Sitting with a cup of coffee. (coffee lovers)

[vehve]

Trying to be a bit dirty, are we?

Realistically, not much colder than -20F. And my nipples are on the buckets, no pipes. It's a simple enough build, just need to source the parts cheaply.

 

[Alaskan]

Since your nipples are on the bucket

I would just pick the submersible heater you like best, and use that.

Lots of choices. Maybe a bird bath heater would be good, since that is designed to only keep the water from freezing, not heat it up.

You have reliable electric?

 

[vehve]

Since your nipples are on the bucket

I would just pick the submersible heater you like best, and use that.

Lots of choices. Maybe a bird bath heater would be good, since that is designed to only keep the water from freezing, not heat it up.

You have reliable electric?

Last winter we had 2 blackouts, the other lasted 5 minutes, the other an hour. So pretty reliable. (We only have electric heating in our house, so if it goes out for days, I've got bigger things to worry about).

 

[perchie.girl]

I have four shots of espresso for breakfast most mornings.... can I join in?

deb

 

[perchie.girl]

WRT heating water... I am Southern California by the way so its not really an issue here.

But I have lived in colder climates.... some ideas on the subject. Moving water tends not to freeze as quickly. If there is a way to keep the water a bit above freezing then circulate it This may be a work around. For those who have watering nipples the water in the pipes may not be the issue.... Its the water that resides in the nipple.

As water freezes it expands... Causing leakage.

If the water can be kept say in a Winter housing situation.... Like in the coop where you can control the environment a simple lightbulb connected to one of those plug in devices that have an intergal thermostat would be enough to keep the water from freezing. This kind of set up works quite well for pump houses and such. Were not talking about hot just about keeping it above freezing.

Another option would be to build or setup a dog house just for the waterer. This could be insulated and heated with the same kind of device. Light bulb and thermostat.

deb

 

[vehve]

Deb, nice to have you here too, welcome

I'm going to appoint you my head of design, I'll run some thoughts by you later, but now it's bedtime.

 

[Alaskan]

My worries and thoughts:

1- if you have the water moving, AND the waterer inside the coop, that will greatly increase the humidity.

2- with a lid on the top, which I am sure you have, the humidity wouldn't increase in the coop, and yes, some people have set up their waterers with a low wattage fish tank water pump.

3. If the lightbulb in the coop is enough to keep the water from freezing, then wow, you either live where it is super warm, or you do not have enough ventilation.

4- ah! That counts as perfect electric.

 

[perchie.girl]

My worries and thoughts:

1- if you have the water moving, AND the waterer inside the coop, that will greatly increase the humidity.

2- with a lid on the top, which I am sure you have, the humidity wouldn't increase in the coop, and yes, some people have set up their waterers with a low wattage fish tank water pump.

3. If the lightbulb in the coop is enough to keep the water from freezing, then wow, you either live where it is super warm, or you do not have enough ventilation.

4- ah! That counts as perfect electric.

Water movement can be simply a single bubble flowing long the pipe and through a return tube back to the source. That bubble will push water ahead of it. This part I know very well. The water source doesnt have to be part of the coop. Only the access to the water. Put the water source as in a bucket out in an insulated ice chest with its own personal heat source. Run the nipples via pipe into the coop then recirculate the water through a return loop. All but the nipples can be insulated. Then you can recirculate with any means you need.

I personally am not a fan of nipple waterers and this is one of the reasons. I wont go into those that I have and freezing temps is one but not one of my ruling out criteria. (wow.... I am not sure what I just wrote

)

OK the reasons I don't care for them:
leakage: quality of product and proper installation is paramount for success.
lack of good strong water flow while drinking: I worked at a pet store and watched all the small animals struggle with their waterers even to the point of biting and shaking the bottle. Rabbits, hamsters, guineapigs and even the birds Hook bills and finches.
cant tell if they are not working: with casual inspection.
easily cloged: small debris even microorganisms will clog small orifices... even calcium
have to be plumbed some how: Something I know how to do but not easily done in my situation
freezing weather (not my personal issue though)

My situation.... The occasional 110 degree summer days here require that my waterers are automatically filled. Also that the water is deep enough to stay cool on the hottest day. So I use five gallon water tubs with stock tank filler valves. Makes em easy to clean too with a toilet brush and a flip the water is clean.

My chickens regularly dip their beaks in and get their wattles cooled down when its hot out. And yep they walk in the water occasionally. (plans for wading stations are in the works for those times)

But in environments that are to the extreme adaptations have to be made. Mine is not an extreme climate because those 110 days are few and far between. But I have to design to my worst case scenario in order to make the day to day process as predictable as possible. We have freezing temps but never more than a half inch on the waterers by morning. Then they are clear once the sun comes up.

deb

 

[TeaChick]

This pix has been passed about. I use it for a screen saver off and on.
I grind my own beans, 8 o'clock Columbian beans. Gee, I wished I was hard core enough to roast my own. I do use only cream and I do like to add flavors ince in a while when I put it on ice.

I like the image!

and

to the thread!!!
I like 8 o'clock Columbian too!!! We get whole bean and grind it ourselves. We don't have time to roast our own, but I'm sure that will be the next step (after the minions move out).

The best part of my mornings now are getting a hot cup of coffee and heading out to the coop to watch the girls!! I am in love with having chickens and now that I have chicks my mornings are even better. I no longer hate waking up and have been getting up at 6 or earlier. I look forward to getting up and doing chores!!! Put the coffee on and go feed my girls!!! Best part of waking up is chickens in your coop I say

I agree!!!

Sometimes, one is not enough. I may need more for a good old fashioned kick start.
My daddy drank coffee. He knew good coffee. He was an Insurance sales man after he was a chef/cook. He knew where every good coffee counter was around Hampton Roads. He said sometimes the cheapest coffee was the best and the most expensive coffee in the area was the worse. He knew good coffee.

He drank EIGHT O'CLOCK. I would wonder when he made me make him a pot before I left for school, why he drank the stuff. I did not like it. I thought it was terrible. I would have to pop open a bottle of Coke out of the carton inside the door of the refrigerator, by are you ready? By using the handle on the silverware drawer. Oh we had the opener screwed into the frame work above the sink but that was a reach. And I never liked using the old John Wayne.

Anyways, I liked to drink Coke in the kitchen in the morning while I fixed breakfast for my sister and me and make his coffee before school.

I remember the wooden drawer having dents because of my Coke bottles being jammed under the handle to pop the top. I had to have my Coke as I fixed his coffee before I left for school.

I try to remember the defining moment that I started to drink coffee. As I always turned it down for tea or soda. I believe it was the morning after when we were picked up. The day before we had gone out flying with another couple and the small Cherokee we were in had a slight problem and we sort of crash landed our small Cherokee on a deserted Island and we were under the radar and we kept calling mayday and we were not heard by the Coast Guard but there were the fishermen there to help. It is a long boring story but that hot coffee the next morning with us all damp and cold, I did not turn down that hot cup of coffee. I think that was the defining moment.

Any more, I dont know how I move without it in the mornings.

I agree with @vehve

Now that would make you a coffee drinker. You paint a nice picture with words.

 

[jknox1982]

Jenn, welcome to BYC. I am originally from Southeast Alabama. It is always good to meet a fellow Alabamian.

I grew up in CT and moved here when I was 25!!! been here for 7 years and I wouldn't change it for the world. Being able to have my chickens and fur babies there is nothing better