Winter tricks and tips

[TheLittlechickens]

Hi,
Does anyone know ways to stop chicken drinkers from freezing as the only method I have is pouring boiling water on them, although this does not always seem effective.
I know some people get heated water troughs although these are usually expensive and I fear it would only be helpful for 2 or three months of the year.

I am looking for cheaper products to reduce the freezing, tips and tricks to stop it or for someone to convince me to buy a heated water drinker.
Any other winter tips or tricks are welcome
Thanks x

 

[cavemanrich]

Here is an inexpensive home made version of water heater.

WISHING YOU BEST,,,,,,,,,,,,,, and

 

[TheLittlechickens]

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View attachment 1366022
Here is an inexpensive home made version of water heater.

WISHING YOU BEST,,,,,,,,,,,,,, and

Oh thank you , I like this idea - cheap and simple x

 

[red horse ranch]

I just hang a heat lamp over the waterers. I use a 150 watt bulb when it is below zero and a 100 watt bulb when it is just below freezing. My henhouse is insulated but not air tight. I get the red heat bulbs thru Amazon. Usually $6 to $10 a bulb. I don't like the 250 watt heat bulbs because they scare me with so much heat. Notice that my lamp is secured to the wall with wire and bungee cords in addition to the clamps. there's no way it can fall and cause a fire. It doesn't actually heat the henhouse but it keeps the water from freezing.

 

[Ducksandchickens]

We bought an inexpensive water heater. It’s for a bird bath but it works just fine!

I highly recommend picking up a copy of the book Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens. It is worth every penny and great to have on hand. It talks about raising, feeding, breeding, housing, diseases and anything else you can think of chicken related and is formatted in a way that it is easy to find the specific info you are looking for at any given time without necessarily reading the whole book at once.

 

[Ducksandchickens]

We bought an inexpensive water heater. It’s for a bird bath but it works just fine!

And I didn’t mean to put those quotes. My bad

 

[lazy gardener]

I bought a 5 qt heated dog bowl about 4 years ago. Well worth every penny spent.

 

[cavemanrich]

This is what I used outdoors. Most likely same as LG, It uses only 25 watts and is thermostatically controlled.