Drill hole in Ice Bucket for Waterer?

[Bocktastic Quackles]

I’m a big fan of DIY’s - I have these blue cups (pic attached) to hooked up to a plastic bin as a waterer for now. They work great!

I live in Colorado and we do get cold winters. I was thinking about drilling a hole into a stainless steel ice bucket to prevent rust & cracks that tends to happen when plastic expands in the cold. Plan to hook on one of these blue cups to it. I read/watched videos of people putting a plastic bottle filled with salt water to prevent freezing too.

Do you think the water in cup will freeze if I did this DIY chicken waterer with salt water bottle hack? Unfortunately I have a small coop and need something to hook out on the outside to give the hens as much space as possible inside. I will eventually expand their spacing but for now looking to make this work.

I also thought about hooking a dog dish to the side though afraid of other animals/bugs getting into it and it getting dirty quicker.

Totally open to other/better DIY suggestions too! Love the hanging waterers though just don’t have the space at the moment.

p.s. this group is “clucking” awesome! (Please don’t mind the pun)

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

How cold do you get? Salt water will freeze below 28 degrees, which isn't much different than 32.

 

[Justso]

I stopped using the cups, they do freeze. ☹
Even with heated water.

 

[wamtazlady]

Yes, the cups will freeze. Vertical nipples will also freeze. Go with horizontal nipples. I live in northern Montana and we get some cold weather in winter. I use an 11 gallon tote with lid. Others use buckets or big jugs, or plastic barrels for water. I add horizontal nipples and a sinking stock tank deicer that is rated for use in plastic. While I have lived here the coldest it has gotten here is -22 F. At that temperature my chickens still had water. The plastic tote has to be replaced every couple years as it gets brittle after so much time in heat and cold. The stock tank deicer lasted 4 years. The horizontal nipples just get moved from tote to tote.

 

[Bocktastic Quackles]

How cold do you get? Salt water will freeze below 28 degrees, which isn't much different than 32.

live in Colorado front range - sometimes 28 maybe in the teens on a bad rare storm.

 

[Bocktastic Quackles]

Yes, the cups will freeze. Vertical nipples will also freeze. Go with horizontal nipples. I live in northern Montana and we get some cold weather in winter. I use an 11 gallon tote with lid. Others use buckets or big jugs, or plastic barrels for water. I add horizontal nipples and a sinking stock tank deicer that is rated for use in plastic. While I have lived here the coldest it has gotten here is -22 F. At that temperature my chickens still had water. The plastic tote has to be replaced every couple years as it gets brittle after so much time in heat and cold. The stock tank deicer lasted 4 years. The horizontal nipples just get moved from tote to tote.

Wow! Thank you so much. Please pardon - do you have a link to what you’re talking about? Of using a plastic tote? Would like to get one. The chicks are older now and living outside more of the day and like to up grade from the little giant 16oz. Good for grit and snacks

 

[wamtazlady]

Wow! Thank you so much. Please pardon - do you have a link to what you’re talking about? Of using a plastic tote? Would like to get one. The chicks are older now and living outside more of the day and like to up grade from the little giant 16oz. Good for grit and snacks

No, I don't have a link. It is homemade. Years ago I was a snowbird and needed a way for the house sitter to take care of the chickens. On the days he worked he did long hours and would work several days in a row. I needed an easy way for him to keep the chickens in water.

I went to Walmart and bought a 10 gallon tote with lid. It was a semi transparent tote so it was easy to see when it needed filled. Cost was about $8. The local feed store had a stock tank deicer that was rated for use in plastic for $40. It is 250 watts and has a thermostat. It turns on at 35 degrees and off at 40 if I remember correctly. It was one that rested on the bottom of the container. Then I purchased horizontal nipples. I think the nipples were about $10. Drilled 4 holes near the bottom of the tote on one side about 2 or 3 inches up from the bottom. Also cut a hole at the top of the tote to allow the electrical cord to go through as well as preventing a vacuum as the chickens drank the water. Of course the lid goes on top to keep the chickens from making the water dirty. I had an old footstool from a living room chair. Set the tote on top of the footstool to bring it up to a good height for drinking. The tote contained enough water for a dozen chickens and lasted over a week.

The tote needed replaced after 2 years. All that freezing and thawing made the plastic brittle. The stock tank deicer lasted 4+ years. The nipples are still being used. Several times we've had temperatures of -22 F and the chickens had thawed water to drink using this system. Some people say their nipples start to freeze at those temperatures although I have not had that issue. I use deep litter in the winter and the run always feels warmer than the outside air so maybe it really is a touch warmer than outside. The run is roofed and has clear vinyl on 3 sides to keep wind out of the run. Just jiggle the nipple in the morning to break any ice that might be there to be safe until you know you can trust them.

If you try to use the semi transparent tote in summer you will get a lot of algae. Might want to use a tote that will not allow for light to get in or another container. Some people use plastic barrels or 5 gallon buckets. Even a large jug can make a great nipple waterer.