keeping water bucket from freezing

[pintail_drake2004]

Hey guys,

This will be our 1st winter with chickens on the farm. I built a 5gal bucket with the horizontal nipples, and it has been working wonderfully! Even our new hatched chicks took to it with ease. I have yet to run electric to my coop and will probably not get to it until after hunting season ends in February. I keep my water bucket in the coop with the chickens, so how do I keep it from freezing? There is some (R-1) insulation in the coop but that isn't enough to keep it from freezing. I currently have 22 chickens and (7) 5 week old chicks. My nearest electrical outlet is approximately 170' from the coop.

What do you do?

 

[PingoBags]

@cavemanrich
Another thing you should look into, is an stc 1000 instead of a thermocube. I'm not dissing the cube but if it's efficiency you're after, try the stc. The thermocube reads ambient temperature so for someone in colder climates, the water heater would be on 24/7, so not really saving power at that point. With the stc, you can put the sensor directly in the water and set the temp to whatever you want. One third the price of the cube too if you shop around.

I use them in my incubator, brooder, greenhouse (it also cools too), and now just built a waterer with one to test. They work great.

Example, if you made a cookie tin heater, you could put any watt bulb in the tin and not worry about it overheating on the not so cold days. It'l turn off when the water warms to the temp you set, not the ambient temp of the coop.

 

[blackdog043]

You will have to run electric somehow. Use a stock tank heater in the bucket, they have an internal thermostat to turn on when needed, to keep the water from freezing. I'm still not sure why people use the thermo cube with a stock tank heater.

 

[Sturner175]

Ok, so I'm still confused. I use the same kind of dog bowl, for wild birds in the winter. I don't use a thermo cube and my water doesn't freeze. Why use a thermo cube also?

My guess to using a cube with the bowl would be redundancy. In case the thermostat in the bowl fails the cube would potentially still turn off the bowl.

 

[lazy gardener]

The idea of a thermocube as back up for the dog bowl makes a lot of sense. I have a TC that I have not yet used. May employ it there, or with a separate heater for FF.

 

[cavemanrich]

Get a 180 foot extension cord and use a stock tank heater. The heaters come in a variety of wattages. Insulation has limited effect on preventing water from freezing. Your choice of horizontal nipples was the correct one. Vertical nipples even with a heated container are known to freeze up.

Get one of these to only turn electricity when needed.

 

[cavemanrich]

You will have to run electric somehow. Use a stock tank heater in the bucket, they have an internal thermostat to turn on when needed, to keep the water from freezing. I'm still not sure why people use the thermo cube with a stock tank heater.

You are correct that MOST stock tank heaters are thermostatically controlled. Most out there start at 250 watts. Obviously if you have a 200 gallon tank for cattle, you need way more watts. I have seen much smaller heaters available in small wattage range. They are inexpensive and also with less features such as a thermostatic control.
The original poster is using a 5 gallon bucket. 250 watts would certainly be an overkill. Yes, I know that in theory it should stop heating when water reaches just above freezing. His bucket would probably be ice free with a 30 watt heater. I am just comparing it to the wattage of my dog water bowl heater which I use for chickens. It is a 25 watt unit. Thermo cube will cut off power when not needed. I also took into consideration his location. Illinois is not equal to Alaska.
Penny1960 also suggested aquarium heaters. They are an option for low current consumption heaters. The $20 thermo cube (some are available for less) is an additional part of heat control well worth the investment.

This is the bowl I use, and it is 25 watts. It is thermostatically controlled internally, but I still like to use it with a Thermo Cube.
I live in Northern Illinois with winter not extremely severe.

 

[cavemanrich]

@PingoBags
What make this forum so GOOD is peeps share their IDEAS. That Stc1000 is an EXCELLENT device. It is dirt cheep for such a fantastic control.. Comparing it to a Thermo Cube, it is the BETTER MOUSE TRAP. lol. The cube is a simple PLUG N PLAY device , so it has its usefulness as well.
Reading my posts you can see that I try to come up with crafty solutions.
During deep winter, I move my small flock of pet chickens into their winter housing. I built a loft area inside my garage. I provide 12 hours of light on a timer. There is sufficient square footage so chickens do not get on each other's nerves. This also makes no need to let them out of the coop in the morning, and most importantly lock them up in the evening. We come home when it is dark during winter. Spring, summer and autumn , they are in outdoor coop. In the loft I have 3 separate Baby Crock Pots. There are also some on the garage floor for my 4 legged pets in my Avatar. I use the heated dog bowl also. Mostly used outdoor when temps get to freezing and they are not yet indoors or are outdoors already and temps do drop low.

These hold about a quart of water.+- ,. I connect them to a dimmer switch controlled circuit. At about 30 volts current, (I did trial and see, with a voltmeter) the water is luke warm. I have never had a freeze up all winter. I take out the porcelain portion and washout and replenish with fresh water as needed. My dimmer switches live about 3 or 4 years average.
I may experiment with the STC 1000 and see how it works.

 

[pennyJo1960]

you can use a aquarium heaters they are really cheap and no not have the power draw

 

[cavemanrich]

There is always more than one way to skin a cat.
While I have never skinned a cat, I have came up with some crafty solutions to some interesting dilemmas.
If connecting a loooooong extension cord is impractical or subject to safety, consider this option. I use this option when camping and do not have plug in current available at campsite. I use a 12 volt automotive battery. (extra that I have. Deep cycle would be even better) I have a power converter. At camp I have 120 volts to do whatever I want. Up to the wattage limit of converter.
If you were using a low wattage heater and utilized a low wattage converter, You just may be able to use setup for a good number of days before needing to recharge your battery.
I don't have the time frame between recharging, but could be done with trial and see method. Here is the converter that should carry your needs. $20. https://www.harborfreight.com/200-watt-continuous400-watt-peak-power-inverter-61478.html. I use one much larger in my camper, but my needs are more wattage.

Add a good battery. Slightly more pricey these days, but it may get you thru with no long extension cords. All this would have to be out of the weather inside your coop, or other shelter, even a plastic tub enclosure.