Exactly Art and Bri!!! that is the scientific way to show that the trick here is BS when put into action. I already know that it doesn't work just from taking science in a "decent" public school system.
Thank you for the video and the tip. We only have 3 chickens so my water source isn't as big as yours, but the first night it got down to around 30 F I went out and the water was frozen in the drinking area. I have lots of hay in the coop and it is warmer than the outside temperature. I wanted a solution so that I wouldn't have to make sure I brought in their water every night and got it out there early in the morning. I will try this method. I don't really care to know the reason it works (or argue with the people that say it doesn't work), all I know is I saw what you did, the water didn't freeze and I am willing to give it a try. Thanks again!
A lot of people think this is some kind of chemical reaction. Not really. The salt water stays liquid and that makes the bottle more buoyant. The bottle bobs around and keeps the water moving enough that it cant form crystal structures and therefore freeze.
@@dominicferro8314there is movement though. As the water starts to freeze it shoves against the water bottle, therefore creating subtle movement from the water bottle that prevents the water around it from freezing.
@@slowpoke4557because it does move. Water heaves and expands as it freezes creating movement of the water bottle keeping the water in the cooler moving.
That's cool. I hope that really works because i have to walk about two hundred yards to get to my coop. I have six chickens and I'm new to all of this. Thanks very much.
Used this method for 2 years, I'm in Canada. Our coldest night it did not freeze just got slushy, the trough did ice up, easy fix. Glad this worked for you! Blessings!
Thank you so much! I've been really worried about our ladies lately. We have been trying to figure out a way to keep our water from freezing without electricity as it just isn't in our budget right now. Will give this a try today. Thanks!!!
I did this last night and temps were freezing again and this morning it is not frozen solid!! There is a little ice against the edges but the little side nipples still work fine. Update 11/15: this doesn't work when temps are in the low 20's and the bucket is lower on water. Make sure it's full.
Good morning and thanks for the tip. Going to give it a try. You said it was 9 degrees but what was the temp in the coop. Looks like you have it nicely insulated with the hay bales.
I use a small fish tank heater in mine. It's only 5 inches long. My chickens drink more water when the waters warmer. = More eggs. I also use the Salt in milk jugs in Sheep water troughs,
one question is we noticed your chickens where in a greenhouse with bales of hay which naturally give off heat when they break down. Did you have a thermometer inside the chicken enclosure? It is definitely worth a try to keep our ladies in unfrozen water off grid
And the reason it does is because salt water will freeze at a lower temp than water so it has absolutely no effect on preventing freezing of your waterer's.
I'm positive that the large amount of hay you have as insulation is playing a large part in keeping that water from freezing. You put that water container outside, and it would definitely freeze.
Another RUclipsr used a ball, bobbing around, to keep the crystals from forming and circulating the warmer lower water . Same idea used on ponds to avoid fish kills. He augmented this by surrounding the water dish with an insulated tire. It would be nice to know the temperature of the coop overnight.
I live here in Kansas where the temperatures will get down like -10 sometimes and for the northern states that's not as cold as it gets there but still it's cold here now I figure if you put three or four small bottles of salt water at the bottom of the bucket fill those little bottles totally then put a grave big 2 liter bottle of salt water halfway full with a cup or two of salt, that might work better when it gets colder than -10 like here just a thought I haven't tried it yet but I am going to try to see if it works good luck everybody cuz we know how we love our animals if it takes more of the smaller bottles of salt water at the bottom go for it
We tried that &, at first, it worked but eventually froze. Think about it. Even the Alaskan salty sea waters will freeze. The ships need icebreakers to get through. Some even get stuck in the frozen sea water! Having ducks in with the chickens works, too. They pretty much keep a hole going in the top layer of ice in the bowl. We bought a heated dog bowl for one source but also keep a large coffee pot on the wood stove &, when going out to the poultry run, pour just enough to make a hole in the ice in the poultry bowls then tap the surface ice to break it. Putting an old heating pad beneath the bowl will work, too. Do whatever works for you I say.
Does anyone have the science behind how this works? I am guessing here -> There is no chemical reaction because the salt doesn't leave the bottle. There is not enough thermal mass in the salt water to measurably slow the freezing process. Therefore, the salt serves simply to keep the water in the bottle from freezing and breaking the bottle. The most sensible explanation I have seen below is that the bottle will bob along the surface of the tank causing circulation of fresh water as chickens drink out of it and cause vibration. That alone could be enough to slow the freezing at the outer surfaces of the water tank until the entire volume of fresh water drops below 0 and freezes. I would not expect this method to be able to stop freezing with extremely cold temperatures for long periods of time but if the daytime highs are say 5 above and night time lows are 2 below, I could see this method working.
What's the science behind this? I know salt water is more conductive then reg h2o but I don't know of the thermal properties changes that might be effected. Thanks to any that add their knowledge.
what’s the science behind this? Here’s how it was explained to me. While the colder temps are trying to freeze the salt water (which has a lower freezing point) it is pulling energy through the fresh water and therefore slowing the freezing. This will not stop freezing. Tank heaters can’t even do that. But this does help in giving us less trips to the coop throughout the day. Do I typically leave the waterer out overnight? No. Especially not on nights that I know that actual temps will be below 0°. But, it is a help on those nights of hovering temps if I can’t make it out to grab it.
Why would salt water in a seperate container cause the water not to freeze? Salt in the actual water maybe but I wonder if it is just the bottled water moving around and the salt has nothing to do with it??? I just asked my husband and he said salt water has a lower freezing point so even though it is not touching the other water it might be enough to stop the rest of the water from freezing. I will try this!
I iwonder if it would work with the salt water sealed in double vacuum sealed bags...that would be awesome! Not sure I'd trust a PET bottle...I guess I could put some food coloring in it so I'd know if it cracked or leaked...
Thanks for the info! Just woke up to see my chicken's water was frozen. I felt like such a bad chicken mama. It's my first year with chickens so this was very helpful. I hope this works. I'll post an update in a few days. ;)
Hey if your Roosters are noisy then you should make a no crow collar for your Roosters, You just put 2 one inch strips of Velcro around the Roosters neck and he will stop crowing, and it don't hurt them and they can still eat and drink just fine, I just put one on my Rooster and he hasn't crowed in 2 days, It's been great because I was going to have to get rid of him and now I can keep him. It really works.
just tried this, all that happened was all the water got forced out and overflowed all in their bedding! its 14F out. Seems like it overtook the vacuum created in the waterer. Wont hold water with the bottle in it.
I used table salt, my waterer is only 5qts for my 3 laying hens and it's still be freezing up. Is i because it's not rock salt? If anyone can answer that, please do. It dropped to 11 here with a wind chill of about 4. Right now it's sleeting. I'd hoped to be able to give them enough water and food for a few days or so if I can't get out the door. Maybe I should just bring my girls inside the house. lol
The freezing point of brine is far lower than water's. The bottle of salt water absorbs heat during the day (keeping the water colder than it would be without the salt water bottle, but above freezing) and then releases it at night to the water around it.
Sorry, guys, it isnt chemistry, it is physics. The salt keeps the bottle water liquid and buoyant. The bottle bobs around and the movement of the water keeps it from freezing.
This does not work. I can take a picture of a bottle of saltwater frozen in a waterer. Either this video is rigged, or you have a beat source in your chicken house.
Wow. Would love to see two waterers side by side. One with saltwater bottle and one without. Neat idea.
ART and BRI Thank you. I will have to see if I can get another waterer. That is a great idea.
Exactly Art and Bri!!! that is the scientific way to show that the trick here is BS when put into action. I already know that it doesn't work just from taking science in a "decent" public school system.
@@ponderdat how do you “know” that? Pls explain? Why do you know this will not work for sure?
LOL, both froze solid for me.
Thank you for the video and the tip. We only have 3 chickens so my water source isn't as big as yours, but the first night it got down to around 30 F I went out and the water was frozen in the drinking area. I have lots of hay in the coop and it is warmer than the outside temperature. I wanted a solution so that I wouldn't have to make sure I brought in their water every night and got it out there early in the morning. I will try this method. I don't really care to know the reason it works (or argue with the people that say it doesn't work), all I know is I saw what you did, the water didn't freeze and I am willing to give it a try. Thanks again!
What a simple and helpful hack! Thanks for sharing!
I am glad you found it helpful! See you soon!
Except it does not work.
A lot of people think this is some kind of chemical reaction. Not really. The salt water stays liquid and that makes the bottle more buoyant. The bottle bobs around and keeps the water moving enough that it cant form crystal structures and therefore freeze.
Thank you for explaining! That's actually pretty obvious now that I read it, but I was really wondering how this could possibly work.
Also incorrect. This affect happens even when inside a cooler where there is no movement.
@dominicferro8314 so what is the actual reason it works?
@@dominicferro8314there is movement though. As the water starts to freeze it shoves against the water bottle, therefore creating subtle movement from the water bottle that prevents the water around it from freezing.
@@slowpoke4557because it does move. Water heaves and expands as it freezes creating movement of the water bottle keeping the water in the cooler moving.
That's cool. I hope that really works because i have to walk about two hundred yards to get to my coop. I have six chickens and I'm new to all of this. Thanks very much.
Tried it last night. 25 degrees outside and water froze solid. Does not work.
THANKS! From a first time chicken raiser! God Bless 🇺🇸
Used this method for 2 years, I'm in Canada. Our coldest night it did not freeze just got slushy, the trough did ice up, easy fix. Glad this worked for you! Blessings!
I am so glad it worked for you too! It is funny some of the mixed reviews!
Tina G where bouts in canada, it gets down to -30 c here in bc wondering if it will work
Hey Hi, Mugsey, visited Fort St John, years ago. I live in Southern Ontario, Best Wishes
I get sympathy shivers whenever I see snow. Great tip. Genius use of hay, straw, corn, woodchips and pigerators..move and plant.
Thanks! Snow! Lol
I'll be doing this in the next few months. Great tip
Thank you so much! I've been really worried about our ladies lately. We have been trying to figure out a way to keep our water from freezing without electricity as it just isn't in our budget right now. Will give this a try today. Thanks!!!
I just tried it in our coop this evening. It's frozen the last 2 nights. I'll give an update tomorrow.
I did this last night and temps were freezing again and this morning it is not frozen solid!! There is a little ice against the edges but the little side nipples still work fine. Update 11/15: this doesn't work when temps are in the low 20's and the bucket is lower on water. Make sure it's full.
Exactly what type of solution i was looking for!! Thanks a lot
That's awesome!! Thanks so much for the link back and I am sooo glad it is working out for you! Awesome video!
Thank you for writing the original POST! I love the IDEA! Thank you!
9 degrees outside but what is it in that coop? Betting it's considerably warmer given all that stacked straw plus the heat the birds put off.
Al, I'm curious if this is still working for you? do you still use this ? I tried it and it didn't work. Maybe you could do an update?
Good morning and thanks for the tip. Going to give it a try. You said it was 9 degrees but what was the temp in the coop. Looks like you have it nicely insulated with the hay bales.
It was only a few degrees warmer! The hay bales are only three layers high. It really helps to keep the wind out!
I use a small fish tank heater in mine. It's only 5 inches long. My chickens drink more water when the waters warmer. = More eggs.
I also use the Salt in milk jugs in Sheep water troughs,
one question is we noticed your chickens where in a greenhouse with bales of hay which naturally give off heat when they break down. Did you have a thermometer inside the chicken enclosure? It is definitely worth a try to keep our ladies in unfrozen water off grid
I'm wondering what is the actual temperature inside your chicken coop not the temperature outside ?
What is the temperature inside the chicken run?
I just love your channel. You're such a nice family.
Do you switch out the salt/water bottle? How often? Thank you!
Holy warp stabilizer! lol Thanks for the tip.
What was the temp inside your coop? We have tried this numerous times. It freezes solid each time.
And the reason it does is because salt water will freeze at a lower temp than water so it has absolutely no effect on preventing freezing of your waterer's.
I'm gonna try this hope it works for me because I hate running heaters or heat lamps either one. Thank you
One of the best hacks EVER!
Question, how cold is it inside where the chickens are?
Nice great tip..It was three this morning..Gosh wish I new that years back..We used a bird bath heater..
MAINEiac Grammie's Homestead I bet it will help save a bit of money 💰 too!
+Lumnah Acres 👍
Awesome... just what I needed to know! Subscribed!
15 is kind of a balmy, winter day, hear in MN. 😉 Wondering how it would work when it gets down to -50.
I'm positive that the large amount of hay you have as insulation is playing a large part in keeping that water from freezing. You put that water container outside, and it would definitely freeze.
Before I started using this my water was freezing inside the COOP!
NOPE I KEEP A MILK JUG IN THE HORSE TANK AND IT KEEPS THE WATER OPEN FOR THEM TO DRINK
You’re positive? Lol fresh waters freezing point is 32°F... 9 degrees is definitely cold enough to freeze fresh water but it didn’t. Lol
Thanks Bud
Thanks Friend!!
It’s a wonderful !! That’s so useful !!!
Thank you for this!!!!
This looks like a great idea. Thanks.
It’s not the salt in the water it’s all the insulation in the coop like hay and the greenhouse like structure but healthy looking chickens love it❤
Hello thank you~ gonna try! Also is that straw or bales of hay for warmth?
Can this be increased to work on rain collecting barrels?
Thx for sharing.
YW I thought it was a great idea and wanted to share it with others
I wondered if that would work. tfs!
So far so GOOD! I am sure it can't hold off old man winter when it get sub zero but I will take it when it can! LOL
Thnx
Another RUclipsr used a ball, bobbing around, to keep the crystals from forming and circulating the warmer lower water . Same idea used on ponds to avoid fish kills. He augmented this by surrounding the water dish with an insulated tire. It would be nice to know the temperature of the coop overnight.
The ball wouldn't Bob if the water wasn't moving tho. Like when they go to sleep
Saw one use a tire and pail with a ball
Cool thank you. I love the birds you have.lol. so cute.
your hack was alsome and it work im happy
thanks
I live here in Kansas where the temperatures will get down like -10 sometimes and for the northern states that's not as cold as it gets there but still it's cold here now I figure if you put three or four small bottles of salt water at the bottom of the bucket fill those little bottles totally then put a grave big 2 liter bottle of salt water halfway full with a cup or two of salt, that might work better when it gets colder than -10 like here just a thought I haven't tried it yet but I am going to try to see if it works good luck everybody cuz we know how we love our animals if it takes more of the smaller bottles of salt water at the bottom go for it
Do adding hay bales attract more field mice?
I'm surprised that works, but hey I'll give it a try. Thanks for video idea.
very great idea..i am gonna try this..thank you!
Brilliant!
Thanks!
We tried that &, at first, it worked but eventually froze. Think about it. Even the Alaskan salty sea waters will freeze. The ships need icebreakers to get through. Some even get stuck in the frozen sea water!
Having ducks in with the chickens works, too. They pretty much keep a hole going in the top layer of ice in the bowl.
We bought a heated dog bowl for one source but also keep a large coffee pot on the wood stove &, when going out to the poultry run, pour just enough to make a hole in the ice in the poultry bowls then tap the surface ice to break it.
Putting an old heating pad beneath the bowl will work, too. Do whatever works for you I say.
And as soon as water gets on the heating pad it melts and catches the whole coop on fire.
Yo MAN YOU SAVED MY CHICKENS🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏THANK GOD!!!!!!!!
Nice.
THANKS!!!
Dan Rat YW
Cool! Thank you for sharing!!!
Does anyone have the science behind how this works? I am guessing here -> There is no chemical reaction because the salt doesn't leave the bottle. There is not enough thermal mass in the salt water to measurably slow the freezing process. Therefore, the salt serves simply to keep the water in the bottle from freezing and breaking the bottle. The most sensible explanation I have seen below is that the bottle will bob along the surface of the tank causing circulation of fresh water as chickens drink out of it and cause vibration. That alone could be enough to slow the freezing at the outer surfaces of the water tank until the entire volume of fresh water drops below 0 and freezes. I would not expect this method to be able to stop freezing with extremely cold temperatures for long periods of time but if the daytime highs are say 5 above and night time lows are 2 below, I could see this method working.
Thank you for this video. Do you think it would work equally well with a galvanized waterer?
Awesome natural solution!
Thank you. I will be trying this!! I work nights and I'm not enjoying my precious sleep time being taken up by water replenishment 😅😂
I tried this, it helped some, thin layer of ice in a bucket with glass top, water cups still froze,
New subscriber here and I rang your bell. Thanks for your video. I will be trying this. Rhonda
Found..it..Thanks.for sharing..
Thank you AL for sharing your video homestead chicken farmer garden 👋 bye 👋 bye 👋👨👩👧👸👕👓🐩 🐔🐓🐥🐈🐕🐖🐐🌱🏡🎥👍👍👍
Does the one bottle work all winter?
that house is beautiful! Tell me you didn't do the wood walls yourself!
Thank you! If I told you that I would be lying! LOL, We built the house ourselves in starting in May of 2015.
Its -35°C here. Saskatchewan, Canada. Will this work here?
I use 2 soda bottles of salt water and it worked to certain point about 15 degrees
What kinda salt ?
What's the science behind this? I know salt water is more conductive then reg h2o but I don't know of the thermal properties changes that might be effected. Thanks to any that add their knowledge.
Do you have to change out the bottle with the salt water?
no we didn't have too
How much salt do you need to add salt to the bottle every day.
HI I am trying to work on a science project that is actually ment to be fuctionall could I get your opinion on something?
is your water heaterelectrity?
That worked for my quail water except the water in the bottom part freezes.
It's been six years, are you still using the salt water bottle method?
👍👍👍
what’s the science behind this? Here’s how it was explained to me. While the colder temps are trying to freeze the salt water (which has a lower freezing point) it is pulling energy through the fresh water and therefore slowing the freezing.
This will not stop freezing. Tank heaters can’t even do that. But this does help in giving us less trips to the coop throughout the day.
Do I typically leave the waterer out overnight? No. Especially not on nights that I know that actual temps will be below 0°. But, it is a help on those nights of hovering temps if I can’t make it out to grab it.
Why would salt water in a seperate container cause the water not to freeze? Salt in the actual water maybe but I wonder if it is just the bottled water moving around and the salt has nothing to do with it??? I just asked my husband and he said salt water has a lower freezing point so even though it is not touching the other water it might be enough to stop the rest of the water from freezing. I will try this!
what's the temp in the coop
This is for my neighbor who waited until the last second to figure something out for her flock, lol
Just shred with her. ✌️
I iwonder if it would work with the salt water sealed in double vacuum sealed bags...that would be awesome! Not sure I'd trust a PET bottle...I guess I could put some food coloring in it so I'd know if it cracked or leaked...
Thanks for the info! Just woke up to see my chicken's water was frozen. I felt like such a bad chicken mama. It's my first year with chickens so this was very helpful. I hope this works. I'll post an update in a few days. ;)
Did it work for you?
Did this work? Curious to hear your results!
Did it work?
Did it work?
Hey if your Roosters are noisy then you should make a no crow collar for your Roosters, You just put 2 one inch strips of Velcro around the Roosters neck and he will stop crowing, and it don't hurt them and they can still eat and drink just fine, I just put one on my Rooster and he hasn't crowed in 2 days, It's been great because I was going to have to get rid of him and now I can keep him. It really works.
I did this I hope it works I'll know by morning I guess
I did this and the water in the container does not freeze but the dish area has been frozen solid......
just tried this, all that happened was all the water got forced out and overflowed all in their bedding! its 14F out. Seems like it overtook the vacuum created in the waterer. Wont hold water with the bottle in it.
2 or 3 in the morning" yep "sounds" about right for a rooster.
Bottle is getting trapped in ice. Salt solution is not freezing but all water around it does
I tried this but it isn't working for me
I tried this in a tub of water. It froze all around the bottle. Temps were in the high teens.
My rooster never shuts up either and the more you go near the hens the more he crows. Lol
These 2 guys are always crowing! I think it helps with predators too! So I can deal! LOL
Why does this work????
👍 👍
I used table salt, my waterer is only 5qts for my 3 laying hens and it's still be freezing up. Is i because it's not rock salt? If anyone can answer that, please do. It dropped to 11 here with a wind chill of about 4. Right now it's sleeting. I'd hoped to be able to give them enough water and food for a few days or so if I can't get out the door. Maybe I should just bring my girls inside the house. lol
You're in a greenhouse with walls of hay lol
Probably 35 degrees inside easy.
Why does that work??
Monte Turner it has to do with that salt water 💦 freezes at a lower freeze point and it tricks the fresh water! LOL
The freezing point of brine is far lower than water's. The bottle of salt water absorbs heat during the day (keeping the water colder than it would be without the salt water bottle, but above freezing) and then releases it at night to the water around it.
Thanks for SHARING that!
Sorry, guys, it isnt chemistry, it is physics. The salt keeps the bottle water liquid and buoyant. The bottle bobs around and the movement of the water keeps it from freezing.
I would think that salt made it freeze faster... have you have made a slushy in a bag, you put ice and salt to make the juice freeze faster
😍💕
Tried it ......did not work...
This does not work. I can take a picture of a bottle of saltwater frozen in a waterer. Either this video is rigged, or you have a beat source in your chicken house.