As fall and winter approach, you will soon be out in the goat pasture breaking ice out of their buckets. Well there was just no convenient way to make sure they have thawed water to drink. So we invested in some heated 5 gallon water buckets. They have worked great for us for the past two years. You can get them here http://www.horse.com/Farm-Ranch-Supplie ... 10002.html They are relatively inexpensive. You just need to have electricity close by. They truly are a livesaver for us. The cords that come out of the buckets are wrapped in metal wire so livestock can't chew on them. We love them! Just thought I would pass this information along.
I'd love to have one of those...if I had a place to plug it in! lol. The nearest electrical outlet to the goats is about 100 yds away. That would be one long extention cord! Oh well, I guess I'll be hauling buckets this winter.
I have the big tank heaters for mine. The question is, will the piped water be able to stay unfrozen, or will I still be carrying out buckets to the tank - but not have to worry about the water being frozen??? Hmmmmm. Guess we will see if DH quits playing Tiger Woods long enough to finish the water lines!
i just recently bought 2 tank heaters but they need to be grounded to an outlet. and i use extension cords, if anyone wants to buy them i'm asking $20 each, they go to 40-.
Now that I have electric in the barn, I thought of getting 2 of the heated buckets....but mine have never froze solid...its been cold enough to freeze but I just flip them and out comes the hollow block...then add warm water...2x a day...Maybe I'll ask for a couple for my kids at Christmas :greengrin:
jeffers has them too- they have the 2 gallon heated buckets and the de-icers that you drop into the buckets for about $35-they work great!!!
i have a hard time finding ones that keep it from icing over, when it gets down to the -25s the de icers freeze. but the buckets seem to work.
Did you say -25-OMG I would freeze my tail off- It gets about 17 degrees at the lowest here that I can remember with a wind chill of about 5 degrees-Wheeeeww! im getting cold!!!
lol, no really, it gets cold here. but those rubber buckets usually work good,they go through alot! and still work, the plastic ones crack from the cold.
i have a heated bucket too, This will be its second winter used. I used to have a tank heater but I let my cousin have it because their horses' water kept freezing. I love my heated bucket!
I have the big tanks with heaters and those heated water buckets. They really are great. If you have the way to plug them in. They are easy to clean.
whoooo -- sounds so cold everywhere --- it's usually warm here, even in the winter. At Christmas we usually are wearing shorts. Sometimes we may get a snow -- in fact last year I even got to build a snowman. He lasted one day. I think I remember pouring off ice one time from my goats' water. Anyway, we usually pray for colder weather so the mesquitos will die off!
I see kids here wearing shorts during christmas, usually guys. And there frost forming on their hair, and theyre shivering and chattering at -10. lol. some people are dumb.
