. Its our first winter so we are trying to figure out what method to use as well. Another thought was a fish tank bubbler... battery operated...

 

[BellevueOmlet]

I use a heated Waterer Bucket with cups like this. Works great

 

[BlazeJester]

If you use something like this you can put an aquarium heater in it. They are good for regulating temperature and don't draw too much electricity (Just make sure to get the right size).

I just bought a heated dog bowl (5qt) after reading many rave reviews from people using it for chickens. Of course now that I've bought it and set it up, it won't freeze for a week... I think the large surface area will help with the freezing issue, but I'm interested to see how fast evaporation occurs.

I would also recommend using plastic instead of metal for your watering device. Metal is a conductor and is drastically affected by temperature; unless heated directly, your metal container will stay cold and keep water frozen far longer than plastic.

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[BellevueOmlet]

It was not installe dyet in this picture but it has a full de-icer in there now that keeps the water warm and works really well.

 

[Vtchicks]

Most wire that is used for wiring a house is made for in the walls. It is not UV resistant and will turn brittle very fast. It is best to pay a little more now. They do make wire that is rated for direct bury in the ground and if you have sandy soil this would work well too.

 

[Grog]

The wire is called romex. and I use a base heater for my chickens water it has worked well for me. The galvanized waterer sits on the pedestal base. But the aquarium idea is ok if you are using an open topped waterer.