Have you all heard of the Bright Tap watering system? It's a vertical nipple reservoir that screws into an insulated Igloo 5 gallon tank. I further insulate the Igloo by wrapping it with a water heater insulated blanket in winter, wrap a 9"x 9" heating pad over the Bright Tap reservoir, and the system remains unfrozen down into the teens. Wrapped in the water heater blanket, the water in the Igloo never freezes, no need for a stock tank heater, and neither does the reservoir, but the nipples will freeze below 10 F. To get them working, I just hold a bowl of hot water under the frozen nipples for a minute. Once the chickens begin using them, they remain unfrozen the rest of the day.
The nipple system with a 5 gallon tank saves wear and tear on my frayed rotator cuffs and my back, lugging water back and forth each day in winter. I only need to refill the tank once a week with a hose. Best of all, the water stays clean and sanitary.
One draw-back with the nipple system is the danger of frostbite if water falls from the nipples onto chicken feet. I solved that problem by screwing a plastic ice cube tray ten inches below the nipples to catch dribble. The ground below remains dry now, and no feet ever get wet.
The nipple system with a 5 gallon tank saves wear and tear on my frayed rotator cuffs and my back, lugging water back and forth each day in winter. I only need to refill the tank once a week with a hose. Best of all, the water stays clean and sanitary.
One draw-back with the nipple system is the danger of frostbite if water falls from the nipples onto chicken feet. I solved that problem by screwing a plastic ice cube tray ten inches below the nipples to catch dribble. The ground below remains dry now, and no feet ever get wet.
