Winters coming....

[valmont]

Greetings all,
Learning a whole lot about farming, it's heart breaking, stressful, educational, best thing I ever did!!
I've lost my favorite Ancona girl to two oversexed males, waited way too long for eggs,found one today without a shell. Need to research that one, not too concerned. Real concern is their water, what advice can you good people give me for keeping their water from freezing this Winter?

 

[21hens-incharge]

Where in the world are you located?

Here I thaw, dump and refill but that is because I don't have power in that coop.

The coop I do have power in I use a bucket de-icer. I started still have to dump and clean periodically.

A lot will depend on what kind of water dish you use and where you are located.

 

[slordaz]

Depends on what your winter temps are like if you don't go below -20 with wind chill the base heaters or the pet bowls work great but only if you have a safe way and electricity to the coopto keep them from catching on fire or electrocuting your chickens from them peckign at the cords, if you go below that you temp though you would want to use a small stock tank heater to thaw out the ice, or you can do like me I have 2 sets of watering rubber bowls for each station and I break it up if it's a light ice cap or knock it out with a mallet and bring in to warm up while they drink from the other

 

[valmont]

NH, doesn't get ridiculously cold, but will definitely freeze the water feeders. I have electricity in the coop, but keep their water outside. I may try some method of heater, need to visit a local farm and see what they do. Thank you for your kind replies.

 

[Folly's place]

I use the electric metal water heater bases, with galvanized waterers. There are several different ways to use electricity out there, and the most important thing is SAFETY.
You can do without electricity, if you can take water out there three times daily, dump the frozen stuff in the black rubber bowls, and refill. This isn't for me.
Mary

 

[Folly's place]

In winter all my waterers are under the roof, inside. And, after years of carrying water 150 ft. from the nearest hydrant to the coop, we added another all weather hydrant next to the coop, wonderful.
Mary

 

[jreardon1918]

I use a farm innovators 250 watt stock tank heater. In a5 gallon bucket with horizontal nipples. Keeps the water in SE mass liquid. We occasionally go below 0F.

 

[valmont]

Man,
What a great group, quite a community you have here. Thank you all, great advice and I will try it.

 

[Folly's place]

If you have roosters with large hanging wattles, or small chicks, open water bowls can be a problem. Chicks will jump in and get wet, and those big wattles will get wet and freeze.
I've used heated dog water dishes at times, but carefully.
Mary

 

[blackdog043]

If you want to try horizontal nipples, you could make this waterer below. All my waterers are horizontal nipples. Horizontal nipples can be found on Amazon.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...ock-tank-deicer-and-horizontal-nipples.74609/

This is my run waterer, using a drum from Amazon. I have 24 pullets/chickens in my mixed age flock.