Chickens not drinking.....

[Mervin]

Quote:
I agree. The bigger one is going to be harder to keep thawed and once it freezes it will be much harder to thaw or bust the ice out of. I've gone from a 5 gallon bucket with nipples to a 5 quart Forex pan. I have to bust the ice out of it twice a day or more.

 

[HEChicken]

Another way you can add moisture to their diet is to make them a mash. I take some warm water in a bowl, and add some food to it. Doesn't matter if its pellets or crumbles. The food absorbs the water quickly (esp when the water is warm) so add a little at a time or you might end up with too dry a mash. The nice thing about doing this is you can add extra flavor by using the drained water from cans of vegies (if salt-free) and they love it. I usually let them start and end each day with a nice warm mash in the winter - I figure if they're outside on these cold, cold days, it must be nice to warm up with a warm meal from time to time.

 

[bills]

Katkan mentions that the light she has on 24/7, is in fact a heat lamp. The red light shouldn't be a problem as to their systems. My birds sleep just fine with it on.

 

[katkan16]

Thanks everyone for great suggestions!
I try to change out their water every day, I just keep an eye on approx. how long it takes them to go through the amount in the container.
I thought perhaps mites would effect their drinking? One starting losing feathers around her head/neck and when I dusted for mites they grew right back and now she looks all better but maybe the recovery would change her drinking habits?
I've been feeding them some yogurt every now and then to supplement moisture but I will definitely try to make a nice warm mash.
Maybe they'll prefer straight warm water too. Thankfully it's not cold enough to freeze here so no ice problems yet.
Does anyone have suggestions on helping to keep the coop clean in the winter? Now that it's getting colder they seem to make big poopy messes where they sleep under the heat lamp and in their laying boxes.
I'm not sure if there's any way to get them to stop pooping in the boxes, in the summer they never did, but I've just been changing the hay out a lot.