in answer to your first questions: by fiddle, I mean you might have to manually jiggle the little spring loaded metal pins in the nipples. I had to do this sometimes last year, but on most occasions, the pins had frozen shut when the light bulb had burned out, or when the power had failed, or when the plug had become disengaged. These were totally exposed 5 gallon buckets heated only with 75 watt bulbs in cinder blocks. When everything was working right, they kept water available on even the coldest of days. A bucket could freeze solid, however, or could just be starting to freeze, when Murphy prevailed. With this sort of heating arrangement, you can lift the bucket off the cinder block to take it to a fill station when empty. (I used nearby heated 65 gal. Rain barrels fitted with spigots.). I did feel the need to check the nipples everyday to make sure they weren't frozen, and because I did this, I know that they are about as good as you can get in your kind of temps. I imagine that you would have very good luck with them with your less exposed coop location, especially if you heat it some. (But liter bottles are of course much smaller, and freeze faster, too. These nipple drinkers are screwed into a 3/8" hole you drill 1.5 - 2" from the bottom (higher with a submersible heater). The container is set on a block (a cinder block, in my case) or stand that brings the nipple up to about chest height of your birds. You can easily fill and clean your water vessel, just remember to use an easily removed lid. (Can give you ideas for this). If you decide to try one of these on the outside, with the nipple poking through (a thin) wall or mesh to the inside, you might want to look at some flat backed buckets (I think there may be small ones) that you can push right up flat to your coop, wherever you decide to mount it. There is another way to heat your water vessel simply and reliably. These are flat submersible pail heaters. I've used both Precision Allied and Farm Innovators Brands and found them reliable. They are thermostatically controlled, and I use them with Thermocubes anyways. If you use these sorts of heaters, you will need to unplug them in order to take the buckets to a filling station. This all supposes you are using a bucket of some sort, though, because these heaters won't fit in a liter bottle. So yes, you could fit a nipple into a liter bottle and wrap it with heat tape. The tape will measure the water temperature,yes? And how will it do with plastic, metalNOT?Oh, ok! There's another thought. I'm in Alberta, but it's pretty much like Manitoba, temperature-wise. That would actually work pretty well, as the coop/cage is mesh sides and top (and I close off one side in the winter with a wood top and plastic curtain over the mesh to give them draft protection). With an outside mount, heat tape wouldn't be at risk of being pecked and otherwise asundered, which is why I didn't go that route last winter. When you say "fiddle with" what would I have to do with the nipples so that they would work at temps that are typically -15C to -20C but regularly -30C to -40C? I had assumed they wouldn't work in such cold, but if they will, I would like to get some now so they get a chance to use them before winter hits. I feel like if they use them, that would also help keep them working..?
What I have works well enough to winter the same way as I did, but improving it would include having water available more consistently. I really don't have room in the winter for a cinderblock or any of the heated dishes I have ever seen, but an outside mount would work well, if, as you say, the nipples will work in the cold. Do you have a brand you would suggest?
If I go with using the lower part and the shed (And maybe the run, if they're interested on the warmer days), I would have more space, but also somewhat more heating challenges - but those would be easier to work around than the water issue. If they weren't so tiny, I feel like I would have less concern about heating, but they did do very well last winter, so I'm starting to treat them rather more like the standard size birds I grew up with instead of fretting that they are substantially different.
Thanks! I'll take a few measurements tomorrow and start plotting for a system upgrade, featuring nipples and heat tape. I bet it won't be as much fun as it sounds out of context.....
Please Help!
This is my first time raising chickens, and it will be the girls' first winter. I heard that the prediction for this winter is saying that we are in for some extreme cold and snowy weather.I was wondering if I will need to provide an additional heat source for them, and how cold does the temp need to be for me to have to do that. It's only late summer, but it is never too early to prepare!
I'd go up to the top of the page here, where it says "search discussions" and have a look at what comes up if you search soemthing like "freezing water". There's tons of options, from commercial heated waterers, to setups with lightbulbs, etc. Depends how much space you have, and what you have for power at the coop, and so on.
