Freezing Water Buckets

[susanne]

The large muck buckets take much longer to freeze than typical water buckets and will do so in much thinner sheets that the horse can break out to get a drink.

Leia, you had your heated buckets last winter, so you were saved from the sad truth that what you say is true in a normal winter...but not in this sort of weather.

I learned last winter that it was much easiest to go with frequent trips to switch out small buckets rather than to break and remove ice from the two muck buckets and haul multiple buckets to fill them -- only to have several inches of ice within a couple of hours.

Perhaps I should move the manure pile over by the gate to set the buckets in...composting manure does create considerable heat.

Sadly, my method is only good if you work from home.

 

[Bess Kelly]

My weather in SE area of VA is not anywhere near the climates you guys are talking and I can say without reservation.........

My heated buckets/tubs are one of the best investments I have ever made!!

Now my concern is to not lose electric in any storm. Still have my 6 gal, screw on cap, water jugs.

They are experienced at hauling hot water

Beyond that, The bucket in a bucket helps. You can build a square box to set the water into, with straw or insulation around, then a top hooked on with a hole in it to allow drinking. Absolutely the straw will help insulate. But in the steady temps you describe, not much beyond some heating units will truly prevent freeze, IMO. Those insulated/molded units that hold the 5 gal buckets are pretty expensive -- but, if no power available you gotta do what ya gotta do.

Geesh, I'd move!!

 

[hobbyhorse23]

The large muck buckets take much longer to freeze than typical water buckets and will do so in much thinner sheets that the horse can break out to get a drink.

Leia, you had your heated buckets last winter, so you were saved from the sad truth that what you say is true in a normal winter...but not in this sort of weather.

Dearheart, I didn't get those heated buckets until the last week of three weeks of temps in the teens. Believe me, I dealt with it! *LOL* And Spyder did not have a heated bucket until last night as this year I had three horses and only the two buckets. For me, personally, with the house so far from the barn, it is far easier to use big tubs that have a wider surface area than smaller buckets which freeze inches deep in an hour. I'd have to drag all three smaller buckets up to the house, melt the solid ice out of them, fill with hot and bring back outside which I can tell you right now I'm not up to five or six times a day. With the big muck bucket tubs they've frozen a few inches deep over the course of the entire day and I can break it out with a wooden handle, remove the chunks, and dump in some hot water and it's good for another few hours (more when temps are just below freezing instead of down in the teens).

I'll admit I've been spoiled in that my horses are all good drinkers when it's cold so nobody fusses as long as the water is not technically frozen, but I've definitely done my share of hauling buckets. Our biggest challenge is Spyder's feed! If it were just drinking water I wouldn't mind, but his beet pulp freezes while prepping, there is no running water to rinse out the icky feed dish, no water to add to prepped food to make it soupy enough to serve, and no water to make the next batch. I end up hauling FOUR SEPARATE BUCKETS of water just for Spyder, plus drinking water for the other horses, and all of that at least three times a day slipping and sliding all the way from the house. We bought the heated buckets out of desperation because both Dad and I were about ready to drop. At least now I just have to haul two buckets per meal for his feed and occasionally enough water to refill the heated buckets which really isn't all that bad. I rely on the two minis to clean out his frozen feed dish for me with the help of a dash of hot water, which they seem to consider an enviable chore.

I think some of the ideas here are really good and I'm making note of them for the many times when power is simply not available (be it out or too far away) and things are freezing. I especially like surrounding the bucket with composting poo and the hot floater idea- I may try one that in the beet pulp prep bucket to see if it helps.

Leia

 

[Shari]

We have a properly grounded heated large water tank and the smaller heated water buckets. Up in the Hill area ...we need them almost 3 months out of the year and they are well worth buying and setting up.

 

[wantminimore]

Leslie, can you tell me where I can get one floater cover, as I am short one.
Thanks!

I got it from Woodstar Products, Inc. I think I found them on the internet but their slip doesn't show a web site address.

Phone # 1-800-648-3415

Fax# 262-728-1813

 

[luv2ridesaddleseat]

Thank you so much!

Joyce

 

[wantminimore]

Sure, no problem

 

[Miniv]

Just wanted to make sure that everyone invests some money on the heavy duty outdoor extension cords when running them out to their water troughs. They are worth their weight in gold!

 

[eagles ring farm]

I feel so spoiled

but our best investment here has been to

save enough to run freeze free hydrants

we have 7 and when they trenched to run water for the hydrants

we put electric & phone wires in the hole also

we are fortunate to have hydrants inside 2 of our barns and 5

in our individual pastures with electric to plug in heaters right at the tubs

It's not cheap but well worth saving for.

We installed al of them when we had (16) full size horse boarders

and we were full size horse people

so the income from that was how we paid for all the improvements

We still have 3 full size boarders to offset some of our costs

 

[ohmt]

Well...we're WAYYY up north in North Dakota. Not just that but we happen to live in the red river valley--when I say there are no hills, I mean there are absolutely NO hills. The only trees here are trees that farmers have put up for shelter belts. The wind is absolutely atrocious. Its been below digits for a high for days now.

Its been 20 years now, we have never had heated buckets. In the morning the horses get warm water (we use a big wagon that we put the buckets with hot water from the house in--we use 6 of those). At night we get all of the ice out of the buckets. We have a pole that we put them on and bang them back and forth. This usually suffices. They are then hung upside down until the morning. The horses sleep in their shelters at night and never drank the warm water we would give them at night anyway, so this is what we do. We've never ever had problems. We do have a watering trough that rarely freezes for the mares which is nice. We just have to lug around water for our 7 stallions and weanlings/yearlings. Not too bad! Chores usually only take us about an hour. We use face masks, wool socks, cotton gloves covered with heavy duty ones, 'jump suits' (thats what i call them! very stylish), coats, and of course heavy duty hats. Even with all of this we have to come inside for breaks some days. I don't think we've ever had a winter without a couple 40 below days. its COLD!

 

[susanne]

Hmm...

Leia, I presume "Dearheart" is to the northwest as "Bless your heart" is to the south...

I keep forgetting that you live at a more civilized elevation than Erin, Daryl, Shari and I. I'm sure the tubs do fine most anywhere, as they do in most weather here -- just not at 14 degrees!

However...I may have to reconsider our watering approach, as I seriously tweaked my back this morning -- and I still had to haul two buckets of fresh water to the corrals, distribute hay, and feed chickens...ow ow ow ow...

On the bright side, the clock/thermometers in Scappoose read 26 degrees at around 7:30 this evening, so there's hope!

 

[~Lisa~]

40 below OMG- I do agree this weather my horses just do not drink at night we have 4 with heated buckets and I filled them to the brim - 4 days later they are still filled to the brim the horses are turned out during the day with heated water (when the heaters can keep up with the cold which is most days anyway) I bring out hot water to the barn horses around 9 for the last time at night.

They do drink alot most days though

They do get soaked beet pulp and alfalfa pellets for dinner with their oats. I figured out how much water per horse and it ends up being almost 1 gallon of water per horse with their soaked feed so I am thinking that has to help some

 

[LittleRibbie]

Living in Florida, I, thank heaven, do not have to worry about heated buckets or freezing. But I still like to give the horses warm water in beet pulp so this may help. Since we have not had the $ to replace Hot Water tank in the barn. In the AM before going to the barn I take a little 12 pack size igloo cooler and put in enough boiling water for the lunch time beet pulp, when I get to the barn I add the beet pulp and mix, close the lid and by 12;00 or 2;00 its still nice and warm ( not boiling )...that way it has plenty of time to soak and it stays warm for their lunch ( usually Im in a hurry and just have enough time to quickly feed but this way its already and I dont have to wait around for it to soak. And its nice and WARM

But this may help.....but it may take a little training.

Take a regular Igloo Cooler ( a big one ) with the lid that folds back....start by adding a few carrot pieces or snacks...my horses seem to learn pretty quickly that they can nudge the door open to find the treats ...once they learn they can lift open the door how about filling it w/hot water. If you put the cooler right next to a fence or wall the lid will not be able to flip back and will close again once the horse stops drinking and the water will stay warm....in theory

I guess you could just try filling a cooler with warm/hot water and see if it is still warm by the next morning or at the least, not frozen. I just dont know how you guys do it in those cold weather areas..god bless ya!!

 

[Matt73]

I HATE winter :arg! The past two mornings I've taken all my time getting ice out of buckets and tempering everything with hot water. I haven't even done stalls yet (I'll do them at lunch). Plus, no one has been out for two or three days due to the really high winds etc. The minis can handle being inside for a bit, but I want my big guy to get out. If the wind dies down some more I'll hand-walk everyone. Did I mention that I hate winter (except at Christmas, of course

).

 

[wantminimore]

I haven't had any ice in the buckets that are in the insulated bucket holders yet. Just today I plugged in the "muck bucket" water tub and I think i'm really going to like having one but i'm sure I wont like the power bill when it comes.

 

[jegray21]

We try to put water in the horses any way we can. Soaking hay, feeding mash, even adding water to regular grain. In Ga the weather changes dramatically and the horses just do not drink well...I am hating this winter 60's then down to the 20's I moved my minis into the garage and have access to hot water that way. My big horses not so happy the do not fit in the garage (note minis do have stalls and mats in the garage its safe! )

 

[hobbyhorse23]

Susanne, be careful out there!

The last thing you need is to hurt your back on top of your other problems.

If you can make it another couple of days the weather report has daytime temps above freezing soon and eventually nighttime temps too. Hang in there!

I am at a lower elevation than you guys I think, but temps last year got down to 11 degrees (unheard of in Western WA) and they've been at 14-16 already this year. Brrr! The big muck tubs haven't had hot water for days now and I'm fairly sure they're frozen all the way through. Fun fun!

Leia

P.S.- "Dearheart" has long been an endearment of mine, but I do admit when I'm amused it may sometimes have similar usage to "bless your heart."

 

[barnbum]

I just bought a 16 gal heated bucket and I am soooooo happy!! The heated bucket is used inside the run-in area of the barn for all the horses during the day. It's so nice to be at work and not be worrying about their buckets freezing over. Happiness!! I unplug the bucket at night--the foals use that one at night--but it stays warm enough for them unplugged--old barn--just makes me too nervous to leave plugged in.

I carry hot water from the bathtub every night for stalls--there are not heated buckets in stalls. But, I've checked and the water stays warm through their thirsty stage.

The water in stall buckets doesn't ice over unless it's about 12* all night. The buckets are as empty as they'd be in the summer.

The other decision I made was to NOT haul water to every pasture they wander into for the winter--just to dump out the ice when I get home. They'll just have to go to where the water is for the next several months. Makes them stick to where the best shelter is.