Pages collated by 
Jill Bowis of

started November 1999

Q- What do you do to keep their water from freezing in the winter?
A -Actually, nothing.  I have a two piece plastic feeder, which simplyscrews together.
First thing in the morning, I go and get it, frozen over (it never quite freezes totally solid), and bring it in.  The plastic is flexible enough that it doesn't break, and running it under hot water from the tap thaws it out enough to open.
Refill with hot water from the tap, and put back outside, along with the days food.  The water in the drinking ring cools off right away, and the bulk of the water stays warm for a while.
A - I use a commercial Water Warmer, Looks like an upside down Oil change pan. Electric,sits under a Stack Type Waterer and is kept inside the Coop.  No problem with fire and it is surrounded by Wood shavings. Does a  good job and has never caused a problem.  Cost was about $20- at feed store.

Do chickens need water at night?
I live in NH, and I'm trying to come up with a system to make sure my chickens have water in the morning. I"ve been putting their waterer in the chicken house with them when I close them up at night, but I'm wondering what to do when the weather gets colder
A- All I have done in past years is let the water freeze and sometime the next morning I would give them fresh water. After reading up on the subject I find I have been doing it all wrong. So....this year I will
leave one waterer in the chicken house for them to use while the light is still on. I will take a outside waterer in the house for the night.  When I go outside the next morning to let the hens out of the coop I
will take the waterer out to them and trade it for the one that became frozen during the night. This takes more effort than a water heater but is much cheaper.
A  - We have made  a heated 'base' by installing a bulb socket, cord coming out the side,  in the bottom of a 5-gallon plastic bucket, then setting a metal waterer (2 to 8 gallon sizes all work) on it - works really well until the temps get below 15F. (Use a 75-100 watt bulb, not a heat bulb in there...)
For those colder temps, we place a heat lamp above the whole deal.  Danger is, last winter had a bulb burn out shortly after I had filled a 5-gallon setup, froze solid overnight, and water expanded to the point that the welding gave way, producing a huge 'popsicle' 
A - Moving to a warm climate may be the most elegant solution.  Other than that, putting in buried plumbing and an automatic waterer with heater tape to keep the above-ground parts from freezing is probably best for inside the house.  Giving the hens access to a year-round ice-free brook is also good, if such a thing exists in New England.  If you have plenty of water but no electricity near the house, a continuously-running waterer will work.  This can be awfully expensive if you have metered water.
Insulating the ceiling of the henhouse and using deep litter (which gives off a lot of heat as it composts) will help keep the temperature in the house above freezing.  This is more important for the pipes than for the birds, but they lay better if they aren't exposed to continuous below-freezing temperatures.
A -  Automatic waterers are useful because when cold  weather is due you can fix the ballcock so it continues to trickle all the time - this way it won't freeze. Otherwise we have used milk churns of water carried out daily to the hens - and an extra supply of watereres in case you can't get the ones in the field open. 
 

Kemps Koops online poultry store - feeders