Winter Water Worries

Hey Gang! I know, its 103 degrees, but I am such a worry wart.

I know that it will get down to minus 25 here, and although we are
building a chicken house, inside it will be frozen, and the water
frozen.

Do my ducks and geese need a swim pot in the winter or
can they go without for a few months? Can they be ok with
just drinking from a heated bucket of water like all the other
chickens.

What does one do for water anyhow in the winter for the chickens?
Everyones advice would be so appreciated.

We don't have a pond or anything like that. I can imagine bringing
them(my ducks and geese) into the house and letting them go
for a dip in the tub. If it wasn't so crazy, and I had help, maybe I
would. : ))))

Oh brrrrr, just thinking about the winter coming, and the frozen
ground and snow and ice....it will be hard for the chickens.

Thanks everyone!
Your friend,
sheri

They can do fine without a pool in the winter. Drinking water is the only really needful thing. Start putting down bedding now and add to it thru the rest of the year until next spring. The decaying bedding will add heat to the shelter they are in. It is an old old practice called deep bedding. When you remove it next spring a lot of the bottom will already be totatlly decomposed.

I worried that my chickens would have frozen water last winter too. It got down to 9 degrees. I did have to carry water to them twice a day during that time, but I always took hot water that took a little longer to refreeze. They were plenty thirsty each time I went out. They would just drink and drink. As long as I went out and gave them enough a couple times a day, they seemed to do ok. Fortunately, the bitter cold temps don't usually last more than a week or so at a time in these parts. Good thing. Carrying water gets pretty old after about a week.

I'm going to look into the heated waterers this year. Some winters it gets down to zero here. My goodness, if it got to minus 25 like where you are,
not only would I worry about the chickens' water, I might have to worry about my own.............lol.

I didn't have as many chickens then as I have now though. I'm going to make a point of thinning out my roosters and non-layers before it gets cold again. They would be much better in the cold winter.... in a nice hot pot of soup. They be warm, and warm me too.

Absolutely, I agree about warm water. I have a metal pan that I use, and I just bang the extra ice out. Just be careful that you don't have the water TOO warm. Chickens aren't particularly bright, and I worry a thirsty roo or hen would be drinking hot water before they even noticed it hurt!

I'm thinking about an electric water warmer, too. We'll see.

The black rubber waterers (just shallow pans) are great for winter, as you bend them a bit to get the ice out, and if they're in the sun, they don't easily freeze.

I use those rubber pans too. I think they are really called pig/hog feeding pans. They do seem to pick up a bad smell tho after a few years. Maybe it is because the ducks and geese like to cool their feet and clean their bills in them and the water can get quite dirty. I also like oil changing pans. Turn them over, pour a little hot water over the bottom and let it run down the sides and the ice will usually fall right out. If not, a little right around the edges on the ice cake on the inside finishs the job.

I believe I read somewhere that ducks/geese will need their water deep enough that they can submerge their whole heads so they can keep their nostrils clean...

know what you mean about carrying water buckets - I'm getting buff! But as the temps drop out of the three digits here, I too am thinking about alternatives to carrying buckets of water this winter...

I soak "smelly plastic & rubber things" in a 10% solution of bleach for 10 minutes or so, and that usually will both disinfect and deoderize. Need to rinse well afterwards.

That would make sense, for the ducks to wash their heads off, and the
geese too, although they are not as rediculous as the ducks with
their muddy heads. LOLOL. It looks like I have a new breed of
ducks with their white white bodies and black heads and beaks.

I also love when they get the muddy legs up to their knees? they
look like streetwalkers in fishnet stockings.

One of my drakes is chasing one of my geese around. is he
horney? he grabs the back of her neck (i think its a she) and
he is quacking and she is honking, but he doesn't climb on
top of her. What is going on here at WigglyPaw Farm? He
will run around the house after her sometimes. Too funny,
although she doesn't think so.

Also, the drake will mount a duck in the pool and then do his
thing, but the poor things head is underwater, and she comes
up with this most gargled quacking like she is drowning while
he is busy with his business. Is this ok?