Whether you are raising chicken for eggs, meat, or for insect control, you will come across some challenges during colder months of the year. Keeping water from freezing in the chicken coop is a perfect example of such a challenge. There are multiple steps that you can follow to keep water away from freezing in the chicken coop. Let’s go through facts and see how you can do it. We will share some of the inexpensive and simple methods available for you to do it.
Keeping water from freezing in the chicken coop by the sun
Using the sun’s energy to heat your chickens’ water is a cost-effective and long-term solution. Aside from providing frost protection, placing your waterer in a sunny chicken run provides other benefits for your flock’s health.
The more sunshine the chicken experience, the more eggs they produce, says the International Farmers Association, which is a leading farming distributor. Keeping your chicken water outside in the sun can also help to keep your coop dry. Wet coops, especially those bedded in straw or hay, encourage mites or lice and condensation will linger in the coop and might cause disease in your chicken. Therefore, you should never ignore the importance of the sun and the impact that it can create. While keeping that in mind, you will also come across the need to figure out how to use the sun for your beneficiary and keep water away from freezing.
Using a black rubber tub instead of a plastic or metal waterer is a simple method to give your chicken a leg up on the cold. In a sunny location, a black rubber water tub will absorb the sun’s heat throughout the day.
Depending on how cold it gets at night, the residual heat should be enough to keep you from having to go outdoors many times per day to change the water. Black rubber tubs have a bigger surface area than other waterers and will take longer to freeze over. Setting your waterer on black gravel will assist absorb leftover heat from the sun while also providing good drainage around the waterer to keep your chickens’ feet dry.
Look for a way to insulate water
Keeping water from freezing in the chicken coop by insulating the water. Placing your black rubber tub inside an old tire is another solar-powered option. To begin, fill the negative space around the inner of the tire with insulating material. You can either use a straw or shaving for insulation. Inside the tire, insert some wooden blocks and your rear rubber tub on top of the blocks. The chicken will be able to hop up on the tire to drink and rest their feet from the snow as an extra bonus.
If you can be mindful of proper insulation, you will get the opportunity to save a considerable amount of money that is being spent on energy bills as well. Hence, you don’t need to think twice before you insulate the area where you raise chicken and keep water for them. After insulation, you can continue to experience the benefits coming on your way in the long run.
Move water around
Keeping water from freezing in the chicken coop by moving the water.The first indicator of problems is a coating of ice obstructing the water’s surface, especially if it’s too thick for the chicken to peck through. Place a few ping pong balls on the water’s surface, and the chickens will take care of the rest. They will move the surface of the water and help prevent ice from developing as they curiously peck at the ping pong balls. When used in conjunction with the black rubber tub, this approach is most successful.
You will need to come up with a convenient and struggle-free method to move around the water. Otherwise, you will find yourself moving or stirring water throughout the way, which is not something that you can possibly do.
Construct a simple greenhouse enclosure
Construct a simple greenhouse enclosure for an extra boost of solar electricity. Enclose a small enclosure for your chicken, their water, and their feed with plexiglass or transparent greenhouse plastic. Your chicken will have a comfortable sunroom to interact in, and you will no longer have to change their frigid water.
Add apple cider vinegar into water
Keeping water from freezing in the chicken coop by adding apple cider vinegar into the water. A few capfuls of apple cider vinegar added to your chickens’ water can boost the freezing temperature by a few degrees. Apple cider vinegar freezes at 28 degrees Fahrenheit rather than 32 degrees Fahrenheit. This strategy isn’t as successful in severely cold weather, but it can help if you live in an area where temps are slightly below freezing. By replacing toxic gut bacteria with beneficial digestion bacteria, apple cider vinegar can assist to enhance their immune system.
You don’t have to spend a lot of money to get apple cider vinegar. On the other hand, adding a small amount of apple cider vinegar to the water will not make chicken repel from water as well.
Allow chicken to switch between two water containers
Some chicken keepers alternate between two waterers. Fill one and keep it inside where it can stay warm. While changing out waterers takes more effort than other approaches, it can help you ensure that your chickens’ water is clean.
Use a suspended nipple waterer
You should be extra careful about safety before you follow this method. There is a greater risk of fire with hay, wood shavings, and feathers strewn about. Not to mention the dangers of employing an electric heating source in a location that is mainly unattended during the day and populated with animals with their own minds.
Using a hanging nipple waterer allows you to employ electric heating devices more safely while keeping them out of the chickens’ reach. Wrapping the top of your waterer in a bucket warmer with temperature control might save you a lot of time in the winter. Water held in suspended waterers is significantly cleaner for your chicken than water stored on the ground.
Final words
As you can see, these are some practical methods you can follow for keeping water from freezing in the chicken coop . Simply adhere to these tips and you can get the best results. You can also buy a heater for their waterer.