Currently I’m down to 2 mini donkeys at home. Thinking about swapping out my trusty heated muck tub (they just don’t drink enough that keeping it clean is a good use of time and water) for a heated 5 gallon bucket. Any reason this is a bad idea? It’s out in a field I use when the weather is “decent” ( not terribly windy or super cold). I fortunately have a heated automatic Waterer in the dry lot where they spend more time during the cold weather.
I would stick with the tub they know. It has a wider base for stability if they bump into it. They already drink out of it. Winter-cold temps is not a good time to try changing water containers. Animals get used to whatever you are using now, may not want to try drinking out of new (tasting) bucket or tank. Ours get quite suspicions when we change from summer tanks to insulated winter tanks. We have both in place for a couple weeks to get them used to it before removing the summer tanks. Some will refuse the new container for a time! NOT good when they need to be drinking well to stay hydrated!!
The longear equines are normally rather wary of new things anyway, so changes might not be acceptable to them.
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You are going to be filling that 5 gallon bucket a lot. My one horse can drain a 5 gallon bucket in one trip to the water after eating hay turned out. Or drain two buckets in the stall overnight. In really cold weather when you are trying to keep water filled the last thing you want to do is keep filling buckets. I am once and done when I am worrying about the hose freezing. Bigger containers freeze slower too.
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With two minis, as long as you are around to keep an eye on it, I see no reason for it to be a bad idea.
As you already know, the smaller size will require more frequent filling.
I assume you are going to attach the smaller bucket to something, so it is not easily knocked over.
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This ^. I’ve put my two mini donks out in a temp paddock for the day with a 5 gallon bucket. I also recommend securing the bucket as mine did tip theirs over if I didn’t. They get the muck bucket sized tub if I am not going to be around to check on them.
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I’d stick with the muck tub.
Mainly to avoid having to refill a smaller bucket.
Cleaning can take a backseat, really they’re not all that picky about sparkling clean.
I use a 50gal foodgrade barrel as a trough & it can get pretty gross in Summer.
I’ll dump it & be scrubbing the yuck off the sides & bottom & my 3 will wander over & drink the muddy, gross stuff I just dumped. 
Equine Koolaid?
I use 5gal heated buckets in the stalls & have to refill at least once daily, usually twice & even 3X.
These get gross too, from hay being dunked & dust/fines settling from the dunked hay.
Horses drink just fine if all I do is top off the bucket.
Honestly, the stall buckets get dumped & scrubbed maybe twice a month, barrel trough less often.
Thanks all. Typically I’m an over thinker and was thinking it would be easier to keep clean since it took them several weeks to drink down the heated muck tub. I did not consider the burritos tipping it over (which I should have since they played that game in their stall until I snapped the handle to a screw eye in the wall). Thanks and stay warm!
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I use those tubs in my stalls, and my old lady mare just drinks less than my others, because she gets a lot of hydration in her feed.
So I fill her tub less full, to keep her on the same cleaning schedule as the others.
If it’s just taking a long time to go down, and that’s making it a pita on cleaning it, is filling it less an option? Half to 2/3rd, maybe? Then you still get the non tip ability and durability. And no risk of suspicious guys refusing a “new” container.
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