How could I automate the watering process in the winter?

[chickensahoy96]

I have a pond that I occasionally let my ducks loose in when home, but I would like to somehow use that as a source of water in their coop/run. I am thinking of buying a big 5 gallon bucket with the chicken nipples installed, and then run a water fountain pump with the hose about 2 feet under the ground to the coop. To prevent water from freezing in this underground hose, the pump could run constantly and a drain outlet could be installed at the bucket to expel the excess water out of the coop. This may not be perfect, but would only be running below freezing point. The other alternative is to either dig below the frost line or run a gutter heater along with the water hose.

 

[BastyPutt]

If you freeze at all, the nipples and watering cups will be rendered useless - even if you use something like a livestock water heater, or one of those galvanized heating stands. Trust me on this one, unless you are constantly and directly heating the nipple or cup from the outside, like a heat gun or hairdryer they will freeze. A few years ago I spent countless hours and who knows how much $$ trying to get those stupid things to work! still irks me

With that said, if you can figure out the freezing, all you need to is drill your Nipples or cups into a 3/4 pvc pipe, run the pipe to where the chickens are and buy a garden hose connection for the pipe. Hook your hose directly to the pipe and leave it on low pressure. by design the nipples seal themselves with pressure, and the watering cups have a small float valve in each one. This was my last attempt, and I ran the pipe underground and stubbed up 6", put an elbow there and ran them straight across at a perfect height. I ran heat tape starting at 12" under ground, wrapping the pipe and the stub out of the cups/nipples. Thought it was a winner - frozen the next day.

Ultimately what I did. Was run a water line with a frost free yard hydrant and manually fill the water each morning. Galvanized watered on a heating stand.

I am sure there is a way to do it in a freeze, and hoping someone chimes in here. I feel like I still have PTSD after that dumb project.

 

[chickensahoy96]

What if you have water flowing all the time through an insulated pipe 18 inches below ground? My pond is only 30 ft from. The duck house, so I could have a fountain pump always supplying water to a bucket with an overflow drain. Then use a heat lamp to heat the nipples.