waterer

[cassie]

I don't know if this is the right place to post this. How do you keep the chicken's water from freezing? I have the waterer inside the chicken house, and I can keep a heat lamp in there but I don't know if that will do the trick or not. Any suggestions will be welcome. I am in southern Missouri so the weather isn't as extreme as it is in say northern Minnesota.

 

[bachbach1]

Agriculture supplies sell all types of heaters for watering your animals. What you need will depend on how much work you want to do and if you have electrical power to your coupe. If you live up far enough north you will have to get a lot more aggressive with it. I am in Texas, and rarely need to do more than break through the ice once or twice a day on the coldest days, or tote a big bucket of hot water to dump in the frozen water. Also larger water containers take longer to freeze. Sometimes sheltering the water a bit from the weather can help too. Check out the link HERE I have seen these used many times before, never heard of a problem. They are adjustable set it to around 35 to 40F and it will do the job. Of course there are better more expensive units, but it is nice to have alternatives sometimes.

 

[jmagill]

I have been using aquarium heaters for several years now. 25-75 watts and they work great. Mine run almost 6 months a year 24 hours a day.

 

[cassie]

I have been using aquarium heaters for several years now. 25-75 watts and they work great. Mine run almost 6 months a year 24 hours a day.

What kind of a waterer do you use?

 

[jmagill]

Bucket and nipples.

 

[pdirt]

Check out this thread for more detailed discussion of the different watering nipples and how to keep them from freezing:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...-vs-horizontal-spring-loaded-watering-nipples

My two-cents: go with the horizontal nipples on a bucket. If your winters are mild enough, it may make the difference between the horizontal nipples NOT freezing and the vertical ones DO freeze. I need to use a heater in my bucket during winter and I've found no freezing problems with the horizontal nipples compared to the vertical ones, even with the heater.

 

[bachbach1]

Nothing works as good as nipples. No dirty dishes to clean out.

 

[dheltzel]

I use heated dog water dishes. Both TSC and Walmart have them. The 1 gallon ones are about $20. They are safe (even have chew protected cords) and do a great job here in SE PA, which has winters much like MO (used to live there).

I would not recommend heat lamps, except for brooding chicks. They are a definite fire hazard and just not needed for adult chickens.

 

[cassie]

I use heated dog water dishes. Both TSC and Walmart have them. The 1 gallon ones are about $20. They are safe (even have chew protected cords) and do a great job here in SE PA, which has winters much like MO (used to live there).

I would not recommend heat lamps, except for brooding chicks. They are a definite fire hazard and just not needed for adult chickens.

The heat lamps are on the ceiling. They only come on when the temperature drops to below a certain level. The electrician installed them in the chicken house, dog kennel, and well house. I am not sure which switch is for what so I leave them alone. As for the dog water dishes, how do you keep the chickens from scratching bedding and dirt in them?

 

[dheltzel]

The heat lamps are on the ceiling. They only come on when the temperature drops to below a certain level. The electrician installed them in the chicken house, dog kennel, and well house. I am not sure which switch is for what so I leave them alone. As for the dog water dishes, how do you keep the chickens from scratching bedding and dirt in them?

Elevate them. I use cinder blocks to raise them 8" off the floor. The bigger problem is the birds walking through them, making the water dirty. I might have to make a cage around some of them that they can stick their heads through.