In areas with harsh winters, it can be extremely difficult to keep your bird bath from freezing if you don’t have a heater. While some methods could damage your bath or make it unsafe for your feathered friends, like pouring boiling water into the basin or using salt to melt the ice, there are a few ways to remove the ice safely. For baths that are frozen solid, sitting a pot of hot water on top of the ice is a great way to unfreeze your bird bath. If there’s only a thin layer of ice on the surface, slowly pouring warm water over the bath can help. Once you have removed the ice, you may need to take steps to keep it from freezing again or install a liner to quickly take the ice out.
While winter bird bath maintenance can be a chore, birds greatly benefit from the easily accessible fresh water. As temperatures drop and natural water sources freeze, birds have to melt ice or snow in order to get a drink, which uses up their energy. By keeping your bird bath active throughout winter, you can help birds reserve their calories for staying warm.
An easy, safe way to get ice out of your birdbath
While cement and stone bird baths are beautiful and popular, they do not hold up as well in frigid temperatures and are prone to cracking or breaking. This is part of the reason why you need to melt the ice in your bath slowly rather than using boiling water, which could damage your bath. Start by bringing water to a slow boil in a saucepan or kettle, then let it cool off for several minutes. Place your hot pan with the water still inside on top of the ice and leave it there until your bath has thawed. This process can be repeated if ice remains in the bath once the pot has cooled.
It’s important not to attempt to break the ice unless it is a very thin layer over the top. This extra force could also crack your bird bath. Those with plastic or metal bird baths won’t have as much to worry about since these materials are less likely to be harmed by the water expanding as it freezes.
Using a liner to lift ice from your bird bath
Another safe and simple way to get a solid block of ice out of your bird bath requires a little foresight. When your bath is empty, use a piece of plastic, like a small tarp or a black trash bag, to line the basin. Not only will the dark color attract more sunlight and prevent your bath from freezing as quickly, but once the water does freeze you can easily lift your liner out. The ice will pop right out of your bath, and you can reuse the same liner each time to refill your bath. This method could also make it easier to clean the bath since the birds will likely only touch the liner. If your liner won’t stay in place, set some rocks on it to hold it down.
In areas where temperatures hover around freezing but don’t drop extremely low, you may not have as much ice in your bath. Adding a little warm water a few times per day could remove the ice and keep the water fresh for your feathered friends. To help keep the water from freezing as quickly, try putting a tennis ball in your bird bath. The movement of the ball in the water can break up small pieces of ice and give you a little more time before it freezes over. Heaters, deicers, and bubblers are also great preventative measures for winter bird baths.
