...to give my chickens gin?

[duchesse]

Well, I figure it should work as well as anything as an anti-freeze in their water...

Even putting their water dispenser in the coop with them has made no difference to the water consistency (ie solid) every morning.

Will report back on any pished hens.

[whiteliesaregoodlies]

Ooooh I thought maybe you were going for flavoured eggs or something!

[duchesse]

Now there's a thought. Will report back on egg quality too. Very Heston, that would be- first take your hen and get her pissed as a fart on gin...

[queenofboak]

Pissed chickens is one of my 'sights to see'.

Please report back promptly.

[bramblebooks]

I just empty the water at night and refill in the morning - you could have the gin then

[sethstarkaddersmum]

I empty it out at night too.

[duchesse]

Emptying it out doesn't work- it's been below 0C through the day for over a week. We give them warm water in the morning, by noon the trough part is frozen over and by evening most of the inside as well.

[ilovehens]

Please don't give them alcohol because it's dangerous.

You'll just have to keep giving them fresh water during the day. That's all I'm doing at the moment.

[duchesse]

ilove- that's what I wanted to know- how dangerous is 2 spoonsful in 20 litres for them? And what damage will it cause?

[ilovehens]

I don't think 2 spoonsful will stop 20 litres from freezing though. I've put vodka in the freezer before and it's come out full of ice and unable to pour out of the bottle.

[Hassledge]

I want to see a pissed chicken run. It's funny enough when they're sober.

[ilovehens]

50% alcohol might just stop it freezing completely, but alcohol is a poison and animals shouldn't be given spirits.

All you can do is put some heat under the water container.

[ilovehens]

ask this question on the Down the Lane forum and they'll be able to offer some suggestions.

[Monty27]

Duchesse - is this your version of eggnog. Very festive, it could catch on

[wineonafridaynight]

Just a suggestion but you can get microwaveable heat pads from places like Pets Corner and Pets At Home that are meant for small animals to sleep on. Maybe you could buy one of those and then pop that underneath the water?

Quite pricey thought - about £18 I think.

[ilovehens]

The Poultry Garden Forum is also very good.

[ilovehens]

some ideas

[faverolles]

For metal drinkers, you can put a peice of flagstone in the oven until it's heated through, then place the drinker on that (if the drinker covers the flag so they can't burn themselves) this keeps the water defrosted for longer. But don't try it with plastic drinkers, it might melt it!

[wineonafridaynight]

It's probably a ridiculous idea but in case it isn't, here's the link.

www.petsathome.com/shop/microwaveable-heat-pad-by-snugglesafe-14092

[duchesse]

Plastic drinker alas. Luckily the temperature's gone right back up again in the last few hours, so may be a problem of the past.

Did find one hen out past dark looking disoriented though. Gin?? Turns out she wanted a spot of bedtime snack. Greedy thing.