Frozen Side Mounted Horizontal Nipples - How to keep them from Freezing?

[smschiller08]

I have a 5 Gallon Bucket with 5 Horizontal Nipples. The bucket is located in a run which I currently have 2 sides covered with thick plastic to stop the wind and snow from getting in. I have the K&H Perfect Bucket Heater in there now, which is a thermostatically controlled 80 watt water heater. Well, the bucket isn't even 1/2 full, and the nipples along with the bucket of water is frozen solid. The temperatures here have been in the 20s the past 3 days. Does anyone have any ideas on how to keep the water/nipples from freezing? I would really like to not have to worry if my chickens are getting water. I can't leave the house for more than a couple of hours at a time so that I'm back to refill a bowl with unfrozen water. I would appreciate any ideas or if someone is using something that works. I've seen this one and read some reviews. Was wondering if anyone has had good experience with it. Or if I can just use my one, already made, bucket with a higher wattage heater maybe? would that keep the Horizontal Nipples from freezing?? https://www.premier1supplies.com/p/heated-poultry-waterer?cat_id=227 HELP!

Our 250W submersible Heater works to -5F Coop temp so we just ordered 500W heater since temps in Northern MN have plummeted. Will also try oiling the nipples.
K&H Pet Products Ultimate Pail Deicer (No Float) w/ Cord Clip Red 250W https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002QXN1EQ/ref=cm_sew_r_sms_c_api_dO-qAbNKTCHXN

 

[JMotuzick]

5f here today 250w was working great!

 

[Howard E]

This is the unit I'm using in an uninsulated plastic bucket, with horizontal nipple and a cup waterer. Keeps a 4 gallon bucket unfrozen. Working part (valve) of the nipple is inside the bucket in the water, and has continued working to temps of -5F. The cup freezes up at around +20F, even with bucket heater working. Horizontal nipples are the way to go.

https://www.amazon.com/API-250D-200...14561529&sr=1-2&keywords=api+bird+bath+heater

Note.....bird bath heater. Thermostat kicks on and off around 40F. Below 40 and its on. Above 40 and its off. This may differ from an aquarium heater that keeps temps up to 70F or higher.

 

[JMotuzick]

Nipples froze up last night around 5f. I freed them up at bed time. Froze again over night. Got them going again at wake up, they all seamed thirsty. 250w stock tank heater keeps the water warm but the nipples are stuck. Not sure what I’m doing wrong?

 

[Blooie]

As @aart can tell you, I had the same issue my first winter with chickens. The water in the bucket stayed liquid, but the doggone nipples froze so solidly that ice filled the little cuppy catch thingy (technical term) and it formed icicles all the way down the bottom of the bucket, over the bricks we had the bucket sitting on, and right down to the ground. Every really cold morning we'd get up, start the coffee, bundle up, grab the heat gun, and while I did morning chores he thawed the nipples and melted the ice around the waterer. NOT fun in sub-zero temps! So we changed a few things.

First of all, we had a small stock tank heater in there but it floated, and that's not what we wanted. We wanted the water warmed from the bottom UP. So we had anchored it to a small round barbecue grate and wedged it in tightly at the bottom of the bucket, so it was only about 3 inches from the bottom of the bucket instead of at the top. BUT we had placed the horizontal nipples BELOW the level of the heater. Oops. Sounds like no big deal, but another BYCer used one of those fancy point-at-something-and-get-an-instant-measurement thermometers (another Blooie technical term) at the bucket he was using and found that indeed there was a difference from the top of the water to the bottom. The second mistake in our set up was using hollow bricks under it for support. Duh, Blooie - can you say cold air all the way around and under the bucket? The third mistake we made was having the water in the coop, when we had a perfectly set-up hoop run with clear plastic protection around it. Think greenhouse!

So we got another bucket, reset the heater just as we had it, then put the old nipples from the other one in there, but above the level of the heater. We replaced the hollowed bricks with a more solid support, covered in a thick layer of shavings. And we moved the water to the southeast corner of the run, where the sun could shine it during the day. We continued to use that same waterer year round, the only difference being the heater came out, was cleaned up and put away for summer, year after year with absolutely no issues.

 

[aart]

Note.....bird bath heater. Thermostat kicks on and off around 40F. Below 40 and its on. Above 40 and its off. This may differ from an aquarium heater that keeps temps up to 70F or higher.

That's why I use a thermocube to control power to AQ heater, on at 32F off at 45F. Yes, water temp is ~68(lowest setting on heater).

Wonders how warm the other types of heaters keep the water?

 

[hlhutchinson]

OK, so here's an update. After reading many of the suggestions here, and I sincerely appreciate and thank all of you!! In my research, I have found a new item that Farm Innovators came out with. I called and they said it works specifically for what I want to do. I also e-maild ChickenNipples.com (makers of the horizontal nipples) and they too suggested this item. It is only 150 Watt, but every company I called said that should be more than enough for a 5 gallon bucket only half full. Here's the link if anyone is interested :https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01I57ZFEU/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I'm keeping my fingers crossed and hoping this will work. It is supposed to arrive by Thursday, but now we will be in the 40's and 50's here for the next week...UGH. So I will check back and let you know how it works when we have some freezing weather again.

Thanks again!!!

This is what I have, we have had some cold days with highs of 13 during the day no problem with my water or the horizontal nipples freezing

 

[Blooie]

This is what I have, we have had some cold days with highs of 13 during the day no problem with my water or the horizontal nipples freezing

How come you've been blessed with warmer weather than we're getting up here? I call "unfair-sies".

 

[JMotuzick]

Ok, I’ll make up a new waterer today, higher nipples! At this point they are below the heater. The 250w stock tank heater sinks and is on a brick to keep it off the bottom about 2”. The pavers the whole thing is resting on are solid. SE side of the coop, we don’t have a covered run. I’ll keep everyone updated!

 

[hlhutchinson]

How come you've been blessed with warmer weather than we're getting up here? I call "unfair-sies".

Hehe I have been wondering about that too, we so far have had a very mild winter. I’m loving it