Mine drink out of a two-gallon plastic bucket (all full-grown chickens) that I bury half-way into their deep litter and fill with lukewarm water. It only freezes here in Massachusetts on the coldest nights, and I check the forecast and put a few apples or a split pumpkin in after dark for them to work on when they get up before I do.
I built an insulated water bucket for my horse that worked great, and will do a smaller version for my chickies this year, although I don't really need to, I like to experiment.
I used muck bucket with a five-gallon pail inside, held in place by a round of plywood cut to fit the muck bucket, and a cutout to hold the pail. I filled the space with packing peanuts and Great Stuff spray foam insulation, and a couple of bolts to hold the top on. The Great Stuff glued the pail in permanently, I might try to line it with a plastic bag in the future attempts so the inner pail can be removed for easier cleaning and dumping. This bucket never froze, only a slight skin on very sub-zero nights with wind.
Electric heaters make me nervous after hearing a friend describe the midnight fire that they would've missed had the cat not gotten them up and let them to the door. The flames were shooting up and the water was pouring out as the heated bucket melted.
I have been saving styrofoam packing materials and have a small rubber feed pan set aside for the project. I found a larger metal pan at
TSC for about $3 for the outer shell.
I stop using the regular chicken waterers once they are big enough to not drown in the little bucket I use. What a big difference it makes in cleaning time, and it doesn't freeze nearly as quickly outside, and barely ever in the coop.
Hope this helps someone!
