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This coming winter is forecast to be particularly cold. The past two mornings my hens' plastic drinker has been frozen-over  - it sits 'in the open' around 6" off the concrete floor.

A bottom nest box glass jar directly opposite has also been affected - it sits at the back of the box about 14" off the concrete floor. (The other 15 jars have been unaffected)

I know that cold air 'falls' (to the floor) ... and hot air 'rises' (to the ceiling).

Any tips on how to prevent the plastic drinker freezing over? I've no heating in the loft.

 

It may have been coincidence, but yesterday I put multi vit in the water and it never froze, whereas it had on previous nights.

Maybe we should put Hot Peppers in the water when its cold
I use heated dog bowls myself with a wire cover.

Bruno

Do you have electricity to your loft.

We overcame the problem in Washington State by purchasing the small electric heater pads used to keep a coffee cup warm and terra cotta plant pot bases. we upended the flat plant pot base over the heater and put the plastic drinker on that.

The following link describes.
http://www.redroselofts.com/water_heater.htm

Hope this helps

I had garlic in the drinker last night, and was surprised it froze over, Peckedhen. I reckon you might be on to something though, would the 'oil' / fat-soluble vits have made the difference?  

Hyacinth, I have electricity OK but just a bit reluctant to use it for running 'unattended stuff' ... ionisers and the like... I could rig up a 40 or 60 watt bulb in a coffee tin underneath the drinker stand grill for example. I will have a look around for your cup warmer though.. looks like I'll need something.  

  Hi Bruno

  Have heard that if you use Baby Milton Fluid in the water this also helps stop th    water freezing

 Ray

The only way to keep the water from freezing is to do what Hyacinth has suggested. If you can't find a coffee cup heater, you make a box with a lite fixture installed in it. Install a low wattage bulb and your set. I have used both ways and have had the water freeze a bit in the upper part of the waterer but the lower part was still unfrozen, this was in -45 c weather. You could make a shroud around the whole thing to hold the heat in, that would keep it from ever freezing. I also keep a close eye on it when the weather warms up as it will make the water warm, perfect conditions for growing bacteria in.
Hope this helps

Ron

someone said to me put salt in the water

light a candle  in a jar and place in the drinker............may i add,mine have been frozen untill 2pm last two days and none dived for the drinker.maybe more of a problem for the early breeders though...

a couple of small toy rubber balls in each drinker & a wooly hat or the wool cloth sleeve off a car polisher round the base of the drinker which is on top of a small piece of wood(to keep it off the floor.

I use rubber bowls I have no electricity in lofts I just knock out the ice daily

Thanks for the ideas. Don't really want to put anything in the water and maybe the lite bulb under the drinker would be best.

As to the -45C : Er, how do you stop the pigeons icing-over?  

Worst I've experienced was -18C. Had to wear two t-shirts!  

bruno i wont mention" milton"  i can see your point, as the last few days have been particularly freezing, but thankfully its not allways like that, im sure the birds know its going to freeze, and take more water ,in a oner ,than normal, so its just as easy changing it as normal, each day, ive never seen them any the worse off for it  

Your better off taking the drinker out the loft last thing at night,and leaving it on the kitchen worktop,then if your breeding winter youngsters,just put some warm water in and give it to the birds when you feed early morning...at least the oldbirds can pump the babies 1st thing in the  morning with warm water.

Take your points, Ben & Jimmy.  

Thankfully, don't do a winter youngster since my one and only go at January 1st pairing back in 2003.

Don't mind the drinker being frozen if its a thin cover birds can easily break through...  

Cold spell has certainly eased off a bit, but forecast back again mid-week.

I dont mean to point out the obvious, but if pour the water out on a night after they have had a drink, and replace it in the morning, then it wont freeze. Im lucky that I have a bar heater just near to my drinker that stops it from happening, but when I didnt have the heating, I just took it out.

Yeah, that's fine if your loft is in the back garden but not so easily done if the loft is some distance away.

Your the second person to come up with 'take the water away' Sbelbin.  

Can't quite follow that one since my concern on the drinker freezing over is that it denies the birds a drink... either before they perch up last thing at night, or first thing in the morning, or if they are really unlucky, on both occasions.  

Sorry, but I don't see it as a solution. And Peckedhen has a good point. You've no sooner changed the water on the allotment and left to travel 5/6 miles home, than the waters frozen and they are left without a drink till you come back next day.

Memories as a schoolboy, de-icing 8am, home 12pm lunch, de-icing & feed, home 4pm de-icing again. No doubts bloody thing frozen over before I'd got the padlock back on the door! Thought today's plastic drinkers would be different - think again!!!  

BRUNO
I DO NOT KNOW IF THIS WOULD ? WORK BUT AS YOU KNOW PIGEON DROPPING CREAT HEAT SO DO BUILDERS LIME ;MIX THE TWO TOGETHER MAKE UP A BOX SAY 4 OR 6 IN'S HIGH FILL IT WITH THE MIX COVER THE TOP WITH WIRE THEN STANDTHE DRINKER ON TOP IT MUST HELP A LITTLE

Must be just where I live Bruno then, as Ive never had the drinkers freeze throughout the day, only through the night, or maybe Ive just never had pigeons when there has been an extreme winter. Ive always gone down on a morning to fill the waters and then on a night put the lights on for 45mins (rechargeable lantern when at the allotment) to feed and water them and then taken the water away. Maybe a solution would be to create more heat in the loft, I know an old fancier who puts straw in during the winter to keep the loft a few degrees warmer.