Mini Horses
Sustainability Master
Well, it's what they had for predicting -- and it's pretty accurate, too. Nature follows a course and animals can sense their needs way better than we may think. In some areas we don't have the animals to watch in the wild. Our domestics will do things such as time the coats thicken, etc. They depend on us for feed unlike those that self store food stashes.
I have several heated tubs. They are expensive to use BUT-- several days or a couple weeks of freeze, add snow, and I pay the bill! Sometimes, I don't use them for all but, fill one and only run at night, then use to dip water from. to add to broken ice on top of others. That's in a cold but doable. A foot of snow? Yeah, they get plugged in to run.
You can imagine what it costs to heat 100 gallons. So I have learned to run in rotation, or, as above to add to. If only a 5 gallon for in inside stall, then the temp control cubes help turn power off/on to them. One year it cost almost $300 for a month of it. It's a juggling act. I also use one of those expandable hoses....they are light weight, can be emptied and taken inside....flex to fit into the boxes I have to protect inground faucets.
If I have to carry hot water, I use a sled and put 5 gal water tanks on, with lids....I also keep gal jugs to carry just a "heat up" amount to buckets. Chickens love warm water!
What we DO FOR our animals! I hate even thinking about the ice/snow
I have several heated tubs. They are expensive to use BUT-- several days or a couple weeks of freeze, add snow, and I pay the bill! Sometimes, I don't use them for all but, fill one and only run at night, then use to dip water from. to add to broken ice on top of others. That's in a cold but doable. A foot of snow? Yeah, they get plugged in to run.
You can imagine what it costs to heat 100 gallons. So I have learned to run in rotation, or, as above to add to. If only a 5 gallon for in inside stall, then the temp control cubes help turn power off/on to them. One year it cost almost $300 for a month of it. It's a juggling act. I also use one of those expandable hoses....they are light weight, can be emptied and taken inside....flex to fit into the boxes I have to protect inground faucets.
If I have to carry hot water, I use a sled and put 5 gal water tanks on, with lids....I also keep gal jugs to carry just a "heat up" amount to buckets. Chickens love warm water!
What we DO FOR our animals! I hate even thinking about the ice/snow
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