This is awesome and I love how you recycled food and coffee containers for storage. I was looking for a way to solar heat a sunroom for an indoor garden and your video came up and I couldn't stop watching. So great job
thanks for the info....I was looking for a way to keep the water from freezing and your video was a really big help. Very, very simple, hadn't even heard of the EZ Heat plug until your video..... Thanks again
NICE VIDEO!! I'm going to do the same. Right now I have an old camper trailer I converted to a chicken coop. These bucket methods will work for the space I have. Good job one again.
Ryan, That sounds like a great use for an old trailer, and it's mobile! Make sure you use the Horizontal nipples not the ones out the bottom of the bucket. They won't freeze like the bottom style will. I did a video on those.
I ordered what I need to make my bucket...you have a great setup...thanks for the video...winter is almost here and I will be getting mine done...only difference is I found the side mount nipples...I will use the bottom nipples for the summer...PJ Miller
Very good idea!" I seen where one person used a heat tape by using two buckets, the being an outside liner.. Right now I have a light bulb underneath mine.. It is nice to see people posting their own ideas it is very helpful to a lot of people including myself.
bubba, Thanks, it worked very well but not prefect. The outside waterer needs more wattage, I think 500 watts there. It's just to cold. The inside needs some more protection around the metal part of the nipples themselves. The metal would freeze if in the teens and single digits so I am working on a solution for that. Problem is with this heat wave we are having, it's not cold enough!!
I like your channel because you pay attention to detail. I'm a Carpenter Plumber Electrician all wrapped into one. In my State we didn't have to have a license up until a few years ago. My kind will be a dying breed all thanks to government regulations. It' a shame when Government over steps it's bounds taking our rights away to be free men...
That is for sure and we are glad to help. I even instatlled my own heating systems. I have two boilers wood & coal and oil and I didn't have them involved with it either. The person that owned this house before had the systems hooked up wrong and we never had heat in our upstairs. They had the return going into the supply.. I had some one recently call me asking for advice to hook up his own systems with his oil furnace. He was going to hook it up like my old systems weas hooked up. I set him strait and directed him on the right path.. He told me that it works great and that his wife likes it nice and toasty complaining about the heat : )
Great Information !! I am just getting geared up to raise some chickens so i want my coop ready for Northern Canadian winter...we can get down to -40 C which is -40 F as well but we usually hover around -20/-25 so i really need to do some work insulating my coop and putting heat in i may need a water heater a little more powerful then the one your used so good to know i can get one ...Not sure what i will use to heat the coop but i want my birds to be comfortable so i am not sure just heat lamps will cover it...works good in my dog kennels but they have rooms inside the the kennels with only a 4 foot clearance that i put the lamps in. I really enjoy your videos I have been watching lots of them getting ready for chicken Also been watching to see which are really hearty cold weather birds thanks again for the great information
Fish tank heater worked good for me this last winter. Temps got down to 0 deg. F and no ice. Water did not get too hot either. Probably cheaper than the one you showed.
The Practical Prepper Tetra 5-15 gal heater. Purchased it at Wal Mart and was about 15 dollars. Worked all winter with no issues. Box said it was 50 Watts so it should be a little cheaper to operate as well. I might put it on a timer so that I am not running it all day long which should save even more $$.
granger amthor Granger, sounds like a great buy. I don't think 50 watts would have done it for me. I still have the nipples themselves freeze when the temp hovered at the single digits for a couple of days. I know folks have had great results with the aquarium heaters, I will have to think about how to protect the nipples themselves. Oh well, another project!
Jeremy, the build worked perfectly when coupled with using horizontal nipple feeders. The horizontal do not have steel ball bearings and pin that can freeze since these are farthest from the heat source. I was not reading the directions on how to build it, was referring to the heater box info. But yes, works great!
It was my understanding that that particular heater had an internal thermostat, so it regulates based on how cold the water is, not the outside temp. What am I missing?
Not a thing med1pilot. It does have a built in thermostat. I go by the prepper motto that one is none, two is one and three is just right. I like backups in case the one in the bucket goes off the reservation.
Seems like people are having luck with aquarium heaters and bubblers. Wonder if plugging the aquarium heater into the EZ heat adaptor would be worth it?
So it's been over a year since you posted this video, does it work? I've seen in some of the bellow posts that the nipples them selves are freezing. I live in North Central Indiana and in our winter it frequently doesn't get out of the teens for a week or more. It's a great idea, I would still like to hear more information on how this setup is working.
James, well for the most part it works very well. During the winters here, we do get a week in the teens and they do freeze when that happens. I use my hands or one of those chemical hand warmers to thaw them out. Usually only takes a few minutes to do the feeder but it does take your personal attention. When weather is in the 20's, everything is fine unless we get a lot of wind. So when they are frozen, I will take my cut bucket (a 5 gallon bucket cut down to the bottom 6") and fill that with water while I get them thawed out. Not a perfect solution but a trough with enough heat to keep it from freezing might be the ultimate solution for long cold spells.
12:10 The plug/thermostat "comes on at 38 goes off at 50"? So, the actual coop must be at 50 degrees F before that heater turns off? Wouldn't that continue to heat the water non-stop, being that the room temp will never hit 50 from water heated in the bucket? Or am I missing something? I think you'd need a method of regulating the actual bucket/water temp.. right?
+Frederick Dunn Frederick, since the coop is not heated, yes it will run if the coop never gets to 50 degrees. The only other way is to use the water temp probe to monitor for cycling the heater. Most people do what I do and use air temp as a guide. If we used the water, given an air temp is in the teens as an example using the same cycle temps. The heater would come on at 38, heat the water up and then shut off at 50, which would be fairly quick. My thought, not proven is that the water would cool down quickly and the heater would fire back up. I think you make a point that you may run less time with water but am not sure how much would be saved. Another thing to look into!!
I bought one of these heaters. The box says it's thermostatically controlled. This is what is in the description of the product on Amazon: Thermostatically Controlled All K&H Ultimate Deicers, are thermostatically controlled. This means they will automatically turn on and off as needed to keep the water in your stock tanks or buckets from freezing. Please note: These deicers will maintain a tank temperature of just above freezing and cannot be adjusted to higher temperatures.
Gary, not that it matters is the short version. The coop is not insulated, so the difference in temp from inside to out is small. If we get some wind to add to the cold the very top of the bucket may have some light ice but the bottom is clear and running. The heater does have it's own thermostat, I use the inside one for safety in case that fails.
@@TPPrepper ok. Thanks for the reply. We are raising our first flock and I am working out the details and am currently working out the electrical phase. Just trying to decide where to mount my box. Thanks again!
You said the directions on the heater box not to use an extension cord. You clearly said: "Yeah, right!" Why are these cords not recommended for your heater? Are they a fire, plastic melting, short out hazard? Is it safe to use extension cords?
CF, generally extension cords used in place of standard hard wiring are not recommended by most manufactures. The National Electric Code does not allow cords used this way. Being an electrician by trade, when I scoff at the note on the box, its with knowledge. Most problems with the use of extension cords is being overloaded. The cord has a rating of so many amps or watts of load and folks don't watch that. Overloaded wiring of any type starts fires. I actually used extension cords in the chicken run just because it's quick. But i used heaver cords, made to be exposed to the elements, after all it's just a chicken coop! Just know what the heater draws and make sure you have the right cord. 14 gauge and above for sure. 14 gauge is good for 15amps and #12 cords for 20amps.
I use an aquarium heater that allows for water temperature regulation. I then put bubble wrap around the bucket and keep a close eye on the water level, as the heater will crack if the water gets below it. By the way, what size drill bit did you use? I need to make another one and forgot that bit of info. Thanks for the video.
Pretty late on this one guys, apologize but sometimes we don't see comments on you tube for whatever reason. So Tim had it right 11/32. I mounted the nipples low toward the bottom maybe an inch or two up at the most. I want to make sure when I am not using the heater that they can get all the water. In the winter, I just check the water more often and with a 5 gallon bucket, it takes quite a while to get the water to the top of the heater. Aaron had a good thought, if you want to make sure the level does not drop below the heater mount them above it. The only issue there is that the water in the summer when use is high has more available to the birds. Just personal preference so do what works for you.
I guess you could but I don't see the point. For long term food storage I do but when I clean these buckets for the birds very regularly and use some vinegar in the water, it tends to keep anything from being an issue.
Does the easy heat outlet determine the weather inside, or outside in the air, or does it determine what the weather is at the end of the plug etc? Because you have a cord running outside, and you have a cord running inside which is two different temperatures, so I'm curious how that works? Thanks.
+Lynard Brock Lynard, it looks at the temp at the unit. In the winter, we have their water indoors so it's sensing the temp inside the coop. If it were outdoors, there would be a difference but when it's cold, doesn't really matter if there is a few degrees difference.
Help I have the same setup nipples froze solid here in Ohio it's currently 19 Degrees with the wind it feels like 1 degree need solution fast please help
hey there! thanks for the video! was wondering where in the country you are located, what type of winters you have? also, did you find that using a higher wattage heater worked to keep the nipples from freezing? we just had 15F degree weather here (northern IL) over the weekend and the nipples froze. =( suggestions?
+skizyx98 We are located in Reno Nevada. For the past few years, we have had milder winters with temps down into the teens and sometimes single digits. Our normal winter here has as cold or colder temperatures and more snow. It looks like this winter is getting more than usual so far and that will help with our drought. I moved my wattage on the heater to 1,000, from the 250 in the video. So far, with temps in the low 20's, the feeder outside did not freeze. We have a storm coming tomorrow that will have us in the low teens all week so I will see what happens then. It seems to me that more wattage is the answer and keep it out of direct wind if possible.
I really like the chicken nipple heater and I'll have to add my weather into the equation, being I have more encroaching wind chills and deep freezer temps. Maybe add a box and light bulb. + = )
The heater we used in the bucket did great into the teens. Since we were using the horizontal water nipples, they never froze and had flow as long as the heater in the bucket denied the ice a hold. Pretty happy with that setup.
Great video! Just curious, is the heater still working? And any issues at all? It's September here in Indiana and was wanting to plan ahead for this winter and I came along your video. Thanks!!
Rich, Yep, works great and no issues. I did start using the horizontal nipple feeders since the vertical style tend to freeze shut. The Horizontal do not freeze. The heater does the job just fine and it is our go to for the winter. Good luck!!
Those heaters really add to the electric bill. Also, using the vertical nipples, my chickens get water all down their beards and it then turns to icicles. Unless I go to each chicken and use my warm hand(freezing my hand in the process) and then towel dry their beards, (LF Salmon Faverolles) they can remain frozen for days. Living in Northern Michigan where we can get down to 15 below zero F for 2 or 3 weeks at a time, these are not a good idea. I choose to use the 2 1/2 gal. bucket w/lid, and I wrap a heat tape around it. I use the horizontal nipples. The heat tape only uses 95 watts, and keeps the water a nice warm temp. Also, I go out three times a day and place a bit of the warm water into the 1-Gallon Plastic Poultry Fount w/ red base. I can tell they are not getting enough water from the nipples because they dive into this as soon as I put it down. As long as I check it three times a day I can get to it before it freezes. I do not like to leave heat lamps or light bulbs on in my coop. But the heat tape has been going for several weeks with no fluctuation in the electric bill and the warm water is available for them and for me to dip into to fill the Fount right there in the coop.
Ellen, I have added a big note that I do not use the vertical nipple feeders anymore, only the horizontal. As for the heaters, they are 250 watts and they will add some to your heat bill. They all add to the utility bill. Heat strip usually used about 7 watts per foot. So you must be using about 12' or so.That is less than the one I use but not that much less. If yours works for you great, but mine works fine for me. I don't go out and give the chickens warm water 3 times a day, that must be a treat for them. I wonder why that is needed since my chickens get plenty of water from the feeder as is. The horizontals won't freeze because there is no ball bearing like the vertical feeders so is the water icing up in the buckets?
that's usually what happens when you do a raw video... thanks bud.. I found that also on the tractor supply site.. it is a must have for keeping water from freezing when you have live stock.. thanks for the great info...
Shortaxe this Jan, the temp went to 10s for nearly two weeks in NC-where im at, the aquarium heater kept a 5gal bucket full of water from freezing. I set the 200w aquarium heater at 80F
I waited and got one of these did the whole thing plugged in and my nipple still freeze it does not get warm at all the water doesn't freeze but my nipples still do
Benjamin, I had to switch to the Horizontal nipples which don't have metal parts that freeze. I did a video on these, take a look at that. Still using 250 watt heaters and the horizontal with no freezing at all, even at 10 degrees.
Ah, got it. You are right, the bottom nipples don't work, the side nipples do. I did another video about the side nipples and they work great. The side nipples to not use the metal ball bearing which freezes up no matter what heater you use.
dont think you neded to take the cage off, to make it float theres a plastic ring that has styrofoam in it that screws onto the cage. Didnt look like yours came with it the one i just got had it attached. thanks for the video
Thanks for sharing that with us. Great setup! Suggestion: you can buy nipples on ebay for 10 bucks 50 pieces. I did that, but my needs is about 20 nipples. So I was sell 30 nipp for 15 bucks and got my nipples for free.
@@TPPrepper I think they were just referring to your comment in the video. I got a chuckle out of it too. As an electrician (looks like you are too) we know the way it's "supposed to be" and the way it goes in the real world are not always the same!
@@jdiddy6901 Well as one electrician to another, probably right. You know the NEC but it's a chicken coop went through my mind. Kinda hard NOT to do it the way the book says... but.....
No offense but... One thing I have noticed with all of these heated chicken waters I have seen on youtube. Is that no one insulates the water system from heat loss. Just use more electricity to heat the outside :-( I can't help but wonder if the water nipples would have frozen if the bucket was insulated??? Also if the water level was to get to low, many emersion heaters will burn out if the heating element is out of water when powered up. Just thinking if one of the nipples were to get stuck open.
+MrGordy61 No offense taken, like your idea. I had thought of insulating the bucket at one time but I never followed up. The problem is how to do that, that the chickens won't peck at or tear up. I had thought of foam but that needs to be wrapped and then you have the lid, which would be a problem to do. If you have a design, would like to see what you come up with. As for the nipples freezing if insulated, yes they would have still frozen. The problem with those is that the stainless steel pin that pushes the stainless steel ball out of the way for water to flow, cannot be insulated. It has to be in open air for the chickens to poke at, so the horizontal feeders are the way to go. I have changed ALL of my nipples to horizontal and they work great. Also on your note of burning out if a nipple sticks open. Have never had one drain a bucket yet so that has not been an issue. I would like to find a way to control the water temperature closer at the bucket. By that I mean that if we had a thermostat with probe in the water that had a closer on-off temp range, we could not have it running when the air temp is say 34 to 50 but the water itself. I am working on that one! Thanks for the comments MrGordy61.
+The Practical Prepper We are planning on getting chickens in the future and I was wondering what you mean by HORIZONTAL nipples? Did you install them in the sides of the buckets, hence horizontal,.. I can't see that working, but would love to know if that is what you are talking about. Thanks!
J TDMN, In the video I give you the place to order the horizontal nipples. They mount on the side and differ from the vertical in that they have a bowl area that serves to capture the water. If your thinking of the vertical nipples mounted on the side, your right, that would not work. Horizontal is a different product and they are now the only one I will use since we do have very cold weather during parts of the year. If I were in an area with no freezing but on rare occasions, I might just use the vertical.
This is awesome and I love how you recycled food and coffee containers for storage. I was looking for a way to solar heat a sunroom for an indoor garden and your video came up and I couldn't stop watching. So great job
8:40 practical aptitude test :) Thanks for the video...
I look forward to more video's from you. I love seeing the projects animals and gardens. Thanks for sharing.
thanks for the info....I was looking for a way to keep the water from freezing and your video was a really big help. Very, very simple, hadn't even heard of the EZ Heat plug until your video..... Thanks again
nice job....looks great...great view of those Mountains
can you put drill bit size and link to heater here?
Nice and clean job!
Nice video. Folger's Black Silk is definitely a good coffee.
So practical! Thank you!
NICE VIDEO!! I'm going to do the same. Right now I have an old camper trailer I converted to a chicken coop. These bucket methods will work for the space I have. Good job one again.
Ryan,
That sounds like a great use for an old trailer, and it's mobile! Make sure you use the Horizontal nipples not the ones out the bottom of the bucket. They won't freeze like the bottom style will. I did a video on those.
I ordered what I need to make my bucket...you have a great setup...thanks for the video...winter is almost here and I will be getting mine done...only difference is I found the side mount nipples...I will use the bottom nipples for the summer...PJ Miller
Very good idea!" I seen where one person used a heat tape by using two buckets, the being an outside liner.. Right now I have a light bulb underneath mine..
It is nice to see people posting their own ideas it is very helpful to a lot of people including myself.
bubba,
Thanks, it worked very well but not prefect. The outside waterer needs more wattage, I think 500 watts there. It's just to cold. The inside needs some more protection around the metal part of the nipples themselves. The metal would freeze if in the teens and single digits so I am working on a solution for that. Problem is with this heat wave we are having, it's not cold enough!!
I like your channel because you pay attention to detail. I'm a Carpenter Plumber Electrician all wrapped into one. In my State we didn't have to have a license up until a few years ago. My kind will be a dying breed all thanks to government regulations. It' a shame when Government over steps it's bounds taking our rights away to be free men...
bubba,
Guys like us die in the licensing section of your local government building, but we rise when friends and neighbors need something!!!
That is for sure and we are glad to help.
I even instatlled my own heating systems. I have two boilers wood & coal and oil and I didn't have them involved with it either. The person that owned this house before had the systems hooked up wrong and we never had heat in our upstairs. They had the return going into the supply.. I had some one recently call me asking for advice to hook up his own systems with his oil furnace. He was going to hook it up like my old systems weas hooked up. I set him strait and directed him on the right path.. He told me that it works great and that his wife likes it nice and toasty complaining about the heat : )
You don't need to drill vent holes when the lid just sits on top, especially when you notch the lid for the cord
Andy, exactly right! The things you learn by doing.....
Great Information !! I am just getting geared up to raise some chickens so i want my coop ready for Northern Canadian winter...we can get down to -40 C which is -40 F as well but we usually hover around -20/-25 so i really need to do some work insulating my coop and putting heat in i may need a water heater a little more powerful then the one your used so good to know i can get one ...Not sure what i will use to heat the coop but i want my birds to be comfortable so i am not sure just heat lamps will cover it...works good in my dog kennels but they have rooms inside the the kennels with only a 4 foot clearance that i put the lamps in. I really enjoy your videos I have been watching lots of them getting ready for chicken Also been watching to see which are really hearty cold weather birds thanks again for the great information
Fish tank heater worked good for me this last winter. Temps got down to 0 deg. F and no ice. Water did not get too hot either. Probably cheaper than the one you showed.
Granger, that's great. Do you have some info on the one you used? I would like to compare them, I may have paid more! Thanks
The Practical Prepper Tetra 5-15 gal heater. Purchased it at Wal Mart and was about 15 dollars. Worked all winter with no issues. Box said it was 50 Watts so it should be a little cheaper to operate as well. I might put it on a timer so that I am not running it all day long which should save even more $$.
granger amthor
Granger, sounds like a great buy. I don't think 50 watts would have done it for me. I still have the nipples themselves freeze when the temp hovered at the single digits for a couple of days. I know folks have had great results with the aquarium heaters, I will have to think about how to protect the nipples themselves. Oh well, another project!
Awesome video!
This video seems like more of an idea than a "here's something that works." Literally reading the instructions while building it. So does it work?
Jeremy, the build worked perfectly when coupled with using horizontal nipple feeders. The horizontal do not have steel ball bearings and pin that can freeze since these are farthest from the heat source. I was not reading the directions on how to build it, was referring to the heater box info. But yes, works great!
I think your 5 gal bucket was a great idea. I love it because I only have 4 chickens and I don't have to fill it every day.
Will it hurt the heater if the water gets to low or does the heater turn itself off? Thanks for the video.
Nice setup man
Very helpful thank you!
It was my understanding that that particular heater had an internal thermostat, so it regulates based on how cold the water is, not the outside temp. What am I missing?
Not a thing med1pilot. It does have a built in thermostat. I go by the prepper motto that one is none, two is one and three is just right. I like backups in case the one in the bucket goes off the reservation.
love the add for the Home Depot!
thanks for this video, really well thought out
great video thank you very much.... where do you get them thermo outlets??? thumbs up
Richard, It's available through this link to my Amazon store. Great product! astore.amazon.com/thepracprep-20?_encoding=UTF8&node=7
Great Video! Thanks!
Seems like people are having luck with aquarium heaters and bubblers. Wonder if plugging the aquarium heater into the EZ heat adaptor would be worth it?
Chris, I think they may work, it just depends on the wattage of the heater and just how cold it is. Give it a try, you can always move the wattage up!
So it's been over a year since you posted this video, does it work? I've seen in some of the bellow posts that the nipples them selves are freezing. I live in North Central Indiana and in our winter it frequently doesn't get out of the teens for a week or more. It's a great idea, I would still like to hear more information on how this setup is working.
James, well for the most part it works very well. During the winters here, we do get a week in the teens and they do freeze when that happens. I use my hands or one of those chemical hand warmers to thaw them out. Usually only takes a few minutes to do the feeder but it does take your personal attention. When weather is in the 20's, everything is fine unless we get a lot of wind. So when they are frozen, I will take my cut bucket (a 5 gallon bucket cut down to the bottom 6") and fill that with water while I get them thawed out. Not a perfect solution but a trough with enough heat to keep it from freezing might be the ultimate solution for long cold spells.
Awesome! Thanks for the ideas!
12:10 The plug/thermostat "comes on at 38 goes off at 50"? So, the actual coop must be at 50 degrees F before that heater turns off? Wouldn't that continue to heat the water non-stop, being that the room temp will never hit 50 from water heated in the bucket? Or am I missing something? I think you'd need a method of regulating the actual bucket/water temp.. right?
+Frederick Dunn
Frederick, since the coop is not heated, yes it will run if the coop never gets to 50 degrees. The only other way is to use the water temp probe to monitor for cycling the heater. Most people do what I do and use air temp as a guide. If we used the water, given an air temp is in the teens as an example using the same cycle temps. The heater would come on at 38, heat the water up and then shut off at 50, which would be fairly quick. My thought, not proven is that the water would cool down quickly and the heater would fire back up. I think you make a point that you may run less time with water but am not sure how much would be saved. Another thing to look into!!
I bought one of these heaters. The box says it's thermostatically controlled. This is what is in the description of the product on Amazon:
Thermostatically Controlled
All K&H Ultimate Deicers, are thermostatically controlled.
This means they will automatically turn on and off as needed to keep the
water in your stock tanks or buckets from freezing. Please note: These deicers will maintain a tank temperature of just above freezing and cannot be adjusted to higher temperatures.
Easy Country has it exactly right on it shutting off. I expect it to cycle several times an hour given temperature.
I heard there is copper nipples you can buy for even less chance for freeze.
I was wondering how the heater turned out? Did the thermostat outlet work or did it allow the water temp to get too hot?
mkh239,
Good question, I am going to do a follow up video because there were lessons to be learned about this. It works though.
Does the outside bucket freeze since you've got the thermostat that controls it on the inside?
Gary, not that it matters is the short version. The coop is not insulated, so the difference in temp from inside to out is small. If we get some wind to add to the cold the very top of the bucket may have some light ice but the bottom is clear and running. The heater does have it's own thermostat, I use the inside one for safety in case that fails.
@@TPPrepper ok. Thanks for the reply. We are raising our first flock and I am working out the details and am currently working out the electrical phase. Just trying to decide where to mount my box. Thanks again!
You said the directions on the heater box not to use an extension cord. You clearly said: "Yeah, right!" Why are these cords not recommended for your heater? Are they a fire, plastic melting, short out hazard? Is it safe to use extension cords?
CF, generally extension cords used in place of standard hard wiring are not recommended by most manufactures. The National Electric Code does not allow cords used this way. Being an electrician by trade, when I scoff at the note on the box, its with knowledge. Most problems with the use of extension cords is being overloaded. The cord has a rating of so many amps or watts of load and folks don't watch that. Overloaded wiring of any type starts fires. I actually used extension cords in the chicken run just because it's quick. But i used heaver cords, made to be exposed to the elements, after all it's just a chicken coop! Just know what the heater draws and make sure you have the right cord. 14 gauge and above for sure. 14 gauge is good for 15amps and #12 cords for 20amps.
I use an aquarium heater that allows for water temperature regulation. I then put bubble wrap around the bucket and keep a close eye on the water level, as the heater will crack if the water gets below it. By the way, what size drill bit did you use? I need to make another one and forgot that bit of info. Thanks for the video.
Vamper Vlad mount the nipples right above the heater so there is always water over the heater.
Pretty late on this one guys, apologize but sometimes we don't see comments on you tube for whatever reason. So Tim had it right 11/32. I mounted the nipples low toward the bottom maybe an inch or two up at the most. I want to make sure when I am not using the heater that they can get all the water. In the winter, I just check the water more often and with a 5 gallon bucket, it takes quite a while to get the water to the top of the heater. Aaron had a good thought, if you want to make sure the level does not drop below the heater mount them above it. The only issue there is that the water in the summer when use is high has more available to the birds. Just personal preference so do what works for you.
Thank you!
Great video!! Thank you
Good video sir. Thanks!
I am just curious wouldn't you want to use a food grade plastic bucket?
I guess you could but I don't see the point. For long term food storage I do but when I clean these buckets for the birds very regularly and use some vinegar in the water, it tends to keep anything from being an issue.
David Hobson that bucket is food grade. Hdpe2
Hi Tim,
Great video, how does the coop work out with the 2 x 4's and chicken wire?
Thanks
+RHMIII
This coop has worked out great. The exterior with the chicken wire keeps the bad guys out and the chickens in.
i've seen the non floating on amazon K&H Ultimate 250-Watt Pail Heater with No Floater Cord.
Does the easy heat outlet determine the weather inside, or outside in the air, or does it determine what the weather is at the end of the plug etc? Because you have a cord running outside, and you have a cord running inside which is two different temperatures, so I'm curious how that works? Thanks.
+Lynard Brock Lynard, it looks at the temp at the unit. In the winter, we have their water indoors so it's sensing the temp inside the coop. If it were outdoors, there would be a difference but when it's cold, doesn't really matter if there is a few degrees difference.
Help I have the same setup nipples froze solid here in Ohio it's currently 19 Degrees with the wind it feels like 1 degree need solution fast please help
I got the same heater...how longbdoes ot take to heat up?
The heater gets hot within couple of min, water if cold will take longer
hey there! thanks for the video! was wondering where in the country you are located, what type of winters you have? also, did you find that using a higher wattage heater worked to keep the nipples from freezing? we just had 15F degree weather here (northern IL) over the weekend and the nipples froze. =( suggestions?
+skizyx98
We are located in Reno Nevada. For the past few years, we have had milder winters with temps down into the teens and sometimes single digits. Our normal winter here has as cold or colder temperatures and more snow. It looks like this winter is getting more than usual so far and that will help with our drought. I moved my wattage on the heater to 1,000, from the 250 in the video. So far, with temps in the low 20's, the feeder outside did not freeze. We have a storm coming tomorrow that will have us in the low teens all week so I will see what happens then. It seems to me that more wattage is the answer and keep it out of direct wind if possible.
I really like the chicken nipple heater and I'll have to add my weather into the equation, being I have more encroaching wind chills and deep freezer temps. Maybe add a box and light bulb. + = )
just wanted to know how the heater nipple tured out over the winter, good or bad?
The heater we used in the bucket did great into the teens. Since we were using the horizontal water nipples, they never froze and had flow as long as the heater in the bucket denied the ice a hold. Pretty happy with that setup.
Great video! Just curious, is the heater still working? And any issues at all? It's September here in Indiana and was wanting to plan ahead for this winter and I came along your video.
Thanks!!
Rich,
Yep, works great and no issues. I did start using the horizontal nipple feeders since the vertical style tend to freeze shut. The Horizontal do not freeze. The heater does the job just fine and it is our go to for the winter. Good luck!!
I have a very similar heater from k and h and mine says thermostatic controlled 250 watts.
I didn't see that one, will find it cause it may come in handy! Thanks Jeremy
Those heaters really add to the electric bill. Also, using the vertical nipples, my chickens get water all down their beards and it then turns to icicles. Unless I go to each chicken and use my warm hand(freezing my hand in the process) and then towel dry their beards, (LF Salmon Faverolles) they can remain frozen for days. Living in Northern Michigan where we can get down to 15 below zero F for 2 or 3 weeks at a time, these are not a good idea. I choose to use the 2 1/2 gal. bucket w/lid, and I wrap a heat tape around it. I use the horizontal nipples. The heat tape only uses 95 watts, and keeps the water a nice warm temp. Also, I go out three times a day and place a bit of the warm water into the 1-Gallon Plastic Poultry Fount w/ red base. I can tell they are not getting enough water from the nipples because they dive into this as soon as I put it down. As long as I check it three times a day I can get to it before it freezes. I do not like to leave heat lamps or light bulbs on in my coop. But the heat tape has been going for several weeks with no fluctuation in the electric bill and the warm water is available for them and for me to dip into to fill the Fount right there in the coop.
Ellen, I have added a big note that I do not use the vertical nipple feeders anymore, only the horizontal. As for the heaters, they are 250 watts and they will add some to your heat bill. They all add to the utility bill. Heat strip usually used about 7 watts per foot. So you must be using about 12' or so.That is less than the one I use but not that much less. If yours works for you great, but mine works fine for me. I don't go out and give the chickens warm water 3 times a day, that must be a treat for them. I wonder why that is needed since my chickens get plenty of water from the feeder as is. The horizontals won't freeze because there is no ball bearing like the vertical feeders so is the water icing up in the buckets?
Dry good
Great Video, Thanks!!!!
Thanks a lot!!!
by cutting the notch for the cord, you should not need to drill hole in the lid!!!
Your right on that, figured that out after I did it!
that's usually what happens when you do a raw video... thanks bud.. I found that also on the tractor supply site.. it is a must have for keeping water from freezing when you have live stock.. thanks for the great info...
What size drill bit to use?
+Danny Nguyen 21/64
+The Practical Prepper thank you for the response!
that bucket heater has its own thermostat, don't need that wall unit
I agree but I do like backups....
Easiest is to use an aquarium heater-waterproof and temperatures adjustable.
Never tried it. I have heard they work and don't work depending on temperature. Have you tried one and down to what temp outside?
Shortaxe this Jan, the temp went to 10s for nearly two weeks in NC-where im at, the aquarium heater kept a 5gal bucket full of water from freezing. I set the 200w aquarium heater at 80F
Mon S, Do you have a make-model you are using? Would like to test it out here and throw up a video.
Shortaxe Any cheap Ebay or Amazon one will do, Correction on my heater: its a 100watts stainless no name from Ebay.
i have a nipple system with a heater in it like you show, the nipples themselves froze!!
I have 2" cups so i fear even with a heather it will freze but i need to go in a trip
I waited and got one of these did the whole thing plugged in and my nipple still freeze it does not get warm at all the water doesn't freeze but my nipples still do
Benjamin,
I had to switch to the Horizontal nipples which don't have metal parts that freeze. I did a video on these, take a look at that. Still using 250 watt heaters and the horizontal with no freezing at all, even at 10 degrees.
ruclips.net/video/MgCfd4MZnKI/видео.html&lc=z12ycdkbbmjngp3p004cdz5almflxvlgpjs
Thanks have to try it
same here
didnt work
A 5$ fish tank heater works just as well. Or a birdbath heater for 15$.
Shane,
Have you used either of these? Would love to hear and down to what temperature? Have heard this works but not heard about it.
😀
This doesn’t work!!!
Well Nathan, I just plugged both of mine in a week ago and they are working great. What is not working?
Shortaxe I bought that same heater you told me to get and have the same nipples. And I checked today and the nipples are froze! So idk what to do
Ah, got it. You are right, the bottom nipples don't work, the side nipples do. I did another video about the side nipples and they work great. The side nipples to not use the metal ball bearing which freezes up no matter what heater you use.
This video will explain what happend. ruclips.net/video/MgCfd4MZnKI/видео.html.
I didn't know chickens had nipples
You must look vewy vewy close!
dont think you neded to take the cage off, to make it float theres a plastic ring that has styrofoam in it that screws onto the cage. Didnt look like yours came with it the one i just got had it attached. thanks for the video
Thanks for sharing that with us. Great setup! Suggestion: you can buy nipples on ebay for 10 bucks 50 pieces. I did that, but my needs is about 20 nipples. So I was sell 30 nipp for 15 bucks and got my nipples for free.
Extension cord my butt. lol
Your point? So you would install the circuit in conduit, maybe NM cable or UF which is rated for outdoors. It's a Chicken Coop!
@@TPPrepper I think they were just referring to your comment in the video. I got a chuckle out of it too. As an electrician (looks like you are too) we know the way it's "supposed to be" and the way it goes in the real world are not always the same!
@@jdiddy6901 Well as one electrician to another, probably right. You know the NEC but it's a chicken coop went through my mind. Kinda hard NOT to do it the way the book says... but.....
No offense but... One thing I have noticed with all of these heated chicken waters I have seen on youtube. Is that no one insulates the water system from heat loss. Just use more electricity to heat the outside :-( I can't help but wonder if the water nipples would have frozen if the bucket was insulated???
Also if the water level was to get to low, many emersion heaters will burn out if the heating element is out of water when powered up. Just thinking if one of the nipples were to get stuck open.
+MrGordy61 No offense taken, like your idea. I had thought of insulating the bucket at one time but I never followed up. The problem is how to do that, that the chickens won't peck at or tear up. I had thought of foam but that needs to be wrapped and then you have the lid, which would be a problem to do. If you have a design, would like to see what you come up with. As for the nipples freezing if insulated, yes they would have still frozen. The problem with those is that the stainless steel pin that pushes the stainless steel ball out of the way for water to flow, cannot be insulated. It has to be in open air for the chickens to poke at, so the horizontal feeders are the way to go. I have changed ALL of my nipples to horizontal and they work great. Also on your note of burning out if a nipple sticks open. Have never had one drain a bucket yet so that has not been an issue.
I would like to find a way to control the water temperature closer at the bucket. By that I mean that if we had a thermostat with probe in the water that had a closer on-off temp range, we could not have it running when the air temp is say 34 to 50 but the water itself. I am working on that one! Thanks for the comments MrGordy61.
+The Practical Prepper We are planning on getting chickens in the future and I was wondering what you mean by HORIZONTAL nipples? Did you install them in the sides of the buckets, hence horizontal,.. I can't see that working, but would love to know if that is what you are talking about. Thanks!
J TDMN,
In the video I give you the place to order the horizontal nipples. They mount on the side and differ from the vertical in that they have a bowl area that serves to capture the water. If your thinking of the vertical nipples mounted on the side, your right, that would not work. Horizontal is a different product and they are now the only one I will use since we do have very cold weather during parts of the year. If I were in an area with no freezing but on rare occasions, I might just use the vertical.
Ah! Got ya now! I know exactly what you are referring to now, I've seen a couple of other vloggers use them. Thanks!!