Chicken waterers in the winter

[mandieg4]

What do you use to water your chickens in the winter?

Right now we are using gravity fed waterers. They are awesome! All summer I've been filling waterers up twice a day so DH bought me these automatic waterers for our anniversary. Now I only have to fill the big tank once a week. But I know it's not going to be long and the water lines are going to freeze up and I'll have to use something else. Luckily our winters here in Georgia are pretty mild and I'll only have ice for a few weeks at the most.

 

[BarredBuff]

I use the same tub year round. I water in the morning. I have ice in mine all winter. I just break the ice up.

 

[Mainergal]

I have a watering can in the house that I fill with hot water for my ladies in the winter. So they can sip some "hot tea" until it freezes and then I fill the watering can and melt it again the next morning.

 

[SKR8PN]

I use a heater under our 5 gallon waterer. Fill about once a week.
Since our winters here can be pretty brutal, I also wrap the chicken tractor in a tarp, then bank up bales of straw around the outside, and add a heat lamp just outside the ramp, near the feeder. The hens survived last winter that way, so I plan on doing the same thing again this winter.

 

[Denim Deb]

I have one of those black rubber dishes. It used to be what I used for the dogs' water, but since we no longer have a dog, I'll be using that for the chickens. I just flip it upside down, step on it, and the ice pops out. I then refill it. If it's really cold, I normally do this in the morning, and then again in the afternoon.

 

[journey11]

I put mine down inside a heated dog water bowl (but mine is a different waterer than yours).

I've also heard that you can put a brooder bulb (I'd use red) over your waterer and it will keep it thawed AND still provide the girls the light they need to keep laying.

I would also do something to cut down wind and drafts in the coop for this to work. I line the back side of my coop with cardboard in the winter to stop the prevailing winds. This makes it pretty toasty in the there altogether.

 

[freemotion]

I have one of those black rubber dishes. It used to be what I used for the dogs' water, but since we no longer have a dog, I'll be using that for the chickens. I just flip it upside down, step on it, and the ice pops out. I then refill it. If it's really cold, I normally do this in the morning, and then again in the afternoon.

I do the same but in non-freezing weather. It is SOOO easy. I use a two-gallon pail in the coop in the winter and if it the bottom is partially buried, it takes a lot for it to freeze. They don't drink after dark anyways, so I don't worry about it too much. If I won't get out there early, I sometimes leave a mushy apple or pumpkin or something with moisture for them to peck at until I get my lazy butt out of bed.

 

[Blackbird]

We do the same as BBuff, Deb, and Free... In Minnesota, heaters FREEZE!

 

[Denim Deb]

And I don't have any way to have electric at my coop. So, this is easy. I just use an empty one gallon container to take water out w/me.

 

[SKR8PN]

And I don't have any way to have electric at my coop. So, this is easy. I just use an empty one gallon container to take water out w/me.

I have a loooong extension cord to get to the tractor!!