How to Keep Chicken Water From Freezing in Winter (Even in Montana)

Winter is always coming. It’s always around the corner. Preparation for it never stops.

At least that’s what it feels like to me up here in Montana. Our little area is a snow hole and gets very cold in the winter months.

We bury our water lines 6 feet deep, below the frost line to ensure there are no frozen pipes.

And my chickens? They hunker down and are very glad for the unfrozen water I provide for them.

I’ve tried all the water gimmicks:

1. salt water in water bottles or milk jugs
2. floating tennis balls
3. almost entirely covering the tanks with black material
4. and so many others…

You can find a lot of articles here on A Life of Heritage that will teach you a lot about poultry and be sure to check out The Profitable Poultry Binder–It’s FULL of to-do lists, checklists, record keeping sheets, and resource pages that will keep your flock healthy and YOU organized!

But when a 100-gallon unfrozen water tank can freeze completely through for a 200-pound man to skate on overnight…there is nothing but electricity (or possibly a solar-powered setup–which I haven’t tried yet) that will keep water from freezing.

That’s just the cold hard facts.

So if you struggle with keeping water unfrozen because you live in a tundra, this will be your answer.

I know when I use this plug-in heater the water will still be completely unfrozen when I come back out in the morning.

And one of these heaters has lasted me for 3 winters now, so it’s a long-term solution as well.

So, if you don’t want to mess with frozen water or testing out water gimmicks that may or may not work, check this out:

Heated Chicken Waterer

 If you need to ease your mind this winter, this waterer will do just what you need. I (and my chickens) have done the work of figuring this mystery out for you!

Enjoy this winter! (As for me, I’ll be hunkered down waiting for spring…)