I was so proud of the waterer I built from a bucket, PVC, and chicken nipples this summer (similar to this: http://americanpreppersnetwork.com/2012/06/how-to-diy-chicken-nipple-waterers.html)- and then winter weather came
. The chicken nipples are downward facing ones and they are freezing almost daily.
I live in Nashville which is fairly temperate, but this year it's gotten cold FAST! Tonight we are dropping to 19 (and it's still November)
so who knows what the rest of the winter holds.
I have been filling their old waterer each morning, dumping it out each night, and repeating. The whole reasoning behind making the big waterer was to decrease trips to the coop and make it easier for people to watch them while we are gone. We will be gone for 6 days over Christmas so I'm trying to trouble shoot a new waterer to use during the winter for them - something that a house sitter wouldn't need to empty/fill twice a day.
Electricity is not any option - the coop is on the back of our property and an extension cord would need to be massively long and would have to stretch from our upper level porch down to the back corner of our yard which seems impractical and dangerous.
My plan currently is to take a new bucket and install side-mount chicken nipples (https://www.amazon.com/Horizontal-Side-Mount-Poultry-Nipples/dp/B00JXUAD0K) directly to the bucket without using pvc. I've heard the lateral nipples don't freeze as easy. I'm also considering putting a solar powered pump inside the bucket (something like this: https://www.amazon.com/LATITOP-Subm...5400&sr=1-4&keywords=solar+powered+water+pump) to keep the water from freezing. Also, maybe I'll spray paint the bucket black for heat absorption or wrap it in something insulating? Or maybe use an old igloo cooler instead of a bucket?
What are ya'll's thoughts? Anyone tried something similar?
Any advise is much appreciated, this is my first winter with chickens (in case that wasn't obvious
).
(Context: this is for 3 hens that are contained to their 4x10 run all day. I am considering getting 2-3 more birds next spring. Both their feed and water is in their run and they have an elevated coop that they sleep in at night).
. The chicken nipples are downward facing ones and they are freezing almost daily.I live in Nashville which is fairly temperate, but this year it's gotten cold FAST! Tonight we are dropping to 19 (and it's still November)
so who knows what the rest of the winter holds.I have been filling their old waterer each morning, dumping it out each night, and repeating. The whole reasoning behind making the big waterer was to decrease trips to the coop and make it easier for people to watch them while we are gone. We will be gone for 6 days over Christmas so I'm trying to trouble shoot a new waterer to use during the winter for them - something that a house sitter wouldn't need to empty/fill twice a day.
Electricity is not any option - the coop is on the back of our property and an extension cord would need to be massively long and would have to stretch from our upper level porch down to the back corner of our yard which seems impractical and dangerous.
My plan currently is to take a new bucket and install side-mount chicken nipples (https://www.amazon.com/Horizontal-Side-Mount-Poultry-Nipples/dp/B00JXUAD0K) directly to the bucket without using pvc. I've heard the lateral nipples don't freeze as easy. I'm also considering putting a solar powered pump inside the bucket (something like this: https://www.amazon.com/LATITOP-Subm...5400&sr=1-4&keywords=solar+powered+water+pump) to keep the water from freezing. Also, maybe I'll spray paint the bucket black for heat absorption or wrap it in something insulating? Or maybe use an old igloo cooler instead of a bucket?
What are ya'll's thoughts? Anyone tried something similar?
Any advise is much appreciated, this is my first winter with chickens (in case that wasn't obvious
).(Context: this is for 3 hens that are contained to their 4x10 run all day. I am considering getting 2-3 more birds next spring. Both their feed and water is in their run and they have an elevated coop that they sleep in at night).
