That $40 heated waterer base turned my run into a mud pit

I dropped $40 on a heated base for the waterer thinking it would save me from chipping ice every morning this winter in Ohio. Didn't realize it would keep the ground warm enough to melt snow right around it, creating a soupy mess the girls tracked everywhere. Now the water is fine but the whole run smells like wet dirt and the chickens look like they've been rolling in chocolate pudding. Has anyone found a way to keep the water from freezing without turning the coop into a swamp?

3 comments

3 Comments

jake_martin1617d ago

And see, I think the mud is actually a good thing here. You're getting free ground moisture that helps keep the dust down, and I'd take a little mud over a frozen waterer any day of the week. My setup in northern Michigan has the same base and I actually pile a little extra straw around it to soak up the melt, then just rake it out every few days. That wet dirt smell is just the smell of a healthy run that's not drying out into a dust bowl come springtime. If your girls are tracking it everywhere, toss down some sand or pine shavings near the base to cut down on the mud without losing the heat.

butler.mark17d ago

Start raking out mud and straw every few days and pretty soon you've got yourself a nice little compost operation going on in the run. I bet the chickens appreciate the free turned earth for scratching around in. Just don't let my wife see me spending that much time near the chicken coop or she'll have me doing the same thing for the flower beds.

nathan_webb15d ago

Buddy of mine tried the sand trick in upstate New York and said it froze solid into a skating rink by December, took a sledgehammer to break it up. Stick with the pine shavings, way easier to manage when the temp drops.