All 3 chickens stopped laying today

[Space Chick]

Never seen it before It says no glycerine which is good as that's harmful, but there isn't a list of ingredients so I would be reluctant.

[Cazx]

I take mine in during the night along with the Grub.

 

I think it's a long time for the girls to go with no water though. They go to bed as soon as it is dark and they dont get up till 6a.m. Should there be water in the Eglu or can they go this long without a drink?

Dont think I could survive that long without a cuppa!!

[Cazx]

Ive written to them to find out what the ingredients are. Hopefully will get a response soon.

 

Only says to -4 though. Lets hope the winter isnt going to be as hard as they say it till be

[Dizzy-Deb]

One of the other suggestions was to add Wine to the water, suppose to work quite well... but have visions of tipsy chooks staggering around.

 

Be interesting to find out if this No ice is safe for chickens. xx

[jimnpaula]

This thread is from earlier this year and I wrote to a few of the suppliers for their opinions.

 

P

[sandyhas3chucks]

easy peasy lemon squeezy,

http://www.chicken-house.co.uk/acatalog/Electric_Drinker_Heater.html

apparently also a heated propogater works well, assuming there is power.

Other than that snugglesafes work really well by all accounts,

you could change to a hanging drinker(as this is easy to cover) cover it in bubble wrap, also have an upturned plastic something eg. cat litter tray and place a snugglesafe on top of this.and under the drinker.

place drinker in THE most covered and protected at the sides part of the run.

Overnight I don't really think other than an electric one that you stand much chance.(if you are going away)

If you are home then bringing them in overnight is the obvious.

I have found a dead drowned mouse in mine one morning, so rather take mine in anyway

[Luvachicken]

easy peasy lemon squeezy,

http://www.chicken-house.co.uk/acatalog/Electric_Drinker_Heater.html

 

We bought one of these last year, and a big metal drinker, and just got it out again on Friday. It works well and so far their water hasn't frozen during the day. Hubby even put it on a reomte control switch so I can control it from the kitchen.

[beach chick]

I'm getting a bit concerned about this, as we are away for 24 hours next w/e. I will shut the girls and bunnies into the WIR early before we go on sat afternoon, and neighbours will let them out on sun morning - but not sure what time, and we wont be back til mid-afternoon on sun.

 

our main drinker in the WIR is a plastic one (one of those you fill the bucket, screw the lid on and turn it upside down). the last few mornings it has been frozen solid, so I've gone out with a jug of very hot water and just poured it over the sides to defrost everything - works fine, plus I top up the earthenware bowl with warm water as well.

 

maybe a very hot water bottle underneath the drinker before we go would help? really reluctant to do the candle in the tin thing, sounds like a major fire hazard to me, and to be honest, dont want to buy snuggle safes at the mo.

[Bramble]

I have the same problem as beach chick - I'm away over night shortly. I'm also slightly concerned as I bought a small "mushroom drinker" and put that inside the eglu with the girls last night, as an experiment, the eglu door was closed, but the mushroom drinker was still frozen absolutely SOLID. The girls seem absolutely fine this morning, but I'm suprised it's cold enough in the eglu for the water to still freeze?

[ElvisFan]

Has anyone managed to solve the problem of frozen water yet ?????????

 

So far I have tried, balls in the water, olive oil in the water and then wrapped the entire drinker in bubble wrap and then tried all 3 together but so far no success

 

We are going away for a few days soon and I am really worried that the water will be frozen for 2 days and my babies won't get a drink.

 

I have today bought a washing up bowl that I am going to fill that up with bubble wrap and then sit the drinker in that to see if that works.

 

I am out all day so I have left them a small tub of water actually in the eglu but I can imagine that got tipped over 2 minutes after I left it this morning.

 

I have looked at the heatpads and they look like just the job but our run is over 10 metres from the house and there isn't any electricty up there, snuggles wouldn't last 2 days so I am totally stumped.

 

Has anybody got any other suggestions ? I'll try anything.............

thanks all

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Seems like the only option is to get someone to come in and do it for you . It would only be once or twice so someone surely wouldn't mind!

[Bramble]

Elvis fan, you are not alone!!! There's a "current" thread called "Frozen glugs" (I think), which says all the stuff we've tried - I haven't tried your washing-up-bowl-full-of-stuffing though, will def give that a go!

[Cazx]

Had an email back this morning from this company....

 

 

Thank you for your email.

 

Whilst the ChapelWood No Ice is made from an organic material and is safe for the chickens to drink, we cannot recommend that it be used as part of their feeding routine as the product will become part of the food chain and will need to be registered as an animal food.

[Bramble]

I raised this in another post last week and decided against using it. I emailed the makers and they replied much in the same way, that it's not necessarily unsafe for the chucks to drink, but it shouldn't be used 'cos of it entering the food chain. It's v tempting though - if anyone tries it, I'd be thrilled to know their results!

[sjp]

I've got my drinkers on flowerpots (the type bulbs are planted in) I put tealights in them so far it seems to work just have to make sure that there is an air flow I've got the pots sitting on 6mm glazing packs and a bit of mesh between the pot and drinker this is my 2nd winter with them

[lillybettybabs]

I have had a little brainwave.

Has anyone tried neoprene?

[sandyhas3chucks]

the temperature inside the Eglu is 2 degrees warmer than the out side temperature(by my testing last year.)

I hot water bottle will be cold in a REALLY short time and then freeze solid and crack, afraid apart from buying the electric ones or a snugglesafe, your girls will have NO water, even if your neighbour were to put a bowl of warm water in when they get let out (they would at least get a drink in the morning!) but it will be frozen in aI would think a very short while.

What are you doing on a daily basis?

Are you home all day and able to change it often?

Also you need to be aware that plastic ones will crack and split when frozen!!

[chickyhazel]

It is best to just break the ice evry morning as chickens don't like their water too hot, or too oily!!!

[Angie]

I just bring the water and feeders in overnight, stops everything freezing, i am fortunate to be at home these days so i go out and put fresh food and water out on a morning then check everything a couple of times through the day.

I am a first time chuckie mummy and our first winter too.......i can't believe how much i worry for them out there in the awful cold.

I have had them since they were eight weeks old and they are twenty three weeks now and i think they are too young to be out there............silly i know

[Snowy]

Sometimes I just break the surface ice, or add some warm water, but when it is really frozen like now, the only real answer is to either bring it in at night, or swap over in the morning. I have two superglugs so just exchange the frozen one with a fresh one each morning.

[Gelbel]

I threw some corn down to my very fed-up girls yesterday and some went in the lip of their water 'thingy' - not the glug I also use. I went out this morning to retrieve the frozen water 'thingy' and replace with fresh water in another 'thingy'. To my amazement the water in the lip, where the corn was, was not frozen. The water was frozen around the sides of the container as usual, but it meant the girls had some water for the couple of minutes they were up before me.

 

So I'll miss-throw more corn at the water 'thingy' this afternoon and report back tomorrow to confirm this wonderful finding.

[Bramble]

Wow, that sounds exciting, keep us posted on your further research - you could be on to something there!!!!

[kevf1]

i bought some cheap plastic xmas bubles from asda and put them in the water to float around and hopefully keep it all broken up.. but i bring the water in at night anyway and take it out in the morning so its always liquid when it goes out..

[Itlaw Girls]

I have a galvanised water thingy that is suspended and I pop a plastic bucket of boiling water underneath in the morning and rest the water thingy on top... It's been lasting all day and we are in NE Scotland with -6 or -7 degrees!

[Wolfie]

I have to admit, sitting in my tropical office today watching the blizzard of snow, I rang my 81 year old Mum to go and check that the water was still liquid in the hens' run. Mum lives next door now, so very convenient. I rang her mid morning and in the afternoon. The three water bowls were fine! She also collects the eggs, throws in some Garvo Alfalfa mix for them to "find" in the Aubiose and most importantly - has a conversation with them.

 

Although I am taking on board the ideas concerning whisky and M&S munchy cake bites ....