water is freezing

[LynneP]

I use an electric dog bowl but I admit that after 2 nights of -23C I places a rubber livestock bowl under it for some heat conservation. Had a film of ice when the coop got to -4C, though the hens kept a section open with their beaks.

 

[ducks4you]

Good advice. Also, go to a farm supply store and buy a small (8 in diameter, 5 in deep) rubber bucket for water, and a larger 5 in deep bucket for food. (I keep mine on bricks so my birds don't dump them.) I have kept my rubber buckets going for literally years, with EVERY DAY use. If your heater fails, you can very easily break ice from a rubber bucket, and it's very smooth for the birds, and forgiving when you have to throw it down or step on it to break the ice.

 

[cackler]

Could those of you that have made the cookie tin heaters post pics of what you've done? It is not going to be above freezing here for at least another 7 days - I'm beginning to think that I need to shell out $$$ for a heated bowl - but I'd MUCH prefer to do something cheaper.... Any help with how the cookie tin heaters look would be helpful so I can figure out what to do next.