water during winter

[RoosterML]

I use this heater also, for 4 years now, tho in a different vessel.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/aarts-heated-waterer-with-horizontal-nipples.67256/
Despite this nice warm wattle dipping free arrangement....
...they still go out and nip their wattles while noshing on the snow banks...SMH

Best part it comes with a lifetime warranty!!

 

[wamtazlady]

Probably overkill, but I’m nervous my flock isn’t getting enough to drink with just the horizontal waterers. And I feed wet mash, so I feel like they need a place to wash their beaks. Really though, I’m just a nervous chicken mom & don’t want them to be thirsty

Do the chickens hang out at the waterer all day long? Do they peck at the nipples constantly? If they are not doing that then they are getting the water they need. If they are thirsty they'd be pecking at those nipples constantly.

I use a water system similar to the one aart uses. Only difference is that aart uses a jug and I use a 10 gallon tote. Keeps the water thawed out very well. Been down to -22 F here and the birds were still getting water.

 

[aart]

This has worked really well for me so far,

Have you used this thru... how many winters?
It seems it would be really hard to refill waterer without putting the heater at risk.
How do you refill?

 

[Relleoms]

Do the chickens hang out at the waterer all day long? Do they peck at the nipples constantly? If they are not doing that then they are getting the water they need. If they are thirsty they'd be pecking at those nipples constantly.

I use a water system similar to the one aart uses. Only difference is that aart uses a jug and I use a 10 gallon tote. Keeps the water thawed out very well. Been down to -22 F here and the birds were still getting water.

No, they’re not hanging out, but they only drink about 1/2 gallon a day (13 chickens) which doesn’t seem like enough compared to what others have said. The heated bucket did great last winter, down to -29, but it was inside the coop. I’m not sure how it will fare outside (in a covered run, protected from the wind). I wanted to free up floor space in the coop, so I’m trying a hanging pail with a submersible heater inside the coop. Always willing to make a change if there’s a better way! But as long as the water is liquid, I should probably just chill...no pun intended

 

[RoosterML]

Have you used this thru... how many winters?

It seems it would be really hard to refill waterer without putting the heater at risk.
How do you refill?

No (I said it has worked well for me so far) last year and now this year which is getting underway. Also something else I may do is wrap the waterer with foil faced bubble wrap like you see on ductwork to help out the heater if needed. Very inexpensive.

Heater is not put at risk. I unplug heater and take both heater and bucket to house drain,clean,refill,insert heater, and twist base back on.
That's about it.
God I hate having to turn the water off to the barn in the winter!

 

[aart]

but they only drink about 1/2 gallon a day (13 chickens) which doesn’t seem like enough

Sounds about right to me....my 18 drink about 3/4 gal daily...less when there's rain or snow to indulge in.
Before I started with the Horizontal Nipples, I knew how much they drank daily because, well, I measure stuff...habits of observation and curiosity. So continued to do so as they switched over to the HN's, it took a week or so as some of them didn't get the nipples at first but they drink just as much from the nipple system as they did from an open waterer.

 

[aart]

Heater is not put at risk. I unplug heater and take both heater and bucket to house drain,clean,refill,insert heater, and twist base back on.
That's about it.

Ah, I see, safe but sounds like a PITA.
I just carry a gallon milk jug out and top off daily....Easy Peasy!

 

[RoosterML]

Ah, I see, safe but sounds like a PITA.
I just carry a gallon milk jug out and top off daily....Easy Peasy!

It's the same amount of work as normal the only difference is dropping the heater in.
I have a question for you and others. Do you guys not clean out the inside of your water holding "tanks"? The inside of my waterer gets cleaned every two days. Also cleaned with bleach every week or 2 tops. I notice a film inside the waterer so I wonder how you guys control that if your only continuously adding water. When I first started I use to add a piece of copper pipe into waterer to reduce algee growth but that was a pain so I decided to just clean every couple days. Summer time is worse with temps and sun, stuck cleaning it every day.

 

[aart]

I have a question for you and others. Do you guys not clean out the inside of your water holding "tanks"?

When I used open waterers I had to clean at least weekly.
But my waterer is 'closed', no poop, no bedding, no floating organisms taking up residence and proliferating, so cleaned only 2-4 times a year....ah, the beauty of HN's.
Algae's not a problem as waterer is inside coop and rarely to never is in direct sunlight, plus, again, closed system so little to nothing gets inside to grow.

I hate those 'flip waterers', and rarely use them anymore, only to dose electrolytes in summer heat waves.......and the Vertical Nipples are a PITA too.

 

[RoosterML]

When I used open waterers I had to clean at least weekly.
But my waterer is 'closed', no poop, no bedding, no floating organisms taking up residence and proliferating, so cleaned only 2-4 times a year....ah, the beauty of HN's.
Algae's not a problem as waterer is inside coop and rarely to never is in direct sunlight, plus, again, closed system so little to nothing gets inside to grow.

I hate those 'flip waterers', and rarely use them anymore, only to dose electrolytes in summer heat waves.......and the Vertical Nipples are a PITA too.

Good to know, as you can see I have tried the same type or nipples as yours but decided to go with the flip over type. Now the nipple ones along with cups are up in the rafters along with some homemade feeders.