Please help me on this thought for a 5 gallon WINTER bucket waterer......

[jimmywalt]

I live in Michigan right near Lake Michigan so it gets COLD here in the winters!!!

I'm stressing out about how to water my 5 chickens and have been working on this for MONTHS!!!!!!! This will be my first winter with chickens.

I have a 4'x4'x4' coop and a run that's 8'x3'x3' (so it's not big and I can't fit in it).

In March I made the "Cookie tin waterer" that people rave about. The one thing that I hate about it is that I will need to refill it pretty often and they probably will mess in it and then I have to fill it even more often.

I've read boat loads of threads that say don't put water in the coop because of humidity and frost-bite.

So I would love to modify my "summer-time" 5 gallon bucket waterer that uses nipples (see pictures below).

What I'm wondering..... Since I only have 5 chickens could I just make a new 5 gallon bucket waterer and run about a 6" pvc pipe off the bottom (or preferably the side) with just 1 nipple. I'd set the bucket on a couple patio bricks to keep it off the ground, or possibly and 8" standard concrete block). If I put a submersible aquarium heater in the bucket, and a "92 GPH Miniature Submersible Fountain Pump" (from Harbor freight for $5.99) would this work well enough to keep the water moving and warm? I need it to also keep the water in the 6" piece of pvc and the nipple from freezing while it's outside in my "3 mil plastic" covered run.

Do you think this could work and the water & nipple not freeze? I also need to do this a inexpensive as possible!

I should also mention that I CAN'T hang this in my run. I will have to sit on bricks or blocks.

The first picture is my "vision". The other pictures is my "summer time" waterer that has worked perfectly and I only need to fill about one time per month.

Thank you!!!!!!!

 

[All Henned Up]

if you have elec. put one of those wrap around pipe heaters they sell at hardware stores. they have a thermostat and come in short lengths. it's like an extension cord that gets warm.

 

[jimmywalt]

if you have elec. put one of those wrap around pipe heaters they sell at hardware stores. they have a thermostat and come in short lengths. it's like an extension cord that gets warm.

Yes I have electric. But instead of the pipe tape that you are talking about, could I skip that and just make a 6" extension off the bucket and the aquarium heater along with the pump to keep the water moving..... would that work?

 

[All Henned Up]

don't you think the aquarium heater and pump will consume more elec than the tape, plus all you have to do is wrap the tape add some pipe insulation duct tape it up and its a no worrie fix . glass heater, pump clogged and what not.

 

[jimmywalt]

don't you think the aquarium heater and pump will consume more elec than the tape, plus all you have to do is wrap the tape add some pipe insulation duct tape it up and its a no worrie fix . glass heater, pump clogged and what not.

That's true about the electric, but I also have a thermocube that both can plug in to. The outlet will turn on at 35 degrees and off at 45 degrees....... So I'm thinking it won't use much electric unless it get's below 45.

See if I do the tape, that might work for the pvc pipe, but I doubt it could keep a 5 gallon bucket warm enough not to freeze...... but I'm not certain of that. Also doesn't that run 24/7?

Thanks for your comments!

 

[All Henned Up]

built in thermostat, I love you door opener ,I just checked it out

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

Quote: That part makes no sense because a "cookie tin HEATER" can be used with any size waterer

Set your 5 gallon bucket on top of it and you're done

If you go with your original idea, there's no need for a heater AND a pump in that small a container

Convection will distribute the heat without any need for a pump, because most aquarium heater won't heat to much less than 70 degrees

 

[jimmywalt]

I didnt explain well.... cookie tin idea was for my three gallon plastic red/white TSC purchased waterer that i hate.

I want 5 gallon bucket if possible. Its cleaner and only fill once a month. So ill build one and use aquarium heater plugged in thermocube so heater doesnt run 24/7.

 

[LoneOak]

Make your pipe run a closed loop system where you pull water from the bottom of the bucket and dump it back in the top. Any type heater that will keep the temp above freezing will maintain the entire thing if the water is flowing. Make the loop as short as possible but you could make it long enough for 2 nipples. I think the spring loaded horizontal nipples might work better though because they hardly drip at all.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

Quote:
There's no reason why you can't set that on the cookie tin heater.
If the one you made is too small, it's simple to make another one larger, and then you'll be able to cover the bucket without wires running in