We've had some cold weather this week as well, down in the 20s. My chicken water froze inside the coop, so guess I'll need to give that some thought. I opted not to try to keep the hens laying all winter, but did put in a rope light so the coop would not be so dreary (it is set to go on/off with my natural light). That does not generate any heat to speak of, and the coop is not insulated. Last night I hung a 75 watt bulb over the water, shielding most of the light from the birds which worked to keep the water thawed but was still too bright for all-night. My next thought is to rig up a light inside a clay pot or cinder block that the waterer can sit on. Seems that would keep the water thawed and provide a bit of ambient heat, without being a blaring all-night light. I'm getting about 5-6 eggs/day from 10 layers so they have slowed down but still producing.
