Plastic 5 gal Bottle with Horizontal Nipples on Cookie Tin Heater

[LilyBird]

How many birds do you have?
I'd rather carry a little bit each day then a lot every few days.

We don't have any yet...hopefully in the next week or two. Just trying to do my research before we assemble our coop and run. But we will be getting 6. It's just with a busy life I want them to be as low maintenance as possible. I'd rather do the work now in setting everything up then do it every day and it become a pain. Lol

 

[aart]

Quote: IMO chickens need to be tended to and checked on every day and locked up safely every night, you can use big feeders and waterers, but eggs should be gathered every day, especially in winter when they might freeze and crack.

 

[henless]

I used a 5 gallon bucket on the cookie tin last year and had no problems. It got down into the upper teens a few days, but did fine.

 

[mainer1955]

Has anyone simply tried putting these horizontal nipple waterers, into a 5 gallon water bottle, on top of a cookie tin heater?

Or do I have to wait in anticipation for freezing temperatures again to report my results...

My thoughts are that the heat source in the center of the bottom of the bottle, would cause the warmer water to rise, creating a continuous "current" as warm water is displaced with cold.

Thus circulating without assistance.

No need to have a "large" tin or surface area, just sufficient energy to keep 5 gallons above 32F regardless of ambient temperatures.

I know a 38W bulb works just fine on ~2.5 gallons till at least -9F using a metal double walled waterer.



I know heat will not conduct as well through plastic as it does through metal.
Nor does cold

.

I also know that condensation formed from the hot and cold surfaces, will create a continuous transfer of energy, and not be a safety concern.

Many already use plastic waterers, just wondering if anyone has tried this particular scenario.

Opinions??

 

[mainer1955]

Has anyone simply tried putting these horizontal nipple waterers, into a 5 gallon water bottle, on top of a cookie tin heater?

Or do I have to wait in anticipation for freezing temperatures again to report my results...

My thoughts are that the heat source in the center of the bottom of the bottle, would cause the warmer water to rise, creating a continuous "current" as warm water is displaced with cold.

Thus circulating without assistance.

No need to have a "large" tin or surface area, just sufficient energy to keep 5 gallons above 32F regardless of ambient temperatures.

I know a 38W bulb works just fine on ~2.5 gallons till at least -9F using a metal double walled waterer.



I know heat will not conduct as well through plastic as it does through metal.
Nor does cold

.

I also know that condensation formed from the hot and cold surfaces, will create a continuous transfer of energy, and not be a safety concern.

Many already use plastic waterers, just wondering if anyone has tried this particular scenario.

Opinions??

wondering if anyone has ever tried using the horizontal nipples right into a stainless steel pot (like what is used in this post to house the heater.) I have a metal heater base and for 10 yrs have used this with double walled waterer but have had 3 of these rust out. Saw this on amazon and thought why cant i just use the stainless steel pot with horizontal nipples and place on my metal heater base? any thoughts
paste this on amazon search:
Love My Barnyard Backyard Chicken Poultry Waterer, Stainless 1.3 Gallon (5 Liter) Drinker With 3 Side-Mounted Nipples

 

[aart]

wondering if anyone has ever tried using the horizontal nipples right into a stainless steel pot

Not that I've seen.
It would be hard to get a good thread seal.