water during winter

[aart]

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.

I've used the cups, they're OK but won't stand up to freezing.
My freezing climate is why I ended up with HN's,
and they work just fine all year around and in numerous situations.
Look at my 'Articles', several on HN's there.

 

[Bryant Redhawk]

I've got to look into a way to heat water from a solar charged battery.
Don't have electric run to the chicken/ hog area and I'm not running a 300 foot extension cord since it would need to be at least #2 wire for such a long run. Love the ideas here, but I'll need a 12 volt heat unit.

 

[RoosterML]

I've got to look into a way to heat water from a solar charged battery.
Don't have electric run to the chicken/ hog area and I'm not running a 300 foot extension cord since it would need to be at least #2 wire for such a long run. Love the ideas here, but I'll need a 12 volt heat unit.

You'll just need an inverter to convert DC into AC and then it's just like plugging into any old outlet.

 

[twilightgecko]

update on the heated water bowls.. we've had some lows these passed few nights.. one night was 8 degrees.. and the water bowls worked great.. water thawed and even a little warmish.. both the one in the coop and the outside one.. i'm very happy with them..

 

[aart]

update on the heated water bowls.. we've had some lows these passed few nights.. one night was 8 degrees.. and the water bowls worked great.. water thawed and even a little warmish.. both the one in the coop and the outside one.. i'm very happy with them..

Great!!
Pic of how you have yours set up?

 

[twilightgecko]

will grab a pick later when i let them out..

 

[twilightgecko]

took pics this morning.. in the coop and in their run.. i took these pics before i changed their water, which i just dump the old in a little bucket, wipe out and refill with a gallon water jug.. so it's pretty easy.. and to raise it up, just a little block of wood..

 

[RoosterML]

This has worked really well for me so far, under $20 and done. Uses the same waterer year round. Just make sure it's always submerged although if I remember correctly it has a safety to shut itself off.
Buy one of these, several sizes to choose from:
View attachment 1590685
And install like so :
View attachment 1590686

View attachment 1590690
View attachment 1590692
View attachment 1590693
And done! Best of all it comes my chicken approved!!

Failed !!!
I feel it is only appropriate to edit my own post to not mislead others.
While using a similar set-up in a different coop i had the water in the red tray freeze up on me this morning. Temp is 11*. The water did not freeze up in the container itself only what was in the red tray which was very easy to dump out and filled itself back up with the unfrozen water from within the container. The setup that frozen on me was the smaller 1 gallon flip over type waterer with a 50 watt aquarium heater in it. I had hoped that due to the inside heated water having a connection with the outside water it would have been enough to keep it thawed but it did not.

 

[aart]

I had hoped that due to the inside heated water having a connection with the outside water it would have been enough to keep it thawed but it did not.

Nope, not without circulation(which would be impossible with the flip over, open, gravity waterers).
Stick with the HN's....tho even those can freeze where water might remain in the tiny troughs outside the vessel.

Good post tho, Kudos!

 

[twilightgecko]

this morning it was 1 degree, probably got colder during the night and both water bowls stayed thawed.. i'm leaving the girls in the coop today.. just too cold outside..