Watering system for winter?

[timmus]

Hi all--

My wife has gotten temporarily tied up with work and I (barely knowing anything about llivestock) need to set up a watering system. Up until now we have had a $30 automatic waterer from Harbor Freight on a 100 ft garden hose, but obviously this isn't going to work on a subfreezing day.

So what do you all recommend for a watering system? Should I look at trenching a PVC pipe? (and then how to keep THAT from freezing up?)

This is 10 goats in a large pen about 75 feet from the house; there's a basic enclosed shelter inside.

Tim

[deetu]

Hey Tim, I'll give it a go. You have to bury the PVC down below I believe it's two feet so it doesn't freeze. You might want to put a splitter on and connect it to a self draining Hydrant (tractor supply has them) for other water access. They have trenching machines that you can rent that would make it easier and faster then trenching on your own unless you have alot of rock. Don't know where you live but it's getting cold here so you'd better do it soon before the ground freezes.

[Kazahleenah]

First off, what zone do you live in?

Where I am, (border of zone 4 and 5) the pipe would have to be 4 feet down to get below the "frost level". I use a small (50 gallon) stock tank with a submersable de-icer. The tank is in the barn.

Kaza

[Filas are Prima]

The feed store sells bushel type plastic buckets with an electric heater built into the bottom. They hold 16 gallons. Put it closest fenceline to your outside faucet, and bucket brigade to fill it daily. Also, fluff up the electric cord that goes to it daily, so that it doesn't freeze to the snow accumulation.
75' sounds like easy street compared to what I've been through around here!

[goatkid]

We have 40 gallon water tubs in our goat pens. In winter, we put in stock tank heaters to keep the water from freezing. To water the goats, we have a couple of options - either bucket water from the house and frost free spigot to the tubs or attach a hose, water the goats, unattach the hose and drain the water from it. If you have the money there are automatic heated waterers you can install by a company called Ritchie.

[Backfourty,MI.]

We use the Blue buckets from TSC that are electric with the heater in between the wall of the double walled bucket. Keep's it from freezing, not warm but not ice cold either. I don't think they'd cost that much more on your electric bill & just run the cord from an outside plug.