water freezing ...temps are cold in the north east

[tav1]

up to now temps have been cool in the north east but lately it's been freezing over night. I have a 1 gal. plastic
waterer and every morning it's frozen solid ....no biggy ,but just wondering about those plastic water heaters ,
if I put that plastic waterer in the that plastic heater will it melt? or is it a low temp heat and just enough to keep
the water from freezing?

 

[WNCcluck]

If we're going to have a hard freeze (by our standards - temps below 32* all day or below 10* at night), we bring our waterer inside at night and put it back out in the morning. Since the girls sleep with the pop door closed against predators, they don't miss the water at night. We've found that the amount of water in our waterer generally won't freeze solid during the day if it starts at house temperature (65*) in the morning.

If it's particularly cold, we'll start with hot water in the waterer. The water in the drinking well is cool by the time we've walked out to the run.

 

[tav1]

yea when changing the ice water in the morning I did start using warmer water when refilling.
it is a little warmer during the day. so they really don't drink much at night?

 

[Folly's place]

Chickens roost in the dark, after eating and drinking, and then get up with the light. They want to drink and eat then. I use the heated metal base for metal waterers, in the coop because my run isn't covered. The heated plastic waterers do work, but are a pain to fill without dumping water everywhere. At least that's how it happens here! Without heated waterers, you need to be out there first thing in the morning, and two or three more times during the day, trading out the frozen water with fresh from the house. Mary

 

[WNCcluck]

yea when changing the ice water in the morning I did start using warmer water when refilling.
it is a little warmer during the day.   so they really don't drink much at night?

Correct. You may have heard the expression "up with the chickens" used to refer to someone who's an early riser. Chickens sleep (and poop) all night and eat and drink all day. So it's fine not to have water out at night ... provided they have water when they wake up. The hubs and I are always up before the chickens, so it's no big deal to put the water out when we go out in the morning.

 

[RonP]

I use a modified version of the cookie tin heater.

Worked well with a 2-3 gallon double wall metal waterer.

Water did not freeze with -9F recorded coop temperature.

 

[tav1]

lately I've been bringing the waterer in at night and refilling with fresh water for the next day due to freezing
. I'm up on the early side cuz I work 3pm to 12 (2nd shift) so I really don't mind getting out there
in the morning. I guess I'll keep doing this till I get fed up and find a new way. I only have 3 ladies
so it's not that bad .....except for the poo.......lol to bad there wasn't a poo less chicken.