will THIS provide enough heat for winter?

[AEJEfarm]

I have 5 chickens (RIR, barred rock, wyandotte) in my coop that is locked at night to keep them safe, and inside the coop is a 5 gallon water bucket with 3 nipple waterers built into it. I have dealt with the ventilation in the coop, but I am unsure if im going to add any heat to the coop for the winter months. I may have thought of a solution- an aquarium heater for the bucket. If I add one to the bucket and have the water in the bucket set to around 70 degrees, I have a feeling that the radiant heat from the water/bucket would be enough to warm up the coop. Anyone have any thoughts on this? seems easier and safer than a heat lamp, and takes care of both the heat issue and freezing water issue. I would love to hear how you all feel about this

 

[PeepersMama]

Just keep the water heater at a high enough temp to keep it from freezing. As long as the coop is dry and draft free, your flock will be fine. If you notice frostbite on their combs, then see if you can find an infared heat lamp to turn on at night. Infared is not bright, so it will produce heat, but still let your birds sleep.
Water is better served cold. Keep in mind that a chicken's average body temp is 104 degrees, not 98, so they don't need as much heat as we think.

 

[RonP]

Not sure of your location, but those breeds should be good till temps well below -20F...

Proper draft free ventilation will prevent frostbite.

There are many solutions available for ice free water, including one in my signature below.

Hope this helps.

 

[aart]

I have 5 chickens (RIR, barred rock, wyandotte) in my coop that is locked at night to keep them safe, and inside the coop is a 5 gallon water bucket with 3 nipple waterers built into it. I have dealt with the ventilation in the coop, but I am unsure if im going to add any heat to the coop for the winter months. I may have thought of a solution- an aquarium heater for the bucket. If I add one to the bucket and have the water in the bucket set to around 70 degrees, I have a feeling that the radiant heat from the water/bucket would be enough to warm up the coop. Anyone have any thoughts on this? seems easier and safer than a heat lamp, and takes care of both the heat issue and freezing water issue. I would love to hear how you all feel about this

I use an aquarium heater for water in winter, it has worked great....once I got a good heater.
Works with horizontal nipples, but might not with vertical nipples.
Best to insulate the water vessel to lower power usage on heater.
3 gallon jug for 20 birds....they drink less than a gallon a day,
I tote out a jug of warm water every morning to top off jug.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/aarts-heated-waterer-with-horizontal-nipples


No need to heat the coop in most climates......and adequate ventilation makes the coop 'holding heat' moot anyway.