[RC] making sure horses drink enough in winter - Tx Trigger
We put a Rubbermaid water trough, with a drain hole
deicer next to the barn. Ran the cord direct through a hole in the barn wall,
and plugged in. Have a Ground fault interrupt on it. Horses can not get to the
deicer, or the cord. We had the horses locked up, so 2 had that trough, and 2
had the regular trough that we were breaking Ice on a few times a day. I noticed
the horses with the deiced water drinking more, and one of the horses who had
the trough that would freeze had VERY dry poop. Mine drink MUCH more when they
have that deiced water. The total investment to set it up was around $100. But,
it takes power, and it is unsafe to run a long extension cord across the ground
to plug it in. Also, always use a Ground fault interrupt on it, just in
case. I have heard of too many horses grabbing the floating deicers, and
the ones that sink, but the cord is there for the horses to grab, and turning
them in to horse toys. That is why I went with a drain hole model. At the end of
the season, I actually just take this trough, and store it dry until the next
winter instead of removing the deicer and replacing the plug.
