post your chicken coop pictures here!

[MeepBeep]

And a frig with ice and water in the door. You could install a peck valve like chicken nipples have so they could dispense it at will. No really. e

You could simply put a container in a regular dorm size fridge and drill a hole with a tip out for the nipple, just need to be sure there is nothing in the way when you drill... This is how many DIYers make chillers for cold water fish tanks, drill two holes in a fridge, take a coil of hose and put it in the fridge, with both ends sticking out though the holes, hook it up to a pump that circulates the water in the tank trough the coil in the fridge, presto instant chilled fish tank... I had a friend that did this so he could keep a pet lobster, worked quite well...

 

[perchie.girl]

Man... just install central air for them then none of this will be needed

believe it or not I have considered installing a swamp cooler for my poultry house..... I have about four already in various states of disrepair.... I could combine parts to come up with a single working unit.

Here in low humidity they work very well.... and require that the enclosed air of the room have lots of openings for the moist air to get out.
They take little energy to run about the same as a 100 watt light bulb or two. and a source of water under very low pressure.

93 here getting ready to ramp up to the tripple digits this week. AGAIN....

deb

 

[TerryH]

I was concerned about the heat and our pullets but I've been pleasantly surprised how much cooler it is under the covered run. Being open on the north and south allows for a good breeze and the girls have done just fine so far. The privacy fence west end appears to be working well also by blocking the harsh afternoon sun.

 

[TerryH]

You could simply put a container in a regular dorm size fridge and drill a hole with a tip out for the nipple, just need to be sure there is nothing in the way when you drill... This is how many DIYers make chillers for cold water fish tanks, drill two holes in a fridge, take a coil of hose and put it in the fridge, with both ends sticking out though the holes, hook it up to a pump that circulates the water in the tank trough the coil in the fridge, presto instant chilled fish tank... I had a friend that did this so he could keep a pet lobster, worked quite well...

Interesting. A very good idea actually.

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote:
Like a kegerator.....

 

[TerryH]

Like a kegerator..... 

e

 

[gpeters3]

Difference is continuous heat input via 110 so melting isnt an issue and ice refills are not required. Yes heat exchange happens in both cases but one isnt an issue since the object is to prevent freezing. Preventing stratification eliminates cold spots which can freeze.

In the case of ice there is no automatic replenishment of ice. My point is that someone has to keep putting ice in and recirculation moves more heat into the system. Cross section stratification allows a small insulation property in a convection system because the water closest to the pipe surface is not necessarily disturbed by the slow movement but the bottom of the system is still the coldest point except for the imediate vicinity of the ice.

You know why thawing a turkey in cold water prevents bacteria from developing? Because the undisturbed layers of water closest to the turkey remain near freezing (due to stratification) untill the turkey temp rises above freezing while the rest of the tub is warmer as it nears the tub walls. If you just set it on the counter the skin reaches room temp quickly and allows bacteria to grow long before the center thaws.

 

[gpeters3]

Well, its been a week since i changed the water station and, so far, no water puddling. Still hoping for success ill keep you posted.

 

[Intheswamp]

Remind me what the change was, gp. Thanks.

 

[MeepBeep]

Difference is continuous heat input via 110 so melting isnt an issue and ice refills are not required. Yes heat exchange happens in both cases but one isnt an issue since the object is to prevent freezing. Preventing stratification eliminates cold spots which can freeze.

In the case of ice there is no automatic replenishment of ice. My point is that someone has to keep putting ice in and recirculation moves more heat into the system. Cross section stratification allows a small insulation property in a convection system because the water closest to the pipe surface is not necessarily disturbed by the slow movement but the bottom of the system is still the coldest point except for the imediate vicinity of the ice.

You know why thawing a turkey in cold water prevents bacteria from developing? Because the undisturbed layers of water closest to the turkey remain near freezing (due to stratification) untill the turkey temp rises above freezing while the rest of the tub is warmer as it nears the tub walls. If you just set it on the counter the skin reaches room temp quickly and allows bacteria to grow long before the center thaws.

Just like the object is to prevent freezing in winter the object here is to prevent hot water from forming at the nipples, thus just like preventing stratification eliminates hot spots, preventing stratification will also eliminate 'hot' spots at the point where the water is being consumed, and that is the entire point of putting the ice in the cooler...

The entire point of this endeavor is to drop the temp of the water at the nipple that will be consumed, the idea isn't to make the ice last all day long or keep the water in the cooler cool, it's to provide the cool water to the chickens at the point of consumption... Yes replacing the ice or using a powered cooling unit will be necessary for continuous operation, no one is arguing that won't be necessary and I offered a "110" solution to that above using a refrigerator or even a powered cooler could be used... Circulation is the only way the guarantee the water at the nipples is tempered and dropped any negligible amount, without circulation as you just implied with your turkey thawing example the water in the small pipe and at the nipple outside the cooler will remain near ambient outside temps and not cool anywhere near it's potential...