Author: Anna & Mark

I bought a 5 gallon
heated bucket from the local farm store.  [Allied Precision
Lockndry 5 gallon bucket — $48.95.]



Cut out the false bottom
that made up the cord storage compartment, leaving a rim.



Installed the nipples and it works great.





The space left buy the false
bottom is deep enough to protect the nipples when the bucket is set on
a hard surface, and helps to trap some warm air in the recess. I have
an insulated unheated coop and had no freeze problems down to 20 below.
I did make a wood top with 2 notches to slip the bucket handle through
to keep the birds from roosting on the rim.

I obtained an old steel
truck rim that would fit the container I bought at Atwoods in Tulsa,
OK…which holds about 40 gallons.



I cut the outside of the
rim (approximately 1 inch wide), drilled holes in the steel circle in
which I bolted three triangulated legs.



I also installed steel
wire in the feet of the pipe legs to keep the legs from squatting under
the weight of 40 gallons of water.



The legs are adjustable
with the nuts that can be seen located between the two pieces of pipe
that are the legs.





I installed four of your
automatic waters in the bottom (sealed with
silicone sealant) of the plastic barrel. I set the
barrel in the ring, filled with water, then installed a stock tank
de-icer (which keeps the water at approximately 62 degrees). During the
recent below zero weather we experienced in the Tulsa area, none of the
nipples froze (with the de-icer operating inside the barrel). My 24
hens adapted within 4 hours and now have clean water 24/7.