The Evolution of Atlas: A Breeding (and Chat) Thread

[Leahs Mom]

Every winter I ask this question to see what other folks are doing. So...it's coming!

What do you all do for winter waterers?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Every winter I ask this question to see what other folks are doing. So...it's coming!

What do you all do for winter waterers?

Rubber buckets and bowl changed out twice a day with warm water. We run a tank heater in a 100 gallon stock tank for the donkeys, so either I take water out of that or I carry out hot water with my plastic watering cans.

 

[getaclue]

Every winter I ask this question to see what other folks are doing. So...it's coming!

What do you all do for winter waterers?

Absolutely nothing. I live in Central Florida, so it's not an issue.

 

[Leahs Mom]

I cry foul!!!! No one should be able to escape winter water woes. It makes one hardy.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I like winter. I consider it my season of rest. Can't garden in the snow.

 

[kitkat5505]

This is my first winter with chickens. I have a nipple waterer bucket and am worried about that. I was thinking of getting a small fish tank heater thing and putting it in the bucket, the coop is right outside the garage and we have lots of heavy duty exterior use extension cords (my hubby loves his Christmas lights lol). And I’d bring the bucket in the garage at night. My other thought was using our old heated dog water bowl and just refilling frequently, or setting a regular metal can waterer on top of it. I’m trying to pretend it’s not getting colder, perhaps denial will keep winter from coming this year. It’s never worked before, but I can hope...

 

[Leahs Mom]

If you're in a cold area, a heater won't keep VERTICAL nipples from freezing. The water in the bucket will be fine, but the nipples freeze solid.

Horizontal nipples WILL work in winter and won't freeze up.

 

[kitkat5505]

If you're in a cold area, a heater won't keep VERTICAL nipples from freezing. The water in the bucket will be fine, but the nipples freeze solid.

Horizontal nipples WILL work in winter and won't freeze up.

Dang. Well I guess I’ll go with my heated dog dish lol.

 

[speckledhen]

I hesitate to post what I do for winter because years ago, when I showed it, some smart alec who used to post on BYC (she has not been around lately) got up in my grill about it and I took it down. We make bucket defrosters. Never had an issue with any of them and you won't unless you use a high wattage bulb. Now, some of the 3 and 5 gallon waterers sit on concrete blocks and we put a heating pad on low under it, plugged in and it works great. But, the other ones sit on the bucket defrosters my husband made.

**well, was trying to find my pictures and it won't go from folder to folder without being super slow so maybe later, I'll try to find them.

 

[speckledhen]

Found them! Now, I've used these for many years, never an issue, but my husband knows how to wire things, so...And you can't use a large wattage bulb, plus you have to spray paint the buckets a dark color with that Krylon paint for plastic so they don't just glare out. Ours are all dark green. The 3 gallon waterers sit on them just fine. But, of course, this requires electricity in the coops.

I believe most have a 25-40 watt incandescent bulb in them, but no higher. And if you use a smaller 3 gallon bucket, no more than 25 watt, though! The very large buckets are too tall for bantams so we have a block for them to stand on to drink. In Lisa's climate, the trays would probably be partially iced up anyway or even mostly frozen (we get to single digits and close to zero at times and the waterer trays get a skim of ice then), so this may not work for something that cold unless you had a metal container and could put a higher wattage bulb in it. These are all heavy plastic buckets, of course, so you do not want high wattage bulbs. And the curlycue bulbs will not heat up so are useless here.