Water in winter

[MikeTheGardener]

How do you keep the water from freezing in the winter time?

 

[duckie mama]

ok this may sound crazy. but i use tubs for waterers and float 2 little plastic balls in them. if wind or anything moves the air the balls move and keep the water disturbed so it doesn't freeze. living in East Texas our really bad weather does not come till late January.

 

[jtn42248]

ok this may sound crazy. but i use tubs for waterers and float 2 little plastic balls in them. if wind or anything moves the air the balls move and keep the water disturbed so it doesn't freeze. living in East Texas our really bad weather does not come till late January.

Well it is certainly worth a try...I am in West Texas and our winter/coldest months tend to be Feb-March. What sort and size of plastic balls? How deep is the tub of water?

 

[duckie mama]

Just a normal feed tub about 1 gallon rubber ones and the little practice golf balls or ping pong balls.

 

[MikeTheGardener]

definitely cool ideas ... so no one recommends those water heaters then?

 

[tcstoehr]

definitely cool ideas ... so no one recommends those water heaters then?

Lots of people do use water heaters. Some use the models that are for keeping bird baths from freezing. Others fabricate their own solutions from light bulbs. Then again there are actually units designed for poultry waterers.

 

[RonP]

I'm also from NJ...we had a cold winter last season.

This is the basic design for a cookie tin heater.

http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2011/11/make-cookie-tin-waterer-heater-under-10.html.

I used a popcorn tin for the extra height.

Inside, I mounted a light reflector, using the reflector, cord, and socket.

I use a standard double wall waterer

I also use a thermo cube for heat control

I use a 38 watt halogen flood for heat source.


I find that when activated, the cold waterer, will form condensation on its bottom.

This condensation will continue until it creates a puddle.

Then, direct contact is formed between the tin and the waterer through the condensation puddle.

This "direct contact" creates excellent heat transfer from the hot tin to the waterer.

The tin never gets more than warm to the touch after.

Has worked great, my coldest temp recorded was -6F in the coop.

The water was not frozen.

Hope this helps.

 

[Redthreadchick]

I love the cookie tin waterer--I see on the Chicken Chick's website she is using aplastic waterer. I have a plastic waterer with nipples. I have read on other sites that for the remade metal heaters that work much like this one, you must use a metal waterer. Any thoughts? Hate to buy another waterer. Took me awhile to find one a liked. I have two unused that I hated sitting only barn.

 

[RonP]

Plastic seems to work just as well as metal on the cookie tin heaters.

 

[Redthreadchick]

Thanks, Ron. So they don't get too hot?