Fred, do chickens eat snow?

[gardengirl72]

Hey Fred, do chickens eat snow in the winter. My rabbits seem to? What do you do about water on your farm?

I have been using heated water bases, but they are getting harder and harder to get to work properly.

Thoughts on water Fred or anyone else who keeps birds in cold climates?

[Fred's Fine Fowl]

When I walk into a coop, with snow on my jeans and boots, I am rushed by many chickens who seem to relish eating the snow!

They love it! And, even on a cold day, if I leave a hen door open, they eat the snow around the door and work their way down the plank/gangway...

Heater bases (the metal type made by Little Giant) are a good choice... they work best if used with the metal double walled drinkers. I have put plastic drinkers on them before, with some success, but when it really gets cold, the plastic ones were less effective.

Water heater bases should be kept inside a structure and out of direct winter drafts to work effectively.

Also, to prevent chickens from ever being without water, have at least two water sources. Chickens, like people, handle cold better when well hydrated.

You can get away with no heated base, if you are willing to tote water out to them three times a day. I do this with my Emus and it's honestly a chore. The Emus pulled the plug... kicked over the drinker and kept kicking the heated water base until it was well out of their cottage and into the yard. So now, they have bucket drinkers strapped to their wall.

If for some reason, you find your chickens without water, due to freezing or simply an empty drinker, do NOT provide feed until the drinker is filled first. They need the water to soften the food in their crop, so water first. You don't want an impacted crop for lack of water.

There is also a new plastic all in one, heated water/drinker. I have heard some good things about that unit.

Here is the new (just out this year) built in heater base drinker:
http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/product/heated_poultry_waterer.html

I still use the metal ones, as I don't move on until something no longer works well, but if I were getting new drinkers, I'd give this model a long look and probably go to it.

So, yes, chickens love to eat snow (">