Consolidated Kansas

[Chickies-duckies-etc]

5:30 am and it is 6 degrees out. Yea! That is 6 degrees higher than they predicted for here. And with sunny and 22 for the high, that means my outside water will thaw so I can use it

Never thought I would be HAPPY to see those kind of temps. But after the last couple of days, anything to give hope and water is great, Not fun carrying water from the house out to the barn. Now I can carry it from the outside hydrant to the barn.

Now, a few more degrees higher and the hose will thaw.

 

[nnbreeder]

Best thing I did was buy black hoses. Stretched them out this morning in 11 deg. weather and sunshine and in thirty minutes they were ready to use. Hate bucketing water to the horses. They can drink one before you can go get another and it is just 50 feet from the hydrant to the stock tank.

 

[Chickies-duckies-etc]

Ahhhh, where do you get black hoses?

 

[nnbreeder]

Walmart of all places. They were listed as commercial duty and so far they have been very good but they are only 6mos old. Usually the garden type of hose has already started to show severe wear from being dragged around.

 

[Kansaseq]

I love Walmart. I have about 5 of their $1.50 buckets for my bird's water. Only problem is, in this weather, they shatter if you try to get ice out of them. Looks like I will have to break down and buy some of those rubber horse buckets. AAAahhhhhh, winter

 

[Chickies-duckies-etc]

Do the "free" or cheap buckets work? I have the 5 gallon as well as smaller ones that have held up fairly well to the ice, etc. I like the 3 1/2 gallon size but only could find them one place. As big around as the 5 gallon but shorter so they work better for some of the critters. Most places are charging a dollar for them now.

I will check on the black hose. Carrying water is too hard at this point in my life.

 

[fitzy]

I use an old air compresser tank inside the chicken coop and an old propane tank for the goats.....just be careful when cutting them in half! You can usually find these free if you check around, and you can bang them against anything handy to get the ice out. i did purchase some tank heaters today at orscheln's (local farm supply) that are temp regulated to save on costs.

 

[HEChicken]

Quote:
Yeah, me too. I started with a freebie bucket from Dillons but a few weeks ago bought a black rubber one from TSC for $6.29. Now I'm REALLY glad I did, because with the water bucket next to a brick wall and the sun shining, the water stayed thawed all afternoon yesterday despite a top temp of only 15! I made a cookie tin heated base yesterday (out of materials I already had around the house - yeah!) so put the waterer on that this morning. Then when the sun came out and warmed the wall, I was able to turn the heater off and let solar do its thing.

The other thing I've been doing is bringing the waterer inside the house at night. Yes its a hassle to carry it in each evening and back out again in the morning but the nice thing is that the water starts out in the morning at house room temp (around 60 this morning). It was funny to see "room temperature" water steaming in the cold temps outside, but the water probably felt warm to the chooks, allowing them to get a really good drink to get them started for the day.

 

[Kansaseq]

HEchicken, how many gallons is that bucket you just bought? I was expecting to have to pay twice that!

Also, I have an EE cockerel, chestnut colored, that needs a home. Maybelline was supposed to be a girl, but he's not. He's got muffs, a pea comb, and is a gorgeous chestnut color. I'll try to get photos later on. I'm up to 4 roos and really need to wean down! Can't ship,but could meet up in OP.

 

[HEChicken]

Oh boy, I wish I could remember and of course I removed the label after I bought it. I only have a small flock so didn't need a huge one. My guess would be 3-5 gallons. It's probably 18-24" inches in diameter and 6-8" high (sorry, I'm hopeless as guesstimating). I do remember being pleasantly surprised at how affordable it was.