Winter water

[Jenthehen127]

What is everyone's favorite way to keep water from freezing in the coop? Do you use a heated waterer of some sort? This will be our first winter with our girls. Not sure what to expect!

 

[GC-Raptor]

I use a Galvanized waterer with a heated base during winter season.

and a rubber bowl outside.

The heated base inside coops have kept water from freezing at minus 3F.
The rubber bowls can easily be removed of ice by banging on a hard surface.
It's important to keep a clean contact between heated base and waterer for maximum heat transfer. GC

 

[CluckerFamily]

I don't use a galvanized water and base because of the iron in my water, but I use a plastic water on a plastic heater base.

 

[21hens-incharge]

I use a drop in bucket de-icer designed for use in plastic buckets. I use plastic water dishes in the run that so far....knock on wood....have held up very well to turning upside down and drizzling hot water over to release the ice.

 

[Jeanw]

hello, we use a heated pet bowl like this
K&H Pet Products Thermal-Bowl Heated Cat & Dog Bowl https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HMKXQBR/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_ukzvFbGQ0SX47

 

[rosemarythyme]

I use this heated nipple waterer: https://www.backyardchickens.com/reviews/premier-1-heated-poultry-waterer.11903/

 

[Jenthehen127]

I use this heated nipple waterer: https://www.backyardchickens.com/reviews/premier-1-heated-poultry-waterer.11903/

I looked at this! We had vertical nipples and at first they worked great. Then they hardly let any water out. I switched them to the little cups with the lever inside. They seem to like that. Do the horizontal nipples have good water flow? (That was my question through all that!) Lol!

 

[Jenthehen127]

I use a drop in bucket de-icer designed for use in plastic buckets. I use plastic water dishes in the run that so far....knock on wood....have held up very well to turning upside down and drizzling hot water over to release the ice.

Thinking about this method also.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

We use a rubber bowl and just dump the ice out multiple times a day and refill it

 

[rosemarythyme]

I looked at this! We had vertical nipples and at first they worked great. Then they hardly let any water out. I switched them to the little cups with the lever inside. They seem to like that. Do the horizontal nipples have good water flow? (That was my question through all that!) Lol!

They don't really "flow" but as long as the chicken pokes or applies pressure on the nipple it'll drip water.

Issue with the little cups is they simply don't work in freezing weather, as the cups are entirely outside of the waterer itself. With horizontal nipples, the majority of the nipple mechanism is inside the housing of the nipple, so they're more likely to remain usable even in freezing temperatures.

For your vertical nipple issue, was there an air intake hole in the waterer to prevent a vacuum from forming?