Heating Plastic Waterer

[Anne4596]

I have a plastic bucket with horizontal nipple waterer. I have no idea how to heat it. When the water freezes, will it crack the bucket? Does it have to be heated?

 

[Anne4596]

Please respond!

 

[Zoomie]

Please respond!

LOL! The thread was only up for an hour. In my neck of the woods people are just finally sitting down after chores.

I have my bucket sitting on one of these: http://www.strombergschickens.com/p...ric-fount-heater/Winter-Supplies-For-Chickens Works great. How cold does it get where you are? If it gets down to freezing, yes, your bucket will freeze. If you let it freeze solid it most likely won't crack but it could. Best not to let it freeze solid.

 

[Tom and Rhonda]

We have tried ALL the heated waterers for chickens, and found faults with everyone. Then I got this idea to try a 1 1/2 gal. heated dog dish. We have 18 hens and it holds enough water for a full day. The temp has been bellow 10 degrees and it has never frozen. You can get the exact one here. http://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/farm-innovators-round-heated-pet-bowl-6-qt
You have to try it.

 

[lazy gardener]

We have tried ALL the heated waterers for chickens, and found faults with everyone. Then I got this idea to try a 1 1/2 gal. heated dog dish. We have 18 hens and it holds enough water for a full day. The temp has been bellow 10 degrees and it has never frozen. You can get the exact one here. http://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/farm-innovators-round-heated-pet-bowl-6-qt
You have to try it.

I have been using that model for 3 years. Love it. When it's time to clean it out, I simply dump the water out, and swish it out with a hand full of snow. Plenty of that here. I set a gallon jug of water in the middle of it to make a water moat. This helps keep the birds from walking in it, and otherwise dirtying it as much. Also helps keep their wattles out of the water (I think). That way, the 6 qt. of water held in the coop becomes 1 gal. I can use what's in the jug to top off the water in the moat.

 

[Howard E]

I have a plastic bucket with horizontal nipple waterer. I have no idea how to heat it. When the water freezes, will it crack the bucket? Does it have to be heated?

I use something similar (bucket with horizontal nipples), except I dropped an electric bird bath heater into the bucket (cut a 1 1/4" hole in the lid for the power cord to run through.....has to be that big to get the plug through the hole. Option B would be to cut a slot in the bucket rim, or Option C, let the lid rest on the cord) It has kept water working down to -3F.

I am using this one, mostly as it was available at my local feed store.

https://www.amazon.com/API-250D-200-Watt-Birdbath-6-Foot/dp/B000HHLIXY

Something similar should work. Keep in mind, this is a bird bath heater, designed to keep stuff from freezing only, so kicks off at temps much above 40. Some use aquarium heaters, which heat water to 70F or greater. I don't see the need for that much heat.

I had an unheated bucket beside it. It froze solid.....from top to bottom, and when it got the bottom, the bottom bulged out, but didn't crack. When it thawed, it went back to working as normal. I was expecting something to have busted or the nipples to have popped out the side, but they didn't.

 

[RonP]

I use a modified cookie tin heater.

Works well with a plastic bucket.

Forever Water Heater one that lasts.