Keeping bird bath unfrozen?

[wizzo]

Hey everyone! Does anybody have any good ideas/methods for keeping a bird bath free of ice - thanks Wizzo

[SusieBee]

Good question wizzo, been having the same problem? Apart from bringing it in every morning thawing & filling with fresh water, I don't know any other way around it.

[Picidae]

There's a few ideas on this thread Wizzo that might help you

Cold spells and Snow

[Cheryl]

I'm currently using something called "No-ice" which claims to be natural and 100% safe and effective at -4degrees - it's been OK but the last few days I've had to defrost the water bowls/baths each morning - has anyone else used this product? In the current cold snap I'm thinking I might up the dosage - just don't want to overdo it ......

[SusieBee]

I've not heard of the "No Ice" product so not sure about upping the dose? Does it have any info with product?

I'm having problems with the food bits too, frozen solid! Not that there's much left on tables by morning but scrape it & refresh it at the same time.

[Nickynockynoonoo]

Kerching!

Kerching goes the till when you buy these products. Have you costed how much it is per bird bath? Water needs frequent changes to prevent contamination.

I boil a kettle, pour it over 3 bird baths, return to kitchen and fill a container of tepid water. By then, I can lift the solid ice from the baths and fill with fresh water. Sometimes, the algae from the bath, lifts out with the ice. Result!

Cost - 10 mins of your time + boiling kettle

Hmm, hmm. I'm sure I'll be corrected if I'm wrong

[weirdwolf]

For the bird bath take an old compost bag,(or anything with that sort of thick plastic) and cut it twice the length you need to cover the bath. Fold it in half and then fill the bath. When it freezes solid during the night all you need to do is go out and lift up the top bit of plastic and all the ice will lift up and slide out.
If you have a pond you can use a cheap plastic container with a lid, cut a hole in the bottom and add something like polystyrene so it still floats, you may need to experiment to get it at the right depth in the water . Take the top and cut a round hole in it and put in a bit of plastic pipe. It will float in the pond, and keep a section ice free.

[Swindoom]

I bought a TetraPond WI24 Winter Island, from EBay for £20,

see it here:
Aquatics Online Pond Heaters, Ice Preventers & Cover Nets etc

I have been using it for the last week, even though at night the temperature has been down to -7 it still keeps the water unfrozen. It does have a problem of being a bit big, 42cm wide, it is really for a pond, so I had to buy a large planter to house it.

I also, as others have mentioned, go around my normal bird baths with a kettle to defrost them but that does not normally happen until 8am and I have to keep going out every now and then to check they have not refrozen. So the winter island is mainly for the early birds, the robins, blackbirds and the resident sparrows. I also took some RSPB advice and put some water in a metal tray, some bricks, then keep the water warm with long burn night light candles, that way I have always at least two sources of water available 24/7.

[Nickynockynoonoo]

I also took some RSPB advice and put some water in a metal tray, some bricks, then keep the water warm with long burn night light candles, that way I have always at least two sources of water available 24/7.

The world should have more kind people like you Swindoom.

I'm afraid my birds have to wait until I go out and do it. It does stop me from rolling over and having another doze though.

[Dave66]

I have a bothy in my back garden and have ran a hosepipe from the sink to the outside. I have set the tap so a small amount of water is constantly dripping from the end of the pipe which is held a couple of inches off the ground. In the morning the blackbirds que up for a drink, my hens also use it. The temperature is minus six at the moment and it hasn't froze up yet. I still have to use the kettle for the bird bath though.

Dave.