56 Gallon waterer to prevent freezing in the winter

[bevis]

While all my chicken care was previously in Central Florida where freezing water is not a thing, I have since moved to Kentucky and have been trying to figure out how to supply water for 50 chickens in the winter without putting out 6 or 8 heated waterers and getting electric to all of them.
Here is what i came up with. This is a tractor supply 50 gallon rubbermaid tub that actually holds 56 gallons of water.

As you can see in the pics, i plumbed a drain into it with a drain pipe that exits the run so it can be drained and cleaned whenever you want.
I currently have a 100 foot garden hose stretched out to the chicken house so i could do their waterers every day. I knew this would not fly in freezing weather.
I figure that 56 gallons of water is not going to freeze very easily and if it freezes on the top layer, it can be easily busted up quickly.

Then entire cost of this waterer is about $150. For me thats a small price to pay to resolve a big issue and to keep me from literally carrying heavy water out to the chickens at least once a day no matter the weather. I will attach the pics and the links to the stuff i used other than the 1 sheet of 7/16 OSB and 2x3's and 2 cheap door hinges from harbor freight.

The way i got the top figured out was to turn the tub upside down and lay it on the sheet of OSB and used a sharpie to draw around it and then added 2 inches to it. That way i could attach those small pieces of 2x3 around the underneath to act as a guide when putting the top on and keep if from moving around.
The piece of angled OSB at the front actually extends beyond the trough opening so if a chicken is standing on the edge of it they cant poop in the water.
We all know if you dont put something like that around the opening, they will certainly poop in the water.

The little 2 piece 2x3 board on the far right side holds the poop stopper up and swings out of the way to shut the lid completely. I did buy a single 2x6 to build the stand in front of the waterer for them to stand on. Im not sure its the correct height yet but it can be brought up higher easily. So far its working great.
So now i have no small waterers to deal with on a daily basis and i have no fear of that entire tub freezing solid this winter. If it does, I have way bigger problems than that tub of water.

As you can see, most of the girls have BluKote sprayed on their backsides. We had a speckled sussex that insisted on picking out those small feathers back there on EVERYONE and she did it daily and non stop. Pick no more did nothing to stop her and the blukote did nothing to deter her. She now has a new home with a great owner and a new flock and everyone is on the mend and new growth has already begun. The offender is not exhibiting that thing at her new home. Thank goddness


Tractor supply rubbermaid tub - https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/p...ural-foam-stock-tanks-50-gal-capacity-2229927

Drain kit from amazon - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B9BSZBHL?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1

If you want to drain the tub away from your area, pick up a 3/4" male adapter and a 10' stick ( or multiple sticks with couplings ) of 3/4" pvc pipe while yore getting a sheet of OSB. Thats what i used. I did not glue any of the PVC since its just a drain and why add the expense of primer and glue.

The valve kit accepts 3/4" PVC fittings.

I forgot, you will also need a 1 1/2" hole saw to drill into the tub for the drain valve kit if you decide to use it.
Here is the hole saw kit i bought from harbor freight. It worked great.
https://www.harborfreight.com/34-in-5-in-carbon-steel-hole-saw-set-18-pc-57524.html

 

[bevis]

Nice work, would totally utilize this for spring-fall. Not sure it would hold up to an Iowa winter but for places that don't get a deep deep freeze would be just fine. Your chickens seem to think it's pretty neat.

Ok just talked to Rubbermaid and the safe temp range is +140 degrees F to -40 degrees F for their polyethylene stock tanks. I'm pretty sure you would be good to go in Iowa. She did say the material had a catastrophic failure point of +212 F. I responded " So do we "...

 

[bevis]

Unhook the hose bib before you roll up the hose or it won't drain well if at all.
Hopefully it is down hill from bib to tank, that would help a lot.

you are correct. and it is downhill to the chicken house and run

 

[ChickyWhicky]

Nice work, would totally utilize this for spring-fall. Not sure it would hold up to an Iowa winter but for places that don't get a deep deep freeze would be just fine. Your chickens seem to think it's pretty neat.

 

[bevis]

Doesn't make sense to have a such deep waterer that they access from the top.
Once they drink down as far as they can reach you'll need to top it off.

How many birds do you have?
I use this and top if off daily(~1/2gal for ~18 birds).

50 chickens and thats why i built the platform for them to stand on and why i put a drain on it. i do not want to carry water out there every day in the winter. once a week i will drain it and refill with the garden hose. I opted for the deeper 50 gallon to prevent freezing the entire of body of water in the winter. im considering raising the platform another 2 or 3 inches.

 

[saysfaa]

Ok just talked to Rubbermaid and the safe temp range is +140 degrees F to -40 degrees F for their polyethylene stock tanks. I'm pretty sure you would be good to go in Iowa. She did say the material had a catastrophic failure point of +212 F. I responded " So do we "...

In Iowa, the average temperature is far enough below freezing that the water would freeze even with topping it off. Emptying it and refilling it might help for a while if you can keep the drain itself drained when it isn't being used and if you can keep the water beside the drain from freezing. It will freeze in from the sides and up from the bottom so that won't be easy to do.

The bigger problem with emptying it is that the water will make a sheet of ice on top of the frozen ground. Then pretty much stay there until spring.

In Kentucky, the average temperature might be warm enough for this plan to work. I don't know Kentucky weather very well.

 

[Sequestered Ridge Ranch]

Too much work, just get a bunch of these on the outside and close it up like a ice chest or get a food grade plastic barrel and insulate it as such.

 

[bevis]

Right. This set up will freeze without a heat source. Trying to break ice just to have it freeze back over is not worth the effort. Good point about the drain freezing. But, would be nice for the warmer seasons.
Heck we have electric poultry waterers rated for -20 or something close that ice up.

I contend that using a spud bar or hammer to bust up the top layer of ice is going to be WAY easier than carrying heavy water in multiple 5 gallon buckets 200' to refill normal heated waterers EVERY day. I'll take the bust ice method over the carry 40+ lb buckets to the run every day .. Im 65 and disabled and trying this to keep from carrying water. If it works, GREAT !

 

[saysfaa]

I think it will work very well for you, bevis. It was in colder Iowa where it has those problems.

I thought the average temperature is more helpful than average highs and average lows - yours is lowest in Januaru at 32F. Dec is 36, Feb is 35.

Most of the time, the air temperature will help keep the water above freezing before it has been below freezing long enough to freeze that much water.

You will probably have only a few weeks (total, in various cold spells probably) where you will need to help the system along - empty and refill more often, maybe, or add boiling water if you don't want to get a stock tank heater. The stock tank heater is the easiest way by far.

The hose will freeze much faster than the tank. Between fills of the tank, you will need leave the hose running a trickle or drain it or drag it somewhere above freezing.

 

[RoyalChick]

As you can see from this chart where I live, I should not have any issues ( other than a freak incident ) with the freezing of that 56 gallons of water especially with a heater.

With those temperatures there won’t be any ice to break. My 5 gallon bucket with horizontal nipples doesn’t freeze until it is below 24F for the whole night.
It gets colder than that here in NJ and I stand the bucket on a very low wattage heat pad and that is plenty warm enough to keep water flowing to the nipples for most ordinary NJ winters.