Cold Weather Waterer

I use a five gallon bucket with poultry nipples in the bottom of it. I realized that I will have to do something in the winter. We just spent about 2 months with only about a week where the temp was above freezing. I went to tractor supply and got a tank heater. It is an aluminum block that is attached to a thermostat. You submerge that in the bottom of your tank and plug it in. I doesn't let the water get below freezing. Also with the five gallon bucket they can't poop in it so the water is always clean. Good luck

 

Is your waterer outdoors? I have mine inside the unheated run..with roof and snowboards on sides. I put cookie-tin heater inside an old tire and set my 6 gallon plastic waterer on that. I never fill the waterer more than 3/4 full. Sometimes get some ice up high in the waterer, but the drinking tray at the bottom stays thawed. Also get some issues with the lid freezing on the thing, but I just up-end it in a bucket of hot water for a minute, and it comes right off.

 

I have a new "Bucket/Utility/Bird Bath DE-Icer" by Allied Precision Industries that I haven't used yet. 44 bucks. I didn't want to spend that much, but it gets to 20 below zero here and I don't think a cookie can heater is hot enough. I suppose it'll cost 60 bucks a month to keep it plugged in. We'll see.

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I spent the $40 bucks on a 3 gal. heated waterer, and I'm glad I did. Hasn't froze on me once, and we've had some below zero temps at night. It's an indoor use only deal, so it stays in the coop, where it is slightly warmer than the outside, of course.

 

I got tired of refilling the frozen water font twice a day an bought an electric one. Here is a link to what I bought. Naturually things warmed up after I got it so I have to assume it will work.

 

I always use the heated dog bowls and they have never froze - it got to -31 F here last winter. I have tried pretty much everything else and these work the best for me.

 

I built a cool auto water-er this summer using a toilet valve inside a plastic bin. A 1.5" PVC pipe went from one coop to the other, and turned up so the chickens can drink. I wrapped it with heat strip, but the heat strip was no match for a few nights at sub 20's temperatures. it has busted to pieces, so I'm back to 3 gallon buckets with a brooder lamp 2 foot over top. This works very nicely.

 

Quote:This is the same one I purchased, only from Meyer Hatchery in OH. I've used it for two winters, and have had no problem with it. I do us it strictly indoors.

 

I put mine under a heat lamp and it seems to work fine. i also have a water pan that you just set a five gallon bucket on top of and if it freezes i just change out the buckets