Do You Love Your Winter Waterer?

[gail2568]

I justed a plastic dog bowl and a bird bath heater for our chickens. It worked perfect for the birds so I tried it with the chickens and it worked out just fine.

Here in Kansas it worked

 

[jmagill]

I use the buckets I get my horse treats in. They are rectangular and have a hinged lid. They look like this. http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=24853&catid=0&clickid=popcorn

I put two or three nipples in the bottom. Drop a 25 watt aquarium heater in and I am good to go. I have three sections in my coop with 6-10 chickens in each section.
It works great and keeps the water warmer.

I have heaters in only 2 of the waterer's right now. Can't find that third one. The chickens with the warmer water are drinking twice as much.

 

[enggass]

Quote:
You don't have any trouble with the outside of the nipple freezing at all? or does the warm water inside prevent this from happening? Does anyone else here have a similar setup?
I currently have a 5 gallon bucket waterer with a nipple in the bottom. I am thinking of this approach but would love some more feedback.
Thanks,
Steve

 

[jmagill]

No freezing at all. It works great. It may freeze overnight but as soon as the chickens start tapping the water flows.

 

[biddyboo]

What is the "mother" in cidar apple vinegar and where do you get the vinegar with "mother" in it? Will regular CAV from the grocery not be effective? I use two different water warmers for our hens. One is a regular heated dog bowl. I like the idea of setting this in a large rubber horse grain feeder, and will pick one up at the feed store. Our other is a three gallon metal waterer that is set on a heated base. Last winter I had these in the indoor pen, but the hens made a continual wet mess with them, causing mold and dampness issues. This winter, I've wired an outdoor plug near their pop door that lets them move from indoors to outdoors daily. I plan to restrict their water to outdoors to cut down on the wet bedding indoors. The outdoor run is in chat/small gravel so the damp spills should drain, should not be a continual problem. At first I thought I was cruel to not set the water indoors, but they don't have water during the night now when they are secured in their coop and pen, so they'll just be thirsty and ready for a drink, albeit chilly, in the early am with their heated outdoor waterer. Best laid plans...we'll see how it goes. Brrr, November has brought a chilly weather front to midMissour today. ~G

 

[enggass]

You are not worried about the heater failing and electrocution your birdies? Isn't this feasible - in theory anyway?

 

[jmagill]

Quote:
The heater is in the bucket can't fall out. The bucket is hanging on a chain, can't fall. The heater is shatter proof and there is no problem if the bucket runs dry. I did lots of experiments before
I used this system.

This is the heater. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0006JLPG8/ref=oss_product

 

[kathyinmo]

Last year I used one of these:

I am wondering if this heat tape would work on the waterers. Any of you know?

This is what it says about it ....

It is hard to beat Flex Watt's dependability, cost effectiveness and ease of use. Flex Watt is ultra thin at just .012 inches thick and it's element is sealed in a tough flexible plastic so that it can be used in many different types of heating applications.

* Flex Watt Heat Tape features the following... Permanently sealed in a tough flexible plastic so that it can be used in many different types of heating applications.
* Versatility, the tape can be cut to any length, heating a very small amount of space or long and large areas.
* Exclusive and easy step by step connection instructions are included with your Flex Watt purchase.

You must use a thermostat to control the tape's heat level. A Cord with Attached Clip and Clip Protective Insulator Set is the only required equipment for each connection.

Foil Tape: Use the foil tape (available by the foot) to adhere the heat tape to most anything. You will need 2 feet of foil tape for every foot of heat tape as it will need to be run on both edges of the tape.

 

[Akane]

A lot of places sell a heater base for a plastic waterer. They can't reach the same temps though as metal waterers and are usually 150w instead of 200w so in really cold areas they may still freeze occasionally. I plan to try one with our 5gallon plastic waterer this winter and see how it does. Previously I used 2 gallon heated buckets with a brick in the middle to prevent drowning if someone fell in but now I have rabbits who wouldn't find it as easy to drink from a bucket.