Water Freezing - no electricity to coop- any ideas?

[ECBW]

I can't run electricity to the coop because my husband won't let me. He says it's a fire hazard... I disagree but he wins (mostly because i'll put it out and he'll take it in)

Have your husband lug water out there and his will change his mind.

 

[brownfoxfarm]

We water 2x per day with warm water at feeding times. The chickens do fine and get plenty to drink.

Joyce Brandon
http://brownfoxfarm.weebly.com

 

[Charlieandlola]

Not sure how your coop is set up, but we ran electric to the outside of the shed and installed a weather resistant outlet, the kind that has a cover that snaps over the top. I can plug in my heated buckets and the cover closes over the plugs to keep snow and rain from touching the outlet. Then the heated water bucket sits outside the shed. This idea works if you have a coop with a run or your chickens free range. In the morning when you let them out of the coop, they have access all day to unfrozen water. At night, they are sleeping and don't need water anyway.

Other than that, I read something about someone heating up bricks in their oven and then setting the waterer on top of the warm bricks. This kept the water from freezing for a longer period of time, however it does mean you have to take the time to heat up the bricks in your oven each morning.

 

[Kimberly Lehman]

I read last fall to use a small plastic lunch box cooler. My water stays thawed out all day, even in our -32 weather we just had a few weeks ago in Ontario. Great idea. bring the cooler in at night when they roost, then return it in the morning, works perfectly.

 

[blondiebee181]

Having lived with solar a # of years, it's rare to generate enough power to create heat. If she's lucky, an inverted metal pan with a 25-40W bulb, with a galvanized waterer set on it, may work. She's in Rockaway, NJ; I used to live in Boonton, a few lifetimes ago. I seem to remember winter days as being pretty sunny, moreso than here in N. Idaho, so it may be possible!
Those kits are now on sale for $139 . . .

fellow Idahoan!

 

[slwatson]

We have a small solar battery charger we use for an electric fence to keep deer out of a garden where we have no electricity, no doubt one of them can be adapted to warm water. We got the charger for about $200 from agri supply. I think they have smaller less expensive u it's.

 

[BigRooNTN]

I ran an extension cord (one used in construction) to my coop to have electricity for my waterer and heat lamp. I took the idea from this site that was posted and made my own heater from a cookie tin and a 40 watt light bulb. I have a total of about $5 invested in it. I dont have a problem with the water on the inside. I do however have to break the ice out of the one outside every morning. I carry my gallon water jug out and fill it up with fresh water. It will usually last all day. The next day.............. same old same old............

 

[jasmer]

You guys she already said her hisband will not allow extension cords because he thinks its a fire hazard.

Have you talked about outdoor weather resistant extension cords? Wrap the joining bits with electrical tape and then duct tape and theres no worry about a short. An extension cord is only a fire hazard if you let it get frayed and cut up. They make outdoor cords that arent any more danderous than installing an outlet and running ground wire from the utility box. Tha latter might be more appealing to him. Just have an electrician come out to hook up the wire. You can install the emptyvoutlet and route the wire yourselves.

Otherwise youll probably just have to make clever use of hot water, warm bricks, black paint, and direct sunlight...

 

[off-grid hen]

I currently have a 25 watt heated pet bowl from petsmart plugged into an extension cord. This is my second winter doing it and have not had a fire, it's heavy duty contractor cord. Big fat yellow one. Sorry cant give you more info. 25 watts is not a big electrical draw, like the higher wattage heaters are. So it's less likely to be a fire hazard. Let us know what you end up doing.

 

[kippyafd]

We ran an outdoor extension cord to the coop, until we get the electricity hooked up. Then of course we have the water heater to out under the waterer. They are both the metal type. An outdoor cord will save tons of time!