How do you keep chickens water cold?

[KayChickMom29]

I am looking for tips and advice on how to keep my chick's water cold. I've got 5 10-week old chicks, and I use a rain barrel water system with PVC pipe and water cups running into my chicken coop- it's a small TSC coop if that makes any difference. Right now, I've just been buying bags of ice to put into the barrel, but that lasts all of 5 minutes.

 

[nuthatched]

It doesn't need to be and actually shouldn't be cold.

 

[Debbie292d]

I presume this water gets pretty hot in the summer. Is there a way to insulate and/or shade your rain barrel somewhat so no sun is hitting it? That way at night when it cools down, it might stay at a lower temp for longer.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I don't try to keep their water cool or cold though that might help them cool off a little in the heat of summer. They don't sweat but cool themselves by breathing out warm moist air. Warm water does not concern me. I do try to keep it from getting hot. Hot could be a problem.

Dark absorbs heat, light reflects it. So anything exposed to the sun should be light in color or insulated. The chickens will peck and eat some types of insulation so be careful what you use or how you cover it up. In winter I use black bowls set in the sun for water. That helps keep it thawed when it drops below freezing. In summer I use white water bowls in the shade or in the coop to keep the water a little cooler.

Don't underestimate the value of shade. Shade can keep the rain barrel, your water lines, and the coop much cooler. You are in the northern hemisphere so your hottest directions with the sun are from the south or west. You might hang something on your run fencing to provide shade.

 

[KayChickMom29]

It doesn't need to be and actually shouldn't be cold.

Well it gets pretty warm in the hot days

 

[KayChickMom29]

I presume this water gets pretty hot in the summer. Is there a way to insulate and/or shade your rain barrel somewhat so no sun is hitting it? That way at night when it cools down, it might stay at a lower temp for longer.

I could figure out a way to insulate it maybe

 

[KayChickMom29]

I don't try to keep their water cool or cold though that might help them cool off a little in the heat of summer. They don't sweat but cool themselves by breathing out warm moist air. Warm water does not concern me. I do try to keep it from getting hot. Hot could be a problem.

Dark absorbs heat, light reflects it. So anything exposed to the sun should be light in color or insulated. The chickens will peck and eat some types of insulation so be careful what you use or how you cover it up. In winter I use black bowls set in the sun for water. That helps keep it thawed when it drops below freezing. In summer I use white water bowls in the shade or in the coop to keep the water a little cooler.

Don't underestimate the value of shade. Shade can keep the rain barrel, your water lines, and the coop much cooler. You are in the northern hemisphere so your hottest directions with the sun are from the south or west. You might hang something on your run fencing to provide shade.

When our temps get up to high 80s, the water has gotten hot and I had to put ice in it just to bring it down a few degrees. I could figure out a way to insulate the barrel and provide more shading. It sits on the outside of the run, since it's small right now (I do plan to enlarge it considerably).

 

[nuthatched]

Well it gets pretty warm in the hot days

How hot?

 

[KayChickMom29]

How hot?

We've been reaching high 80s lately. But here, we can easily hit mid-high 90s during summer

 

[nuthatched]

We've been reaching high 80s lately. But here, we can easily hit mid-high 90s during summer

Is that water that hot? Cool/cold water actually heats up a body.