# Watering in winter



## dwolfwmn (Jun 16, 2012)

We have chickens in an insulated coop 8x12 with 8x8 for the chicks and 8x4 for storage and are thinking we want to add some meat rabbits.  I know all about how to keep chicken waterers from freezing.  But, I have not read anything about how to keep rabbit waterers from freezing.  Either I have not read enough, or I have missed it.  We live outside of Billings MT, which is probably  milder than the rest of the state, but we still have belowing freezing temps in the winter.  Any suggestion would be greatly appreciated.  I know it is June.....just planning and preparing now.      Thank-you!


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## elevan (Jun 16, 2012)

They make heated rabbit water bottles that you can buy.

There may be homemade methods as well.


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## terri9630 (Jun 17, 2012)

elevan said:
			
		

> They make heated rabbit water bottles that you can buy.
> 
> There may be homemade methods as well.


I have 2 bottles per cage and don't leave water out on freezing nights. I put one out in the morning and if they freeze during the day I switch them out.


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## sawfish99 (Jun 18, 2012)

We let it freeze.  In the winter, we use hard plastic bowls from the feed store that are easy to bang out the ice in 1 whack on the side of the cage.  Water gets refilled 2 times a day.  In teh past, we used heated waterers for 2 cages, but we are at a much loarger volume now and the heated waterers are not cost effective.


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## dwolfwmn (Jun 20, 2012)

Thank-you for the replies....my dad raised rabbits when we were kids, but I don't remember much about it.


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## yankee'n'moxie (Jul 4, 2012)

I don't know how many rabbits you have, so I don't know if it would be efficient or not, but I was reading an article on a self made, gravity fed, cheap automatic watering system, and there is a spigot ot the end so that you can leave it dripping to prevent freezing! If you are interested, I can try to find it.


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## bjjohns (Jul 4, 2012)

I cheat a little. I have 2 10'x10' lightweight chicken tractors that I use for the egg layers. In the winter I put these back-to-back over a 10'x20' "garden bed" that is made from latex painted 2x12's. I then cover this with the heavy duty semi-clear plastic sheeting (leaving the doors able to be opened). The rabbit cages go inside also. Over the course of the winter, rabbit manure, chicken manure, horse manure, food scraps, moldy hay - everything "compostable" - goes into the two tractors. Composting temps, sunshine, and animals tend to keep everything from freezing except on the coldest days. I live in central Ohio, so we don't get as cold as you for sure. Come spring when I swing the tractors off the bed, I have a great starter for a garden.


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## yankeehill (Aug 9, 2012)

I've been mulling this over...I wonder if you could wrap some of that pipe insulation, or some pool noodles (you know, like kids play with) around the waterers and maybe that would help prevent freezing?  Course, you'd have to be real sure the rabbit couldn't reach the insulation.


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## lexibot (Oct 27, 2012)

I have 2 bottles per cage, in the winter i keep one empty and switch the out for the frozen ones. The ones that frozen are brought inside the house by 2 buckets to defrost. Summer time they are both filled up.


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