frozen drinking water

[pickledtink]

Can't even get the outside galvanised drinker to move it's so frozen inside and to the ground and they're not interested in going into the outer free range bit anyway. I've popped a shallow enamel bowl of water with a cork in it under the shelf their main drinker sits on. I'm hoping boredom might make them play at bobbing it about a bit and keep it from freezing over a bit longer.
I can't believe Google and Miss Williams are still laying practically daily!
There was nothing in the nest box this morning but one from each this evening!

[Glutton4...]

You'll see on the 'Rant' thread that I had to cart 80 litres of water to the Stables this evening. Luckily we have a Caravan Aquaroll, and I borrowed my Dad's one too. I also gathered together a load of my 4 pint plastic milk containers, that I was saving for whatever reason. Mr. G's been moaning at my hoarding them, but I'm glad I did now.

Luckily my Chooks are at home, but the outside ones are getting a bit miffed now at frozen drinkers.

[tlck9]

Keeping water unfrozen

I'm not sure if i have posted this idea:

Tyre, filled with recent horse manure in a black bag, bucket of water, with stones in so the chucks dont dive in, placed into the hole and then add bags of or more horse manure

Add the horse manure rots the heat will keep the water from freeing, just renew horse manure once the manure starts to cool

[pickledtink]

I'm not sure if i have posted this idea:

Tyre, filled with recent horse manure in a black bag, bucket of water, with stones in so the chucks dont dive in, placed into the hole and then add bags of or more horse manure

Add the horse manure rots the heat will keep the water from freeing, just renew horse manure once the manure starts to cool

Ta! Have two bags rotted down nicely for spring dig in. Will try because we are in for even worse apparently coming at us for another week at least and I'm seriously worried my ladies will make it. Margaret Thatcher is really flagging having gone into drastic moult.
I'm not holding up too well either. Flu and only way to get into enclosure .then run , then coop then back to shed with feed for litter etc involves hefty use of spade to dig out every couple of hours. I'm absolutely knackered. Also 18 inches of snow on secure run roof involved death defying ladder and spade which didn't work and nearly resulted in being sad tale of woman found dead in dark reaches of back garden.
Solved it by leaping up and down and head butting snow until broke up and fell through gradually soaking my 49 layers to the skin.

I would like all this pretty white stuff to just bugger off now frankly.

[Dane End Dolly]

We are lucky, the chooks are in our garden and the OH puts the fresh chicken water into the greenhouse over night and then puts the water in the run in the morning (he does not have time to clean out the chicken water in the morning and finds it easier to do it the night before.

[CoraxAurata]

I've been bringing the drinkers in at night (they sit in my bath) though they sometimes still haven't defrosted by morning, they get taken out in morning, and everyone gets a tub(or tubs) of water in the afternoon - the main birds are getting it in a washing up bowl and a rubber skipping out bucket which has the added advantage of when it does get frozen I can bash it as much as I like and only break ice not bucket (its the type made from old tyres on the dat the temp was down to -17/18C I had to fill it 6 times!

[Hilary B]

Didn't someone suggest that birds could eat clean snow if they didn't have water? How about putting a shovel-ful on a tray (or sheet of plastic) where they can reach it readily, for when the freshly thawed drinker freezes too quickly?

[Madasafish]

our quails and turkeys eat snow..

[dexterdoglancashire]

Kaye and Clarissa have been eating the snow off my wellies!