I have also had good luck
with the bucket or birdbath
deicer. The one
pictured is in an outdoor area where my ducks live. I use a smaller
bucket than the main waterer in the coop and have had no problems with
it. I can easily dump it out and refill it with a watering can. I do
put a little oxine in all the water at this time of year, and I do wash
them out thoroughly at least once a week. The water has some
poultry vitamin in it so it looks a little brown....I will try to
photograph the ducks with it. They were out in the ice storm...they
love the weather!!
I don't have
instructions for building my little system because it's pretty straight
forward.... but its just a matter of drilling holes and adding the
nipples, sealing with some silicone (which may or may not be necessary)
and making a hanger with a chain. I then add a bucket deicer (and I
would agree with the
woman who said to remove the spring around the cord to prevent rust) add a chain and extension
cord and voila!
I would caution people to be
very careful when cleaning these to not set them down on the nipples. I
actually hang mine from the picket fence and hose them out when the
hose is unfrozen....or I carefully lay them on their side in the
bathtub and scrub them. I add a little oxine to keep bacteria from the
water as directed on the label...but its a tiny amount.
and thats that.
Hope all is well with
you...we have had so much weather, which I dont mind...I only mind the
cold cold...and during that time the nipples froze, even with the
heater inside...I just had to go out and tap them a bit to loosen the
water collected in the nipple itself. Actually, the ducks could have
done it themselves, but I was concerned because that kind of cold takes
so much energy for them that I want to be sure that they are well
hydrated and fed.
---Melina Brown
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