Preventing birdbath freezing in winter–need ideas?
March 2, 2010 by
Filed under Solar Bird Baths
Have birdbath; want water in it for the winter. Live in MD; expect freezing weather at some point. DON’T TRUST electricity and water together much, esp. outside—it’s a silly quirk. Anybody ever use a solar or battery operated heater and can give feedback?
Suggestions on how to keep my wild birds (and squirrels) happy? The bath is fairly near the front door, and won’t mind doing some fresh water regularly (or even adding some hot water), but am looking for fairly easy and not TOO costly ideas. Thanks!
Personally, I would get another one, and rotate the two. Leave one outside until it freezes then bring it in to thaw, and take the other out. As long as they have access twice a day for an hour or two they will be fine. Or else they will do whatever it was their ancestors did 2-300 yrs. ago before we were here to ruin their perfect habitat!!! Their instinct for survival is thousands of years old, and besides what looney-bird takes a bath outside when it’s that cold??? Good luck, also running water doesn’t freeze–let the hose trickle into it—
I’m a southern California resident and have never experienced colder weather than 40 degrees Farenheit, so maybe I’m not the person to ask, but…
… don’t birds fly south for the winter? Don’t squirrels hibernate?
Really, I don’t know, maybe you should wait until the snow melts and all the animals come back?
Unless you can run your electrical cord through pvc out to the bird bath, using electricity could be dangerous to the squirrels who chew through everything…and I mean everything.
I’ve actually boiled hot water with different sized rocks in it to pour onto the iced birdbath in the morning. Since the rocks retain the heat longer than the water, it keeps the water from refreezing so quickly.
Heated birdbaths are can run over $100. Here’s a link that will give you some ideas.
http://www.google.com/search?q=heated+birdbaths&sourceid=ie7&rls=com.microsoft:en-US&ie=utf8&oe=utf8
Good luck
my mother keeps a birdbath and she’s found that the easiest way to do it is to dump it out every night and re-fill every morning
that way they have fresh and clean water daily and she doesn’t have to mess with the ice