Do you provide water for the winter wildlife?

[MaryMary]

I add a tot of vodka to the birds' water. ...(snip)... I don't want to think of four cats with a vodka buzz on . . . .

Is this in a standard size birdbath? A tot is 2.5 ounces of liquor?

4 cats + vodka?!?! No. I refuse to contemplate it. (The horror!!)

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.

Is this in a standard size birdbath? That aluminum donut and @Esther Knapicius' foil disc both look like good options. We have several farm stores near here, I think I will go see what options are close to home.

How cold does it get where you are? I've wondered this before, reading your posts and trying to see if they would fit my climate... Can I bother you to update your profile?

remember if the water is too hot, steaming you said, bacteria can grow in it ,

I'm pretty sure it's only steaming because it is 67 in the bowl, and 9 in the air. The water still felt a bit chilly to my finger. I'm not going out there all day to turn the burner on, I just hit the button when they get fresh (chlorinated) water from the tap. I'd hate for one of them to be out adventuring and come home to find the water frozen. It just extends their window of opportunity for a few hours.

Esther, if I am reading you right, that disc is not immersible? Would you take a picture of the set-up for me?

No hurry, I'd just like to see it. Anytime before the middle of March is good...

 

[marlingardener]

MaryMary, I too refuse to contemplate our four cats having access to liquor!
Our birdbath holds just under a gallon of water, and I add about a tablespoon of vodka to a full container. It's just enough to keep the water from freezing, and me from freezing, constantly going out to change the water.

 

[Esther Knapicius]

@MaryMary . Ok pix there. I have on the bottom, the green ring is just an old bottom of a planter, and the orange is a hard pot bottom. the silver is the flat heat thing. a simple pan. it gets very cold here, like has been zero. today its 4 degrees. Yes, I have to change the water, rain came in yesterday, drops tree stuff in the bowl. and you can see the little short wire coming out of it, its pretty thick, like the width of your pinky. I have an outside outlet over there, and use an outdoor extension cord. also hooked in is the little outdoor cat house right there with a heating pad inside for her.

when I touch the water its cool to the touch. the label on it says Bird Bath De Icer. while in this case I don't immerse it, I have in the past, but found that this method is better for all of us.

So below is what your looking for. copy paste that bold and it will find it .

Farm Innovators Model B-9 Economical Birdbath De-Icer, 44-Watt

 

[Esther Knapicius]

@MaryMary , I added extra above, maybe in the middle of your checking it.

 

[MaryMary]

Interesting... I'm looking at Tractor Supply Store's website, and they have the donut DirtMechanic showed for $34.99. The interesting part is this:

Available:
In Stores ... Free In Store Pickup

"Free in store pickup" ?? Is that what they call "shopping" now?

Lowe's doesn't have anything like DirtMechanic's or Esther's, and neither does Family Farm and Fleet.



Esther?? Didn't you have a link to an Amazon site? Am I crazy? Did you edit it out? I know I saw it, I clicked it. I mean, I can find it again with the info provided, but wasn't it there??

 

[MaryMary]

Found it!! Yay!!

"Control, Shift, T" is my friend.

 

[Esther Knapicius]

Esther?? Didn't you have a link to an Amazon site? Am I crazy? Did you edit it out? I know I saw it, I clicked it. I mean, I can find it again with the info provided, but wasn't it there?

no you were not crazy. yes I edited out. it kept appearing in "MY Amazon" showing my cart etc. I think it was live and anyone could have continued to order on my account. at least it looked that way. so yes go to Amazon to find it. it shows I bought it in 2013.

 

[Esther Knapicius]

I just typed this in the search section of Amazon and it came right up.------"bird bath deicer" in fact that is the copy paste of it .

 

[Esther Knapicius]

saw your "found it " later than above statements. @MaryMary

 

[Bootsy]

I'm pretty sure it's only steaming because it is 67 in the bowl, and 9 in the air. The water still felt a bit chilly to my finger.

Hi Mary,

67 is a little bit too warm from a bacteria point of view. I'm not a scientist but did some training in food hygiene and catering and they used to emphasise that to help avoid bacterial growth the temperature needed to be below 60.

 

[MaryMary]

I went back outside at 2 pm to conduct my second temperature experiment, and there was a film of ice already on the bowl. I broke the ice, turned the warmer back on (since I was there,) but decided not to take temperature readings. If it only raised it from 65 to 67 before, it probably wouldn't get too hot from almost frozen!

it kept appearing in "MY Amazon" showing my cart etc. I think it was live and anyone could have continued to order on my account.

Darn it!! I missed that! You could have got me a late Christmas present!!

I understand your edit completely!! I was a bit startled when I clicked the link, because it popped up showing "Ship to: The name of the village I live in," and that bothered me, because I've never even ordered from Amazon!!

I put it in my cart yesterday, then decided to comparison shop. So I went to other sites and wound up live-chatting with an employee from Lowe's, then got distracted, and I never did order it. I just now went to Amazon, and as soon as the page loaded, it said there was an item in my cart!!

I understand that their computer recognizes my computer's ISP number, but I wish they didn't tell me!

67 is a little bit too warm from a bacteria point of view.

I worked as a server in restaurants for years, so I hear you. But I believe that cats (or wild birds, for that matter,) have a hardier constitution than we pampered humans!! A little too warm chlorinated water has got to be better for them than that salt-filled nasty road water, don't you think?

 

[Esther Knapicius]

@MaryMary , I keep a running cart at all time on Amazon, its sort of my shopping list. When I read about something, and may possibly want , I find it on Amazon and put it in my cart. Usually its "foodie" stuff. Then when I have a few items , look it over again, delete sometimes, then order.

 

[Esther Knapicius]

http://www.disknet.com/indiana_biolab/b062.htm


37C=98F. or I would call that baby wrist temp.

 

[MoonShadows]

That's one way of doing it. Amazon has a wish lists feature where you can keep items, and when you are ready, simply add them to your cart and check out. (Account & Lists >> Your Lists). It makes it easy to keep track of things I may want to purchase, but "not right now". I find it very convenient.

 

[Esther Knapicius]

That's one way of doing it. Amazon has a wish lists feature where you can keep items, and when you are ready, simply add them to your cart and check out. (Account & Lists >> Your Lists). It makes it easy to keep track of things I may want to purchase, but "not right now". I find it very convenient.

yes, saw that wish list feature. I just stick it in the cart. seems to work for me.