Heated buckets for soaked meals

[Loves_to_ride]

I gavd a 34 yr old pretty much toothless wonder who can’t eat hay so he gets multiple meals a day, with the last one at night being a big bucket of soaked cubes, so he has something to pick at overnight.

However, being in New England, and it’s winter, the bucket freezes pretty quickly.

In other recent posts, people have suggested heated water buckets or the big heated tubs.

My question is this…

Is it safe to leave those big blue heated water tubs plugged in while empty?

Thanks!

[Gainer]

No, you need to have something in them. You could always just leave a bit of water in them. Why leave them plugged in if you don’t have anything in them?

[China_Doll]

[QUOTE=Loves to ride;8972179]
I gavd a 34 yr old pretty much toothless wonder who can’t eat hay so he gets multiple meals a day, with the last one at night being a big bucket of soaked cubes, so he has something to pick at overnight.

However, being in New England, and it’s winter, the bucket freezes pretty quickly.

In other recent posts, people have suggested heated water buckets or the big heated tubs.

My question is this…

Is it safe to leave those big blue heated water tubs plugged in while empty?

Thanks![/QUOTE] It may work if you put a few inches of water in the tub and then set a smaller bucket of feed inside. You may need to put a brick in the bottom to keep it down and from tipping.

[Ready_To_Riot]

I realized you’re significantly farther north than me, but a few nights ago it was 17 degrees when I was driving home and my soaked cubes didn’t freeze. Are you positive they are freezing? How cold is it? If yours are freezing, I assume mine will sometime soon too!! I know somewhere on this forum is a discussion about insulating water buckets when you don’t have electricity. I think bubble wrap is involved. Maybe that’s a better alternative?

[ryansgirl]

Take a muck bucket preferably new/clean. Pack it with lots of hay but create a space in the middle to put a five gallon bucket in. Put the soaked cubes inside that five gallon bucket. I’m assuming you’re using hot water to soak them? I’ved used this method for years to keep water from freezing while my horse(s) were in their stalls at night. I’m too paranoid to leave a bucket plugged in while they are in the barn (i do use one of those heated water tubs for their pasture though). I fill the five gallon bucket with hot water and even in single temps (I’m in New England too) the water won’t freeze. For extra insulation you can add bubble wrap with duct tape around the five gallon bucket.

[talkofthetown]

Gainer, OP leaves the bucket out at night for Old Horsey Man to munch on through out the night. So by morning, bucket would still be plugged in but water and alfalfa soup would be gone.

[csaper58]

What ryansgirl suggested, but use an Igloo cooler instead of the bucket.

Remove the top or fix it so it can’t close. Or use an Igloo barrel if his nose will fit in it.

www.rapidswholesale.com/countertop-icer-16-5-diameter.html

I can’t make link work but if you plug countertop icer into the search box at Rapids Wholesale it comes up. It is $69. Our local restaurant supply has them in stock.

It is 16.5 inches in diameter and will keep hay cubes warm or cool for quite a while here. Placed in a muck tub of hay it should keep cubes edible overnight.

Keeps beer cool at tailgate, and horse show parties too.

[fanfayre]

I thought the bucket had a thermostat so if the water ran out it shut itself off…

[Loves_to_ride]

Thanks everyone for the replies!

I think I’m going to try the hay packed muck bucket idea that ryansgirl suggested and also look for an igloo cooler.

Please feel free to keep the suggestions coming! This is an on-going battle…

[SMF11]

I use a heated muck tub for just the same reason: so my 30 year old toothless pony can eat overnight. I didn’t buy it, one of my boarders gave it to me, so I don’t know the brand etc. Mine is totally fine empty. It doesn’t get all that hot (which is a problem if you put more than one bucket of soaked cubes in; the top freezes). I’m able to put mine in a corner of the run-in and run the cord through a door next to the tub. I agree that keeping something plugged in is not ideal if horses are stalled, but mine are in an open run-in and could go out if, god forbid, there was a fire.

I just bought a heated water bucket to use for more soaked cubes; tonight’s the first run.

I have also used coleman coolers to keep water from freezing (fill with hot water, put styrofoam over half the top. I may try this with the hay cubes, thanks to this thread.

[candyappy]

[QUOTE=fanfayre;8973538]
I thought the bucket had a thermostat so if the water ran out it shut itself off…[/QUOTE]

I use one for my heifer and she had it empty yesterday morning and it was heating still.

I think putting water in it, putting a somewhat smaller bucket inside that with the mash meal is a good idea.

[saje]

You could also put a timer on it, like the kind used to turn house lights on/off.

[SMF11]

Report from the first night of using the heated bucket for soaked hay cubes: failure!

The cubes had fermented and the pony refused to eat them. So much for that.

Am now trying a very large cooler with some styrofoam over the top and soaking the cubes in heated water.

[Loves_to_ride]

I’m the OP.

My current experiment is a cozy wrapped bucket inside a hay filled muck bucket hung in his stall.

Fingers crossed!

[SLW]

I have this: https://www.smartpakequine.com/mobile/pt/11423

We just had -12F and two other overnight lows of 0F and this diespretty good. The water did have a layer of ice over it but it wasn’t an inch thick. The horse I’m using it with is drinking most all of the water over night. If the muck bucket/hay arrangement doesn’t work this might be a suitable option firsoaked cubes.