This is such a subject that has been touched on before, so many ideas that people have, some successful, some not.
The thought of the frozen wattles shivers me timers. I really have to say that. I had an open heated dog water bowl for my buff orpingtons last year. The rooster as he drank, had clearly dipped his wattles in the water. The air was cold at the coldest point. It was -17 and that is not even cold compared to how cold many of our forum friends get. I know for a fact that the entire bottom part of his wattles froze solid, turned black, fell off, and now he has shortened deformed wattles. It never bothered him either. One day the black wattles there, a few days later, gone. Must have fallen off. I have a friend in the area that had the same issue, with a marans cockerel, only his wattles got infected, she had a horrible time. Anyways. For me, absolutely no open water like that wherein a bird can get the wattles dipped...this scares me.
My experience in how to deal with this is: each of my coops has a heated dog water bowl with water within.
ON TOP of that heated dog water bowl, I place the drinking apparatus. Which is plastic fonts and metal fonts. I do not worry about the metal fonts chilling the birds because the birds don't touch the metal font, they dip their beaks into the water that comes in the small area where the water sits on the metal fonts. The fonts are inside the coops and it goes well below zero in there.
I personally think it extremely important that chickens have free water, at any given time during the day. I am fortunate that I have electricity to my chicken barns. Many do not and must rely on themselves to break ice, or bring water to the birds certain times of the day. This is life. And birds learn to drink when they can. Those without the electricity that is wonderful, have a very big job ahead of them coming the wintertime. (and I don't envy any of you, I think that is a really big job, sigh....packing water....oh so done with that, been there, done that too). Chickens adapt to whatever care they receive, my hats off to ya all!!
I tried using the heated tape, like Farmchiq is talking about, last winter. It didn't work. It was cumbersome and just a pain in the butt. I took it off and put it somewhere, deep and lost I am sure in our container that holds the rest of our life stuff that we can't fit into our current home. I should pull it out and try again, perhaps I just did not do it right. Anyways, I went out and bought another heated dog water bowl, so don't really need it, but should try.
The first year that we were here, I foolishly spent $100 or so, on this freakin' stupid thing that was like a heated base, that only turned on when the temperature went to zero. That was a waster of time and money. I use it for water to sit on in the summertime so it is up off the ground. That is how little I think of it. I think that I am going to get my Husband to pull it apart when the weather is below zero and see why it doesn't work. Could have been just a lemon, but it was a piece of crap, and I did not like it...Maybe it would work if he revamped it, but I have the heated water dog water bowls, so am OK.
I think if I were to give chickens water in an open container ever. and who knows, that day may come where the luxury of electricity is not present in the coops. That I would only put water into a gallon bucket. That way the roosters more than likely would not droop their wattles in the water. The opening is small enough that mostly heads would only go in. Hmmmm..thinking about it, not sure if that might not work, but maybe a thought.
Also something that I think might be an idea to keep the water in the fonts not frozen, would be to make like a bit tea cozy that would fit over the top of the water font. I still might do that, cause I think that insulating the metal, in particular might keep that font from getting really, really cold. That would not be hard to do. Only long enough that it did not touch the water, but surrounded the font. I might engage my Sister, the designer to make one for me. She a premium sewer and would love to make something. But then...on the on the other hand, maybe the chickens might peck it to pieces, blah....but that too is a thought for people that are handy with the design and making of stuff (Uno, you quilter girly, girl, you come to mind, think of a tea cozy thick quilty thing over the water fonts)
Yep, good topic, bring it!! Have a most awesome day, CynthiaM.
