Middle Georgia Winter Preparation

[ShotgunDog]

This winter will be my first winter with my chickens in their coop/run. We live in middle Georgia, USA, so the winters tend to be mild. I'm not worried about the girls getting cold--the coop is not drafty. However, the outdoor temperatures can, and will, dip below freezing on many nights. I have a 20 gallon plastic barrel with horizontal nipples for their water. Should I be concerned about possible freezing temperatures? Has anybody had any experience (good or bad) with these nipples in below-freezing temperatures? Last winter we had a rare freeze (16 degrees F or so), which wreaked havoc on wells and other plumbing in the area. I don't have power to the coop/run, but I think I may be able to set up some sort of temporary heater arrangement with a battery if the temps dip down like that again this winter. Am I overthinking it? Any ideas or suggestions are greatly appreciated!

 

[tlcmurphy]

I’m in Atlanta and have 2 waterers. The plastic one WILL freeze, so I bring that one into the garage at night. The 5 gal metal gravity waterer does not usually freeze solid (except during last year’s incident you mention), I thaw the water in the drinking pan in that one with warm water from a watering can when it freezes. This is our 3rd winter, it’s worked so far

 

[tlcmurphy]

I also don’t heat the coop, not even last year. With my luck I’d burn the house down. Chickens do much better in cold than they do in heat.

 

[HorseGirlAbby]

As already stated, the plastic waterer is not the best idea in the winter, as it might freeze and crack. A rubber bowl or metal waterer would work much better. Depending on how many hens you have, a heated dog water bowl might work, but they don’t hold much water. You can buy water warmers, either ones you put into the water or ones you set the waterer on. I have one of the second kind, and it’s lasted six years so far. You can’t use those with nipple waterer though. And don’t worry about heating the coop. My chickens have survived 2°F with no supplemental heat. Your winter should be no problem for them.

 

[aart]

Last winter we had a rare freeze (16 degrees F or so),

Did you have the same water set up then?
Is the barrel inside or outside the coop?

Horizontal nipples are much less likely to freeze up inside a barrel of water.
The outside of nipples may freeze up if drops of water stay in the lip.
But mine are heated as we get lots of freezing temps.

Do you have an extension cord that will reach coop?
A hair dryer would make quick work of thawing the nipples during in frequent freezes.

 

[Ocho 8 Farm]

This winter will be my first winter with my chickens in their coop/run. We live in middle Georgia, USA, so the winters tend to be mild. I'm not worried about the girls getting cold--the coop is not drafty. However, the outdoor temperatures can, and will, dip below freezing on many nights. I have a 20 gallon plastic barrel with horizontal nipples for their water. Should I be concerned about possible freezing temperatures? Has anybody had any experience (good or bad) with these nipples in below-freezing temperatures? Last winter we had a rare freeze (16 degrees F or so), which wreaked havoc on wells and other plumbing in the area. I don't have power to the coop/run, but I think I may be able to set up some sort of temporary heater arrangement with a battery if the temps dip down like that again this winter. Am I overthinking it? Any ideas or suggestions are greatly appreciated!

I’m also in middle GA and what I do is fill up a gallon or two of hot tap water and go out in the morning and just pour it over the drinking area. We only had one incident (well 3 days in a row last Christmas ) where the entire waterer froze.
The girls loved the hot water ! It was their little warm up . I now do it for them in the mornings after a cold night. It’s like having a morning cup of coffee for them.

 

[ShotgunDog]

Thank you all for the replies! @aart, the waterer is in the covered run, not in the coop. But it is protected both by a roof and from the worst winds via a back wall. I did have two 5 gallon water buckets in the run as well, but managed to crack both of them just above the nipple fountains when I picked them up (via the handle) when they were half-filled with water still. Lesson learned. I am planning on putting in another 20 gallon waterer for redundancy. I may be able to run a very long extension cord and put a pond warmer in the barrel. The hair dryer and 'coffee' water are also great ideas. Unfortunately I commute back and forth between my farm (middle GA) and my home (metro Atlanta), just under a 2-hour drive. I try not to leave my 'girls' for more than 3 nights and I am fortunate to have a neighbor near by that can check on them. Other than the water freezing concern, our setup has proven to be very self sustainable though and super predator proof (had a fox a few weeks ago on my security cameras around the house, but I think he finally gave up). If I can solve the water freezing concern, it will be perfect. Thanks again so much for all the replies!

 

[aart]

I did have two 5 gallon water buckets in the run as well, but managed to crack both of them just above the nipple fountains when I picked them up (via the handle) when they were half-filled with water still.

5 gal buckets can crack when the nipples are threaded in too far due to the significant angle on the threads. I've only used thin walled vessels, threaded very carefully.

 

[ShotgunDog]

Yes, you are correct. We didn't thread them too tightly. But the buckets were thin and when I picked them up with the heavy water load, they flexed and cracked. They worked fine for months before that. But I like the 20 gallon barrels better anyway. They are much thicker walled, less susceptible to cracking.

 

[aart]

But the buckets were thin

A standard 5 gal bucket?

Even with this thin walled vessel, it didn't crack when frozen solid:

Here's one with about 1/4" of ice formed on the inside: