First proper frost has frozen our taps and the drinker.

We use a water butt but that will freeze in prolonged frost.

Any tips how to deal with this? I don't suppose there are any non toxic alternatives to salt you can add to water and keep it from freezing? Or should I try to give them hot water to warm then up?

I use the shallow flexy tub trugs so the ice on top can usually be broken quite easily. Failing that I just top the trugs up with a large bottle of cold water from the tap indoors.

Don't use warm or hot water - the reduced level of oxygen will cause it to freeze faster, causing you more problems. Don't add salt to the water.


Common Solution - Double the number of drinkers - Swap out frozen one 2 or 3 times a day. Metal drinkers are less likely to split when they get frozen. Many people switch to basins or the like in winter to make it easier to empty as they defrost.


If you need to be away, you do get heaters to stop water freezing

Float a ball in the top, makes the frozen bit easier to crack.

I don't keep chickens myself, so only a thought here - would it be any advantage to put the main water vessel inside the coop and run a pipe outside to a drinker ? - that way the heat inside from the birds might help keep the supply above freezing.

I check their water when I let the chooks out in the morning.
Once it starts freezing, I put a 2nd container in their run and keep one empty and the other full. Take fresh water down every morning, filling one and emptying the other one at night when they go to bed.
Something like that anyway!

^^^ snap

Originally Posted by nickdub

I don't keep chickens myself, so only a thought here - would it be any advantage to put the main water vessel inside the coop and run a pipe outside to a drinker ? - that way the heat inside from the birds might help keep the supply above freezing.

It would solve the freezing issue but would (for me at least) be impractical as the coop isn't that large.