Well, it happened today. I know this has been spoken of before, but how do you all keep your water from freezing?
We have a ridiculously insulated coop, but, it is nearly winter here in Massachusetts - and it's COLD in the morning!!
Advice please.
T
Frozen water
today is day 2 of frozen waterers. we bring them in to run hot water to thaw then refill and take them back outside. i do not have heated coops so we don't know how else to do it. it is 18 degrees here this am and i'm praying to god my seramas and youngsters made it through last night fine and that my eggs and 2 pigeons shiped and on the way comeing in make it here safely.
silkie
When my waters freeze i have a coffee cups that i fill and give to them till the heat of the day thaws the waters. I got the cups at yard sales for like 5 cents a piece and this works for me and i don't have to thaw the waters.
It's hard going out and doing things in the cold so this way i run out fill all the cups then pass them out. if you have big chickens you can use dog bowls i get those for little to nothing at yard sales too.
Silkie yes i worry about mine i have never had one freeze but you never know.
Oh my water to my shed freezes up and i have 3 gallon jugs i bring in and fill those and take them out with me.
There must be another way to keep or get the water warm. I saw a bird feeder water dish for about $60 in a catalogue but it isn't very big either. You plug it in and in the winter time the water does not freeze. Anyone seen anything like this that would work? Thanks. G
Oh there are many waterer warmers availible some go under the waterer then theres some that the waterer plugs in and keeps the water warm. Theres also ones you can immerse in a water trough.
I was just telling how i dealt with mine i have about 40 indivudual waters and i can't afford a water warmer for all of those.
But for one water they are very inexpensive and worth every penny.
For my rabbits i have 2 waterers one on the pen and one inside so i can interchange them when they freeze.
What I am going to try is to take a cinder block and put a regular light bulb inside the block with the waterer sitting on top of the block. Got that idea some where here or on BYC. We do not get to much below zero weather here. Maybe a couple weeks in late December to mid January.
Thanks, Harmony. I saw on another post that someone puts a heating pad under the water dish, so we are going to try that tonight. My husband said he'd stop by CVS phamacy and pick up a few, BUT please tell me where you find our water warmers that you are talking about. Our feed store apparently does not have them. We have those old fashioned "tin" waterers and they work great but we need something to put under them. I did find a site from Wales that someone mentioned on another discussion (I think it was the Tour de Coup thread) when they were talking about automatic door openers. But I can't wait to get something shipped in, so tonight we'll try the heating pads and see if that works. Thank you, though and if you can tell me where to find the water warmers I'd send you XXX & 000. I'll do that anyhow. Chicken lovers need XX & 000 so, XXX000! G
That also sounds like a good idea. I guess you an put a piece of aluminum under the light bulb to keep the floor from getting too hot AND I guess the aluminum would also reflect the heat. WE thought of a heat lamp hanging WAY DOWN from the ceiling close to the top of the watering device, but heat from UNDER is what is needed. I'll bet someone else comes up with another really clever thing. Thanks, LUVS. XXX000. G
Try Cutlers supply www.cutlersupply.com they have several kinds of waters just like the ones i mentioned. They are a good company i ordered my incu from them and like their friendly service and prompt shipment.
Luvs what a great idea i may use that for my dogs water;)
There are heat mats that you can buy to put under plant seedling trays that might work as well....
Hello General how are you doing on this cold day?
Freezing to death at 27*....
I feel ya Dusty! Our windchill is 27 today. That's what we usually have at the end of January. Brrrrr...
I keep an 'extra' waterer in the house and exchange it for the frozen one. I place the frozen one next to the woodstove in the basement, upside down of course! When it's really cold, I do this twice a day. I've also used heatlamps my girls when it's below norm temps around here.
When we had all the ducks, we put a water heater in a rubber watering tub so they could still take a daily swim.
Sue :-)
My wind chill at the moment is 18*... LOL
Brrrr....! It's just too soon!
I agree i never have frozen water until Jan and it was 20 here this morning and all the water was frozen. It was just a skim so i only had to take out the ice i wonder if this means a colder that ususal winter?
i raise my flock outside of town not at my house. there is no electric there now so the well doesn't work. i have to take water over every day by the 5 gal buckets, it's the old fashioned way here,lol.
but if u want a cheap way to heat use a cookie tin with a 40-60 wtt bulb in it with a hole cut in side of tin for cord to come out. u can place the waterers on top to keep them heated. i have dog dishes that r heated i can use here for the bunnies, thank u for reminding me!!!
Our weatherman said a couple of weeks ago that the jetstream is supposed to be bringing most of our weather from Canada this year. I'm hanging onto the fact that they are wrong most of the time!!
I certainly hope it's not a harsh winter it's hard on the chickens and the owners.
That's for sure. It wasn't so bad with the goats and the cows as they all had bucket heaters so it helped with the lugging of the water(five gallon buckets get heavy!)
We crossed posted silkiechick-I just read your post. That makes for hard work! When we lived by the town road, I would load up buckets of water into the back of the truck and drive them over to the barn which was about 400' across the field. We were lucky enough to have electricity at the barn but no running water in the winter. And no bucket heaters back then!! Occasionally when the road would be blocked by snow, I would lug it over by hand-I would take two five gallon buckets that were filled with the same amount to keep me balanced!! So I feel for you!
27 degrees here today with wind chill of 13,very windy.My husband made me a box and insulated it with blue board on the inside and put a light bub in it.cut out a round spot for a 12 inch round cake pan and I used to use it for the wild birds to drink out of, then I got the chickens this spring and wondered how I was going to keep there water form freezing and I use that,I put a 40 watt bulb in in and took out the cake pan and sat the waterer on top.I have a timer that comes on at 3 in the mornig with heat lamp and the box pluged in to it and so far when I go out at 7 or so the water is not frozen,the timer goes off a 7 am right now may have to leave it on longer when it is colder.I have a very small chicken coop it was a play house for my granddaughters,its about 5x5 and about 5 feet high.Can`t wait for next spring when I will build a bigger one.
It was ridiculously cold here today, with wind. Indoor recess at school and it's only NOVEMBER .............uGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH...............
The weather report says not much above freezing during the day until the weekend, then maybe 40.......well below freezing at night.
Thanks for all of the advice. I told my husband he would have to read all of the messages and decide what he wants to do :)
Stay warm!
T
Your Welcome if you need more help please ask ^_^
Ok dont beat up the messenger here ok. I am about to cook here, it was up to 76 today and is 66 now. UGHHHHHHHHH it is so hot in here. Going down hill tomorrow tho, suppose to be cooler tomorrow and for the next few days. I am NOT ready yet!!!!!!!!!!
Still freezing here and the outlook is getting worse by friday lows in the teens.
brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
When researching a heater for the Koi/mandarin duck enclosure. One thing I found real quick to watch is the electric they use. I want everyone to have fresh clean unfrozen water, but have to watch the electric bill. I am lucky that my water source outside is like 50 feet from the coup and pups. I found these rubber dishes in the pet section that are pretty wide across and about 6 inches deep. They are very pliable and the ice just comes out so easy. I do have to keep an eye on the freezing and at least dump ice and add fresh water twice a day, but It's the best option so far for me.
The pond heater for the ducks and Koi is where I will eat a lot of electric. Still looking for an affordable heater for the ornamental pond. I want the ducks to be able to swim and the Koi not to freeze. The Koi pond was the perfect level for the Koi to survive, but a freak rain the day after setting the whole system up caused massive amounts of silty soil to go under the liner. Causing the water level to drop. So now I have to re dig the pond and put new liner in. Sorry got off subject there. I was working on a temp structure for ducks and it was on my mind! Sorry to hijack.
George
So the heaters are not expensive to buy but are expensive to run?
the water heaters here r about $42 each that's why we used the cookie tins way more cheaper to make ur own.
oh yes, 5 gal buckets is a pain it's how i store my feed under their coops to so i get tired of looking at them,lol. i don't mind in warm mths cause i take like 8 buckets over and leave them there. then as we use them i bring buckets home refill and take em back over full of water so it's not every trip i got to take them. they seal and r used fast enough it doesn't hurt anything but with winter comeing i can't leave the water sit out nomore have to take so many every trip, every day to keep it thawed, that's when it is the hard part.
for those asking about seramas before it has been as low as 18 degrees here and my seramas r doing great to my surprise. they have been outside since they feathered in and i believe have adapted to the cold weather just like the rest have. but i'm praying they make through all winter cuz this is our first winter with them. i will be very heartbroken if i loose any but wanted to update that seramas r way more hardy than i have had others let on they r.
I had heard both that seramas were hardy and others said they needed indoor houseing.
So thank you i had been wanting these but didn't have the indoor houseing now i'm going to get some next spring.
The easiest and cheapest water warmer I have ever found isan old heating pad. My waterer sits on a cement patio block. Between the block and the waterer, I put an old heating pan set on low. Just make sure that it isn't a newer pad with a built in shut off timer. This keeps the water thawed even in the coldest Northern Michigan weather. I've also used inexpensive bird bath heaters. They are a flat disk that you can put under or in the water. or my silkies I have a heated dog bowl. Every one of these things I have gotten at goodwill or other thrift stores or freecycle,but even if you have to buy them new, they are not expensive. WAAAAAY cheaper than the fancy chicken ones. I have used them for years and years, no problems.
I know this is abit off topic but I have my chicks in the barn under a 250 watt bulb. They are all feathered out. I was wondering if there was something else I could use that was easier on the electric bill. Perhaps an incandscent light? And if so, will those work in a heatlamp?
A farm supply store should have a selection of heaters for watering troughs. I like the suggestion for a lightbulb in a cinder block. You'd be amazed how much heat a 75 watt lightbulb gives off and how cheap to run one 24/7 during the cold snap.
I'd be nervous about a heating pad. I'd be afraid the animals would get rambunctious and spill water on it and possibly shorting it out. If it is plugged into a GFCI receptacle it would be safer.
That also applies to a 100 watt bulb i have one on my pullets since all this cold blew in and it keeps them warm and is easy on the pocketbook.
The heating pads are enclosed in plastic covers, It is plugged in to GFI. I feel it's much safer than a light bulb if it is meant for human use.
You can actually get these water dishes that varie in sizes and have insulation for when it is slightly cold and when it is real cold you can plug it in and it has a little heater in it.
Best of luck
Chickengrl
I have been debating the same thing here, how to get the water from not freezing. Our duck/chicken house is very well insulated but as everyone has said it's rather chilly to say the least. I was thinking of building something that would have the water dish sit in. something that has a styrofoam core. I was also thinking what if you were to somehow surround the water dish with something that you can heat up in the microwave and that stays warm for some time that you could insert in this styrofoam thing, lol. My mind is going a mile a minute on this. I am trying to find a solution without having to resort to electricity. The heat system for this would have to be like,okay this is going to sound silly but Avon makes a product that is more like a bean bag but long that you heat up and can put around your neck or any other part of your body where you need heat and these thing you heat up in the microwave. I know it wouldn't keep the water from feezing BUT at least perhaps it would keep it unfrozen for a longer period of time so you would only have to change the water in the a.m. and then in the p.m. As they say necessity is the mother of invention. :-)
Careful of the styrofoam. I've read of chickens pecking at it and eating it until they've poisoned themselves.
There was a really good youtube shared on here not too long ago that had a chicken water heater... lets see if I can find it....
Just thought of something else. Is there some kind of heater, like heating pad that works off of battery pack. You would just have to buy rechargeable batteries so it wouldn't cost you an arm and a leg. What about those hand warmer pads you can buy at the drugstore that heat up on their own. Probably cost prohibitive.