I just drop a de-icer in the bucket. For my small drinkers we make a heated box unit with only the nipple sticking out or place the container on a seedling heat mat if it's one of our small drinkers for the bantams. We use the horizontal nipples which are spring loaded so they don't have to hang.I have a question for those of you in the colder states... what do you do with the chicken nipple waterers in the winter? Do you switch back to a heated metal 5-gallon, or is there some way to keep the water flowing in the nipple waterer? Thanks!