Frozen Water Buckets

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charlottenicol

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28 November 2005
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Argyll
www.allt-na-craig.co.uk
My boy lives out and comes in twice a day for feed any haylage, but can't stop his water bucket from freezing and the other day my friends horse cut her nose on the ice ( we are lucky to have running water in the field, but not sure if they are going to it much with the ground so frozen), I was wondering if some vegetable oil or similar would help, or would they just not drink? Really fed up with this weather now.....
 
I have the same problem - I have been taking the ice out but it is still freezing over -so cold up here- just this morn after humphing buckets of water up the field I took all the ice out and put one of the kids balls in it - I remember that tip from years ago but never tried it - hopefully it works!
 
i gave up trying to break the feild trough ice & now have standard builders buckets rammed into old car tyres that are stuffed with straw sitting in the trough (empty) with a thick layer of old bedding/hay underneith, touch wood apart from the night it dropped to -7 (according to the themometer on stable wall) it hasnt frozen over more than a fine skin that the boys just ignore.
 
We put apples in the troughs, so when they go to drink they break the ice by trying to get the apple. Works a charm during the day. (not sure about night as ice would be thicker, I clear the ice off the top in the morning)
 
I know this might be a stupid question but with all this cold weather, will the ice in buckets be bad for their tummys?

My horse hasn't been out all week and tonight he's got a med & a heavy weight on as it's meant to be the coldest night of the year and down to -18 where i live!!!

I break the ice on his buckets (in the stable!!) but it ends up like a slush puppy!!
Drinking ice cold water all the time - could it give him an upset tum?
 
It's not so much that the ice is bad for the belly but if the water is either frozen or too cold for a picky ned to drink, there is a risk of impaction colic. Just been reading an article on it in this month's Horse mag. Apparently horses like their water to be at 5deg C. Yeah, right. I'll take the kettle up tomorrow lol!
 
Can you get your mitts on some straw and wedge it round the water buckets somehow? I do this in my stable and it stops water from freezing. It's easiest with slightly dirty straw though as that doesn't move much!
 
The only suggestion I have is the kettle! Mine are in at night but even in the inddor barn the water is freezing up so last thing at night I top up the water with a couple kettle full of water. Takes the chill off it and delays the freezing - at least for a while anyway!
 
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