Lorihadams-- hi guys...been busy!

[lorihadams]

I just got done telling OFG that we forgot about the water hose when all this freezing mess started and the end is frozen solid INSIDE the duck's pool. Now I'm schlepping water buckets all over the yard.

 

[Up-the-Creek]

I can't even find my duck's pen. Ever since it started snowing last week they have been out and on their own. They get froze in on the pond and we have to go break them out!! Our waterhose thankfully was unhooked before heck froze over!

 

[lorihadams]

And we're supposed to get more mess tonight and in the morning......BLECH! Makes me want to curl up in a quilt and hibernate!!!

 

[Up-the-Creek]

Lori your not that far from me,...what are we supposed to be getting??? I haven't watched the weather. Should I panic now or later?

 

[lorihadams]

Supposed to start early tomorrow morning, like 2am, and it is supposed to be a mix of rain/sleet/freezing rain/ snow......it is all supposed to be over here by about noon. Not much but it could mess up some things for anyone going to work in the morning, or feeding their animals

 

[Up-the-Creek]

Yep we are under a winter weather advisory,...yeehaw.
Supposed to start here around midnight.

 

[lorihadams]

Isn't it grand??? Another morning of chipping ice out of waterers.......

 

[SheriM]

Lori, for us, chipping ice every morning isn't an option. Given where we live, it drops below freezing sometime in November (although this year, early December was exceptionally warm) and stays that way till March or April. I use water warmers, or de-icers as some people call them, in all of my water troughs and buckets. Some are round metal devices that sit in the bottom of the trough, others are the floating type and still others are a metal coil that is surrounded by a protective cage. Anyway, they all work very well, even in the extreme cold we've been having. They do require power, of course, but that's what extention cords are for.

For the chickens, I have a heated bucket with a metal-wrapped cord. It works great down to about -20C or thereabouts.

I don't know if any of these things would be easily available where you are, but if so, you should consider getting a couple. It sure does make life a lot easier!

 

[Beekissed]

I love my heated buckets! They are worth their weight in gold, IMO. Cost about $40 each, last forever, I use them all year round because the electric cord stores in the bottom and they are virtually indestructible.

If you get one for your chickie doodles, you can build them little steps with bricks or concrete blocks so they can reach the water when it gets a little low.

 

[Up-the-Creek]

I have a heated water base thingy in my chicken house,...my ducks are free so they get to drink pond water. My dogs,...they get fresh warm water every morning. I have one of those heated bowls to use if needed...they are only about $20 and easier for a chicken to get into than a bucket.