Ice-free additive for birdbaths and drinkers

It sounds a good idea, but I would like to see the actual ingredients. Can't see what plant extract would stop water freezing, unless it is extracted from some plant that lives in the frozen wastes. Over to some knowledgeable botanist/ scientist out there
 
The RSPB advise against putting anything in the birdbath other than water and one of the most compelling arguments for that is not spoiling the effects of preening. Whatever the 'antifreeze' that is used, and regardless of its potability, it has to be a sugar, salt or an oil emulsion. Sugars are sticky, sea water freezes at -2 (and is not potable at that concentration) and an oil emulsion requires an emulsifier (i.e. washing up liquid or edible equivalent)
I think it is probably not dissimilar to cordial (which will freeze in the freezer but that runs at -15)
... the other very effective option (or combination with sugar in various guises) is alcohol but now we're talking glycol or vodka. That should warm them up a bit!!! As bigyetiman says, they are going to have to say what the miracle ingredient is or we have to assume that its fruit juice or rarest snake oil (as I think you were suspecting yourself, Marigold.)
 
Yes I thought it looked a bit dodgy and as you know, I never add anything to the drinking water, not even acv, but was interested in your reply, Rick, about the chemistry of antifreeze. As the drinkers often get really solid overnight in very cold weather, you'd have to use a pretty high concentration to make any difference. The electric pads under the drinker seem a better idea if one has power to the run.
 
I would not add anything either, it must have something in it that would be detrimental to preening and I would not give it to my girls to drink.
I was just interested as to the ingredients having an enquiring mind.I was thinking along the lines of some type of oil as well
 
I've just emailed Garden Wildlife Direct explaining our concerns, and giving them the link back to this thread. I will pass on their reply. There are three good reviews of the product on their site, but all from people who seem to think it's just generally a good idea, without having actually tried it out or thought through what it might do to the wild birds.
Garden Wildlife Direct is an excellent firm, where I get all our wild bird food, feeders etc, and their customer service is brilliant, so it will be interesting to see how this one goes.
 
We never add anything to our birds water either- not even ACV. Our drinkers have all been replaced with large plant pot bases which are very easy to clean, very cheap and can be emptied overnight in Winter and refilled with fresh very morning. If they freeze during the day they are simply replaced and filled, the frozen ones are then left upside down in the sun to de-frost.
 
Last winter I had a black heat lamp pointing at one of the drinkers when it was below freezing and although it worked fine (never froze) it requires power to the run and was wasteful of energy as only a bit of the 100W was being delivered to the water. But where we are its only the odd few days in the year when things are freezing up after only a couple of hours.
I like your solution Chris and agree its best to have drinkers that are easy to give a good scrub. My mushroom drinkers have been a bit of a pain. They're OK and hang off the floor nicely but you need a toothbrush to make sure that the algae isnt building up in/on the moulded shape and in the crevices.
This year I'm going to try something along the lines of this:
PA240095 - Edited.jpg
Probably just as is and as an emergency back up when its sub zero out there (other drinkers that may freeze.)
Not totally efficient - a thermal sock on the to pf the flask would help!
But it goes like this:
The 500ml flask stores about 75W worth of boiling water and will stay quite warm for 8 hours = about a 8W heater without mains power. It will lose heat quicker when dunked in the drinker but still relitivly slowly and should keep the drinker ice free while Im at work. In the winter they go to roost before I get home so the water in the drinker needs to stay drinkable for about 8 hours till I can refresh it the next morning.
Well its a plan anyway! :)
Bird baths are harder - wide shallow and basically the easiest think to freeze imaginable. But a cheap flask lying down on its side might keep a patch around it liquid for longer.
Just one caveat - If the flask freezes (i.e.left out for several sub zero nights) then it would break it.
 
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