I have two de-icers. One for my round regular birdbath out in my front yard for the larger birds and one for a small fountain out in my backyard for the tiny birds. The de-icers work great!! A must have for winter!! The birds will love you for it!!
happy to finally report that for Christmas, I got a water heater, properly rated outdoor cold temperature extension cord, AND a Twist & Seal cord plug waterproof cover for our resin bird bath. Our house doesn't have an outdoor outlet, but the shed in our backyard does. I added new batteries to my Water Wiggler and set everything up in our resin bird bath (aka a resin plant saucer - Grosfillex 18 in. Dia Terra Cotta Resin Planter Saucer from Home Depot). It's 29°F outside now on a sunny day and the warm water is wiggling, we're seeing more birds this winter, and I feel good knowing they have a clean, fresh water source here! Thanks for all your advice and motivation, Mark! 🙌🎉💦🏞🐦
If you can’t get electricity to your bird bath… 1) move the bird bath closer to your house. Your house radiates heat so it won’t freeze as quickly. Yes, you will need to keep a milk jug handy to pour fresh, unfrozen water into the bath if frozen solid. You don’t have to do this all day just during the birds’ main activity time. You’ll need to pour a hot water “hole” to get it started and cracked and you’ll need to take out chunks of ice to create room for the new water. It’s not that bad to have to do if it’s close to your house. You’ll need to have “trained” your birds to have gotten used to this set up before winter. Otherwise, leave it where they normally use it. (I find that they prefer water in a bath under a tree or Bush sans pedestal. It’s like having a puddle and they like it better than being out in the open to be hawk food.) Also, hang mirrors on the tree. Flocking birds couldn’t care less about a mirror but hawks (and pesky neighbors) seem to not like them so much. It’s great hawk (and pesky neighbor) deterrence. 2) Try to keep surface tension on the water. A floating plastic ball works great. Yes, it will freeze on very cold nights and you will have to pour hot water onto the ice. The idea is keeping it in a liquid state as long as possible after you pour your new water. You’ll need to get your birds used to the floaty ball. If they don’t like it, toss it. (Haha!) This tends to be a better “water bucket for animals in the barn” technique so experiment to see if your birds will tolerate it in their bath. 3) Consider pouring cold water or Luke warm water instead of boiling water after you use the boiling water to crack the ice. Birds don’t like hot water. I repeat-birds don’t like hot water. What is just a little warm to us is very hot to them. They won’t go near it if it’s steaming but if unfrozen and VERY cold to human fingers, this is when I’ve seen birds stand their feet in cold water like it’s their “hot feet soak.” Try it. It’s cute to watch. They just stand there like gulls. They really like cold, cold water for some reason. (At least, cold to human skin! Maybe it’s not cold to bird feet!) This seems to be a design flaw for bird bath heaters since it might be too “hot” for many wild birds. They aren’t macaques. They aren’t looking for a steam bath. They are designed for the cold otherwise they’d fly south. 4) Consider giving them fresh cut fruit placed out at their main feeding times. This will give them water since fruit is mainly water. Aim for high water content fruits. Grapes, oranges, melons work well. You’ll be surprised how many insect/worm eating birds enjoy fruit. 5) Give then canned cat food. It has water. It has protein. They love it. 6) Make them a mash. Oatmeal mash or cornmeal. Whatever you have. It has water. They’ll eat it. You can get creative and add other tasty stuff but keep it mushy for the water content. 7) Feed them live worms. Worm guts have liquid. Birds live in the cold weather without humans and do just fine so anything you do for them is a gift and a luxury.
Thank you, I am UK side & have been searching for a "safe, not overheated" solar warming mat for years. Sun is low in winter I realise but it could still be low wattage just to keep the ice off without being warm in any way? Maybe a solar fountain might work? There's sure a gap in the market!!
One of your customers was determined to get famous, Mark. lol You'll have to give her a free bag of sunflower seeds or something. Anyway, great advice on the shallow bird baths. For those that want to keep removing frozen blocks of ice and refilling the bath, I'd highly recommend an electric bird bath. They are so much better for you and the birds. It really makes providing water for the birds more enjoyable. It'll pay for itself the first FREEZE. Happy Birding!
Mark, is it safe to use a 16 gauge outdoor extension cord with these deicers? I live literally one block from a pretty large lake. Is the lake sufficient water for the birds in Winter so long as the lake does not freeze over? I want to provide water if they need it, but if they are going to be able to use the lake, I imagine that is the first place they would go.
@@user-lz6dm5lk9y 12 gauge is what is recommended. If the lake doesn’t freeze along the shore and shallow edges it is a good source for them. They typically freeze from the shore outwards.
@@MarksBackyardBirds I think I am going to try to provide clean fresh water for them regardless because I think it will draw even more birds to my garden as you pointed out, Mark. Which deicer do you recommend? You did not say in in the video. I just finished scrubbing out my concrete bird bath with bleach and water. It did a good job, however, there are black marks that did not come up. I can only presume that is bird doodle? I scrubbed with a brush. What can I use to get up the black marks? Thank you.
Not all de-icers are the same. Ours only works when temps are just below freezing. That's because is not that powerful. De-icers are rated by wattage and by how much water they will keep from freezing. Get a 500 watt de-icer if you want to keep the water from freezing when the temps really drop down.
If they have a thermostat, they generally are set to go on and off at 35 degrees. A good bird bath is shallow or has shallow areas for the birds to bathe in, even in winter. I only use a 500 watt de-icer in the bottom pool of my 4 tier fountain in winter and I turn the pump off until spring.
Where can I find your store with everyday inventory, I looked but only saw a few featured items listed. I’m in Delaware and looking for a good food source for my birds
Shop our online store: shopbackyardbirdcenter.com. We definitely do not have everything we sell at the store online but we feel it is a good representation of our best sellers. We ship bird seed bags that are 20lbs and less.
I’m in need of a heated bird bath that will work in the cold New Hampshire winters. A deck rail mount would be ideal but I could make a pedestal work if necessary. Any recommendations on a specific unit would be appreciated. I get zero Sun during the winter and non-heated water freezes in minutes
Most of our de-icers are guaranteed to -20 degrees. The bird bath can be mounted onto a deck railing or has legs for a deck table. shopbackyardbirdcenter.com/collections/bird-baths/products/songbird-spa
I got a “mat” for Christmas that goes into the water in a bird bath and keeps the water from freezing. There’s no question it works, because I can see a bit of steam coming up from the bath. But I’ve yet to see a bird approach it. Even the squirrels seem wary. I put the bath on a storage bin near our fence, as our yard is fairly narrow, and I’m wondering if the wildlife don’t like that they’re field of view is partially blocked? They don’t seem bothered by the location of the bath in the summer...
That is interesting. Birds can be very wary when anything changes and it may just take time. Chickadees are usually the bravest little birds that eventually give something new a try and other birds follow them. I’m curious about this “mat”. Is it electric?
Have you dipped your fingers in? Birds have a very different circulation in their feet to humans & even slightly "off cold" to us is far too hot for wildlife.
I have two de-icers. One for my round regular birdbath out in my front yard for the larger birds and one for a small fountain out in my backyard for the tiny birds. The de-icers work great!! A must have for winter!! The birds will love you for it!!
Me too 😂
Thank you sir🙏🐦 I appreciate all your thoughts and help you're Awesome 🎉🎉
Thank you. M glad you like the channel!
happy to finally report that for Christmas, I got a water heater, properly rated outdoor cold temperature extension cord, AND a Twist & Seal cord plug waterproof cover for our resin bird bath. Our house doesn't have an outdoor outlet, but the shed in our backyard does. I added new batteries to my Water Wiggler and set everything up in our resin bird bath (aka a resin plant saucer - Grosfillex
18 in. Dia Terra Cotta Resin Planter Saucer from Home Depot). It's 29°F outside now on a sunny day and the warm water is wiggling, we're seeing more birds this winter, and I feel good knowing they have a clean, fresh water source here! Thanks for all your advice and motivation, Mark! 🙌🎉💦🏞🐦
That is excellent. Your birds thank you! Glad to help.
Thank you, very informative.
Thank you for watching!
If you can’t get electricity to your bird bath…
1) move the bird bath closer to your house. Your house radiates heat so it won’t freeze as quickly. Yes, you will need to keep a milk jug handy to pour fresh, unfrozen water into the bath if frozen solid. You don’t have to do this all day just during the birds’ main activity time. You’ll need to pour a hot water “hole” to get it started and cracked and you’ll need to take out chunks of ice to create room for the new water. It’s not that bad to have to do if it’s close to your house. You’ll need to have “trained” your birds to have gotten used to this set up before winter. Otherwise, leave it where they normally use it. (I find that they prefer water in a bath under a tree or Bush sans pedestal. It’s like having a puddle and they like it better than being out in the open to be hawk food.) Also, hang mirrors on the tree. Flocking birds couldn’t care less about a mirror but hawks (and pesky neighbors) seem to not like them so much. It’s great hawk (and pesky neighbor) deterrence.
2) Try to keep surface tension on the water. A floating plastic ball works great. Yes, it will freeze on very cold nights and you will have to pour hot water onto the ice. The idea is keeping it in a liquid state as long as possible after you pour your new water. You’ll need to get your birds used to the floaty ball. If they don’t like it, toss it. (Haha!) This tends to be a better “water bucket for animals in the barn” technique so experiment to see if your birds will tolerate it in their bath.
3) Consider pouring cold water or Luke warm water instead of boiling water after you use the boiling water to crack the ice. Birds don’t like hot water. I repeat-birds don’t like hot water. What is just a little warm to us is very hot to them. They won’t go near it if it’s steaming but if unfrozen and VERY cold to human fingers, this is when I’ve seen birds stand their feet in cold water like it’s their “hot feet soak.” Try it. It’s cute to watch. They just stand there like gulls. They really like cold, cold water for some reason. (At least, cold to human skin! Maybe it’s not cold to bird feet!) This seems to be a design flaw for bird bath heaters since it might be too “hot” for many wild birds. They aren’t macaques. They aren’t looking for a steam bath. They are designed for the cold otherwise they’d fly south.
4) Consider giving them fresh cut fruit placed out at their main feeding times. This will give them water since fruit is mainly water. Aim for high water content fruits. Grapes, oranges, melons work well. You’ll be surprised how many insect/worm eating birds enjoy fruit.
5) Give then canned cat food. It has water. It has protein. They love it.
6) Make them a mash. Oatmeal mash or cornmeal. Whatever you have. It has water. They’ll eat it. You can get creative and add other tasty stuff but keep it mushy for the water content.
7) Feed them live worms. Worm guts have liquid.
Birds live in the cold weather without humans and do just fine so anything you do for them is a gift and a luxury.
Thanks for the suggestions.
Thank you, I am UK side & have been searching for a "safe, not overheated" solar warming mat for years. Sun is low in winter I realise but it could still be low wattage just to keep the ice off without being warm in any way? Maybe a solar fountain might work? There's sure a gap in the market!!
thanks for this video!
You are so welcome!
We have one heated birdbath and will add one more for this winter. We have three others that are not heated and use hot water to de-ice.
Thank you. I just go a heated bird bath and the birds are coming in flocks drinking and taking baths
It has been a really dry fall here. They are hitting mine hard as well. Great investment for your birds.
One of your customers was determined to get famous, Mark. lol You'll have to give her a free bag of sunflower seeds or something. Anyway, great advice on the shallow bird baths. For those that want to keep removing frozen blocks of ice and refilling the bath, I'd highly recommend an electric bird bath. They are so much better for you and the birds. It really makes providing water for the birds more enjoyable. It'll pay for itself the first FREEZE. Happy Birding!
Mark, is it safe to use a 16 gauge outdoor extension cord with these deicers?
I live literally one block from a pretty large lake. Is the lake sufficient water for the birds in Winter so long as the lake does not freeze over? I want to provide water if they need it, but if they are going to be able to use the lake, I imagine that is the first place they would go.
@@user-lz6dm5lk9y 12 gauge is what is recommended. If the lake doesn’t freeze along the shore and shallow edges it is a good source for them. They typically freeze from the shore outwards.
@@MarksBackyardBirds I think I am going to try to provide clean fresh water for them regardless because I think it will draw even more birds to my garden as you pointed out, Mark. Which deicer do you recommend? You did not say in in the video.
I just finished scrubbing out my concrete bird bath with bleach and water. It did a good job, however, there are black marks that did not come up. I can only presume that is bird doodle? I scrubbed with a brush. What can I use to get up the black marks?
Thank you.
What about pouring hot, or at least warm water, over the frozen water in the bird bath? That might loosen up the top layer of ice.
If you are dedicated enough, this can work for various periods of time (temperature dependent).
Not all de-icers are the same. Ours only works when temps are just below freezing. That's because is not that powerful. De-icers are rated by wattage and by how much water they will keep from freezing. Get a 500 watt de-icer if you want to keep the water from freezing when the temps really drop down.
If they have a thermostat, they generally are set to go on and off at 35 degrees. A good bird bath is shallow or has shallow areas for the birds to bathe in, even in winter. I only use a 500 watt de-icer in the bottom pool of my 4 tier fountain in winter and I turn the pump off until spring.
Would be nice to know where you live, so can judge for my own area. TY
All of that information is in the description below the video. I am in Kansas City, Missouri
Where can I find your store with everyday inventory, I looked but only saw a few featured items listed. I’m in Delaware and looking for a good food source for my birds
Shop our online store: shopbackyardbirdcenter.com. We definitely do not have everything we sell at the store online but we feel it is a good representation of our best sellers. We ship bird seed bags that are 20lbs and less.
I’m in need of a heated bird bath that will work in the cold New Hampshire winters. A deck rail mount would be ideal but I could make a pedestal work if necessary. Any recommendations on a specific unit would be appreciated. I get zero Sun during the winter and non-heated water freezes in minutes
Most of our de-icers are guaranteed to -20 degrees. The bird bath can be mounted onto a deck railing or has legs for a deck table. shopbackyardbirdcenter.com/collections/bird-baths/products/songbird-spa
I got a “mat” for Christmas that goes into the water in a bird bath and keeps the water from freezing. There’s no question it works, because I can see a bit of steam coming up from the bath. But I’ve yet to see a bird approach it. Even the squirrels seem wary. I put the bath on a storage bin near our fence, as our yard is fairly narrow, and I’m wondering if the wildlife don’t like that they’re field of view is partially blocked? They don’t seem bothered by the location of the bath in the summer...
That is interesting. Birds can be very wary when anything changes and it may just take time. Chickadees are usually the bravest little birds that eventually give something new a try and other birds follow them. I’m curious about this “mat”. Is it electric?
Have you dipped your fingers in? Birds have a very different circulation in their feet to humans & even slightly "off cold" to us is far too hot for wildlife.
of you live in a place where it doesn't get cold, it wouldn't freeze.
That is true