First cold night!

[Miss Lydia]

My theory on water in winter is really simple: if its cold enough, water turns to ice. If it turns to ice, they can't bathe. Not here anyway. Every duck did have really raggedy feathers back in the Spring.

I like those cement mixing tubs for days when it's below freezing at night, they can have some bath water during the day but the tub gets dumped. But the temps are usually in the high 30's here before I fill it,. but they have heated buckets to keep their heads clean. Actually they can bathe pretty good with them buckets I can go out about mid day and most are about half full. So I have to refill.

 

[HollyDuckFarmer]

I was thinking about going from the 5gal to 2- 2.5 gal buckets. DH might pass out if I start using any more electricity tho!

 

[Amiga]

I keep asking myself how to design a heated water bucket that is nonelectric. The most basic would be what I already have - black plastic concrete mixing pans. I saw a water trough that was dug down into the ground so that it went below the frost line. The water would circulate itself, the warmer water rising, and keep it unfrozen.

This was quite the engineering feat, but I wanted to pass along the idea while we are on the topic.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I was thinking about going from the 5gal to 2- 2.5 gal buckets. DH might pass out if I start using any more electricity tho!

I have just 1 5gal it's for the geese although some of the drakes use it too. but have 2 more 2.5 gal that's it for winter, I was thinking last night when cleaning and filling why I have so many more watering containers in the summer, guess I like to make it more complicated for myself. I really don't think they use a lot of power especially since they use a thermostat to control when it comes on. I maybe wrong will have to see what my bill looks like next month after using them again this year. Just plugged them all in last night for the first time.