Metal fabricated waterer with wintertime heater

[Dirty Farmer]

Quote:
It sometimes gets in the single digits, but the avarage temperature here in the winter I'd say around the low 20's. The little hen house is on pneumatic casters, so I rolled it into one of my barns, for the winter months. The barn is un heated, but stays a little warmer than the outside temperature. The water for the barn cats will freeze up sometimes, so I'd imagine it would for the chickens as well. The water heater that I made for the chickens, doesn't have to heat the water, just keep it warm enough to not freeze on them extra cold days.

 

[Dirty Farmer]

UPDATE:
It's 19 deg. outside, and inside the coop it's 30 deg. The Thermo-cube did its job, and turned on the 60watt lightbulb heater. So it's been on all day. I checked the temperature of the water bottle with a infared thermometer just now, and the water is at 77 deg. So no chance of the water freezing. I took out the 60watt lightbulb, and replaced it with a 25watt bulb, to get the temperture down some. I'd like the water to be no warmer than 40deg. at the most. I'll check the temp of it tomorrow, with the new bulb installed, and see where the temperature of the water is at.

 

[woody1]

That is super nice. Beats the heck out of my old metal strongbox with a light bulb inside! Regards, Woody

 

[This_chicks_place]

WOW!! Would you be interested in making another?

 

[colonel sander]

Real nice job on that one

Being a fab guy myself it is nice to see the work. I was going t osay that a small bulb should only be needed as aluminum is a good conductor of heat. But the water being 77 well you found that out

Keep up the great projects!

 

[Dirty Farmer]

Well, I went out to gather eggs this morning , and it’s 9 degrees outside today. It’s a balmy 25 degrees inside the chicken coop. I checked the temperature of the water bottle, now with a 25 watt bulb installed in the base. And the water is at a warm 41 degrees. So no frozen water for the chickens. For comparison, the barn cat’s water dish sitting on the floor of the barn, is frozen solid. I have to change the near empty water bottle in the chicken coop, with a full one, every three days.

Here’s my chicken schedule: I collect eggs every day, fill up their feeder every other day and change their water bottle with a full one every three days.

Realy not much work, for fresh eggs every day