Do you provide water for the winter wildlife?

[MaryMary]

About a month ago, I was trying to figure out a way to keep the cats' water from freezing. Or at least to keep it from freezing quite so quickly. The fact that we had already made plans for this totally escaped my memory!!

Last summer, we had an old coffeemaker that just refused to brew. The burner still worked, but who knows what happened inside there; it wouldn't brew coffee. Pour in the water, turn it on...nothing. Empty glass pot heating up on the burner, but no coffee. We had to get a new one.

My boyfriend asked me, "Before I throw this away, can you think of any use for it?" (Oh, how he knows me!! .) I asked a couple questions about the wiring inside, and would it be possible to run electricity to it on the porch, and the next thing I knew... he got out the Sawzall (reciprocating saw,) and BAM!! We had a water warmer!!

I'm so glad he remembered it!! The burner only stays on for two hours, and I'm still figuring out how full to fill the bowl to keep it all thawed in what temperature... but it's definitely better than the nothing we had!

So now I'm curious. Does anyone keep water available for winter wildlife? If you have a birdbath, do you have a means of keeping it from freezing? During our last thaw, I saw a lot of birds splashing and drinking from the puddles in the road. That nasty, dirty, salt-filled water from the road...

I'd like some ideas to provide clean water in the back yard for them.

 

[Larisa]

@MaryMary A great invention!

Some people here buy a special thermo bowl. But need to make sure that the water is always there.

 

[Bootsy]

We have water bowls outside but just change the water if it freezes.

 

[marlingardener]

Probably not politically correct, but I add a tot of vodka to the birds' water. The water doesn't freeze, and the birds sing a lot! For our hens we have a heat band that goes around the water reservoir and keeps it above freezing. The cats get non-vodka water, changed when the water skims over with ice. I don't want to think of four cats with a vodka buzz on . . . .

 

[DirtMechanic]

We use an immersible water heater that looks like an aluminum donut. It has worked for more than a decade now. But its low energy maybe 150 watts and has no really hot parts.

https://www.fleetfarm.com/detail/fa...rcLzmpFYbgMMzNGMghn8T7v6Ahuy9_GkaAt6LEALw_wcB

 

[alp]

Probably not politically correct, but I add a tot of vodka to the birds' water. The water doesn't freeze, and the birds sing a lot! For our hens we have a heat band that goes around the water reservoir and keeps it above freezing. The cats get non-vodka water, changed when the water skims over with ice. I don't want to think of four cats with a vodka buzz on . . . .

You're not trying to breed alcoholic cats, I hope!!

and the birds sing a lot! Are they pi****!

 

[zigs]

I make sure there's a bowl for the birds when it freezes

 

[alp]

My neighbour has got a pond so I don't think water is a major problem here. It seldom freezes here. Their pump is always going ..

 

[Esther Knapicius]

About a month ago, I was trying to figure out a way to keep the cats' water from freezing. Or at least to keep it from freezing quite so quickly. The fact that we had already made plans for this totally escaped my memory!!

for years I have been using the thin heater disc that is used to keep bird baths water from freezing. I place it on top of the bottom (turned up) of a pottery bottom and plug it in , the water bowl is then placed on top. as it is made for out doors it is safe. been working for years that way. think I had to replace it once in 10 years.

 

[Esther Knapicius]

found it online. here it is -------http://www.thatpetplace.com/economical-bird-bath-de-icer?gclid=Cj0KCQiA-ebSBRC8ARIsAGuxJIq2nQ4tN9hr_RjkIGeR560WtsgXuE8Rs6P0y281tIm5qwjeTbi2hPQaAkJBEALw_wcB

@MaryMary

 

[LIcenter]

It's a nice thought, but I would think the water is going to be quite hot for the animals. Well, until it shuts off that is. Plus that burner is not made for outside use. I wouldn't want to walk out there barefooted after a rain or snow event. For you, and your cats own safety, please consider something proper for outside use.

 

[Silentrunning]

I have a large tub with a heater I purchased at Tractor Supply. We also keep several buckets around that we swap out the ice for water several times daily. These are for our chickens, ducks and turkeys. We have also been visited by several wild animals during the extreme cold. The small birds come to drink out of the small buckets too.

 

[Ian]

Probably not politically correct, but I add a tot of vodka to the birds' water. The water doesn't freeze, and the birds sing a lot! For our hens we have a heat band that goes around the water reservoir and keeps it above freezing. The cats get non-vodka water, changed when the water skims over with ice. I don't want to think of four cats with a vodka buzz on . . . .

Hahahahaha! It's not often I laugh out loud when reading the forums

 

[MaryMary]

I would think the water is going to be quite hot for the animals. Well, until it shuts off that is. Plus that burner is not made for outside use. I wouldn't want to walk out there barefooted after a rain or snow event. For you, and your cats own safety, please consider something proper for outside use.

Licenter, oh, believe me, I had the same concerns with the electrical part, but I asked many, many questions before I was assured it was safe. I turned it over and looked at everything to make sure it was fully enclosed before I decided to use it. (There were a few overflowing incidents when we were using it as a coffeemaker, so I think they took precautions to protect the absentminded airheads in our society..)

Also, it's on a covered porch on the east side of a two-story house, and almost all precipitation here comes from the west. It pretty much has to rain sideways to get water up on the porch. Most of the time, I have a hard time just getting enough water to the flowers in that flower bed. I have to attach an extension to the downspout to get rain to that flower bed.

As far as the heat is concerned, I have been conducting an experiment since reading your post an hour ago. When I put the water out, it was 3 degrees outside, and the water measured 65 degrees. It's been an hour, it is now 9 degrees outside, and the temperature probe kept bouncing between 67.1 and 67.3. It's steaming slightly, so I stuck my finger in the bowl, in case there was a problem with the probe. It's warmer at the bottom of the bowl, so I stirred the water, just to see what happened. 67.9 degrees.

We have a projected high of 17 degrees today, I'll experiment again from 2pm to 4 pm.

 

[Esther Knapicius]

remember if the water is too hot, steaming you said, bacteria can grow in it , your cats will drink that stuff. the one I use keeps it just thawed even when really freezing. if it gets above 34 I take the pan off the heat.