How I made my adjustable 5 gallon bucket watering system

[dennymeyrand]

My (6) chicks are still inside the house, just a week or so old; got them from TSC this time last week. I quickly went from the standard waterer to water bottles in their brooder. I was amazed at how quickly they caught on. I have a stand setup with a 5G bucket for when they're outside. It also has a chain going up from the handle. I'm a bit worried about the weight on the handle (I haven't hung it with it filled with water) I think I'll just have to find a height that'll work and do the plywood thing as well. Last thing I want is to find one of the girls crushed underneath it. it'd be over 40lbs when filled. Has anyone used the 5G bucket method during the winter (assuming you're in freezing temps)? I wondered if one of those submersible bird bath heaters would work to keep it from freezing, any thoughts?

I would think if you just had the nipples screwed into the bottom of the bucket, a bird bath heater would do just fine. I am using the watering cups and have some plumbing ran for the cups to screw into, I don't think it would keep that plumbing from freezing very well.