Winter water?

[bruceha2000]

Insulating the container helps save electricity needed to heat the water

 

[wamtazlady]

Insulating the container helps save electricity needed to heat the water

I know I would save electricity if I insulated. However, then I wouldn't be able to easily see when it needed filled. It's something I'll think about. If the electric bill gets way too high then insulation will be called for. I have the chicken waterer and an open stock tank for water for the geese.

 

[HutsonHobbyFarm]

I'm getting ready to install my winter setup here soon. It consists of a galvanized waterer with an electrical pipe heater that has a built in temperature regulation thermostat. These you can buy online or pickup in a home improvement store for under $25. What it'll do is turn on when the pipe (waterer) gets below freezing and it'll shutoff when it gets around 40-50F. Depending on the type of heater, they can come in strips or pads and they can come with pre set temperature preferences. Hope this helps!

 

[vpeterson]

I just bought a Harris Farm Heated water base for a 2 gallon galvanized waterer. I found the that the water is extremely warm when using it.. Almost like bath water. I don't think that is good for the chickens to have such warm water. Also they must be spilling some because the bedding around it is becoming very damp. I use the same waterers in the summer and they don't make the bedding wet at all. Why would they be making the bedding wet now?

 

[GC-Raptor]

I just bought a Harris Farm Heated water base for a 2 gallon galvanized waterer.  I found the that the water is extremely warm when using it.. Almost like bath water. I don't think that is good for the chickens to have such warm water. Also they must be spilling some because the bedding around it is becoming very damp. I use the same waterers in the summer and they don't make the bedding wet at all. Why would they be making the bedding wet now?

When you set the waterer on the heater base, push down on the waterer cover, it will move down about a 1/4 inch. Make sure the heater base is level. When water is heated it will expand and rise some in the trough. Check the temperature with a thermometer. I would think if it's over 15 Celsius, 60 Fahrenheit it could be defective. Contact the company to find out what water temperature to expect. I have never owned one so I can't be sure. I made my own from a 4 quart Dutch oven with a light bulb as the heat source and a themo cube to turn it on and off. Check my earlier posts to see it. GC

 

[firedancer]

I'd like some feedback please. I live on Long Island in NY where the temps rarely go below 20 degrees. I will need to keep my winter water from freezing so I am thinking ahead now that my chicks will soon be going out as the coop is almost finished. I decided that the best method to keep the water from freezing is a fully submergible aquarium heater in maybe a 20+ gal barrel of some kind. I was originally thinking of putting the barrel inside the coop and putting nipples on it and also running a pvc outside with attached nipples. a recent article I saw said you shouldn't put water inside the coop bc it causes moisture which can lead to mold. Now I am thinking of mounting the barrel outside and running 2 pic pipes, one inside and one outside, for the chickies. thought, please.

also, for those in colder climates, if the water is warm enough will it still freeze once it gets into the pvc pipe and nipples????

 

[wamtazlady]

If you do something like that you will also need a circulating pump. Otherwise the water in the pvc might freeze. If the water in the pvc gets cold enough, even if it's not frozen, the nipples could freeze.

 

[RobG7aChattTN]

I'd like some feedback please.  I live on Long Island in NY where the temps rarely go below 20 degrees.  I will need to keep my winter water from freezing so I am thinking ahead now that my chicks will soon be going out as the coop is almost finished.  I decided that the best method to keep the water from freezing is a fully submergible aquarium heater in maybe a 20+ gal barrel of some kind.  I was originally thinking of putting the barrel inside the coop and putting nipples on it and also running a pvc outside with attached nipples.  a recent article I saw said you shouldn't put water inside the coop bc it causes moisture which can lead to mold.  Now I am thinking of mounting the barrel outside and running 2 pic pipes, one inside and one outside, for the chickies.  thought, please.

also, for those in colder climates, if the water is warm enough will it still freeze once it gets into the pvc pipe and nipples????

I use a pipe heater on a PVC pipe that runs through all my chicken runs (6) but if you only have one flock this is what I'd do: get an insulated Thermous-style container and attach the nipples directly to the bottom (you will have to drill through the insulation too but that shouldn't be a problem). Drill a hole through the side at the top, cut the aquarium heater cord, feed it through, put a new plug on the wire (cheap from Home Depot and easy to do) and fill the hole with aquarium sealant or silicon caulk. Then I'd build a stand that supports the jug or if it had a good handle you might just use a hook. Then I'd place one of those oil collection containers ($10 from Walmart) below to catch the drips. The oil pan will need to have steaks or something to hold it in place but needs to lift out for cleaning and emptying. I'd put this IN the barn. To save on electricity you can plug that into a thermocube so it only turns on at 40F otherwise your birds will be drinking 80F water all winter.

 

[Our Roost]

Well, well! I've played this game and gave up to heated dog dishes that hold 1 1/2 gallon water. I purchased a 55 gallon plastic drum and outfitted it with a spigot and fitted PVC piping from outside to inside the coop with nipple feeders. I fed the drum with rain water stemming from roof of coop via gutter and downspout. Next I added heat wire and insulation tape to wrap the pipes and heat wire. Never thought that water in a 55 gallon drum would freeze, but it froze solid my first winter. TSC sells a horse trough heater that would work well if hooked up properly, but remember, snow run off wont keep the barrel full and you may still need to fill it. Sooo. this is when I opted for the heated dog water dishes. I still use the barrel and nipple feeders in the summer and it works well, but in the winter, it is not worth the effort. Good luck.

 

[wamtazlady]

Just wanted to add that my winter water system of a 10 gallon plastic tote/horizontal nipples/stock tank deicer kept my girls in water even when it was -22 degrees F. With 12 birds it only needed filled every week or so. The tote is semi clear plastic so it was easy to see when it needed filled.