Heated muck tubs are, what? Fifty ish on sale from state line or horse.com? I think that’s about what I paid last time.
Blue food grade drums are more than $10 around here, but let’s go with ten. What are you going to pay for the heater for those? And they’re not built in, so greater chance horses are going to mess around. No handles, so a little harder to maneuver and dump.
I dunno about sturdier? Haven’t had to replace any tubs, although do have an extra in the loft just in case.
They were really nice but the heater element only lasted a few seasons. One horse was a pig and did manure in it, the other just always had hay dribbled in there. Once the heater dies they are still useable for warm weather water buckets or whatever else you want.
I have only had my heated muck tubs for one winter but they were great (element inside walls of unit)! I use regular muck tubs in warmer months. If I had a horse who liked to pick it up or mess with it I’d just use buckets but mine are fine plus I don’t ever worry about them running out of water. I use a pool skimmer to get any hay or other bits out and then scrub 1-2x a week depending on how much they are inside. I have outlets outside of each stall. Have had one horse poop in the water bucket once. I was alone so used a regular bucket to scoop out water then dumped and scrubbed.
I put the hay in one front corner and water in opposite. I sweep sawdust back from front wall about 2-3 ft. Does it stay that nice, no. But it makes me think they will get less sawdust in their water or mixed with dropped hay.
I use the 16 gallon heated tub in my winter watering. I would suggest putting it just outside the stall opening so your horse won’t be inclined to poop in it. Even if outside mine does just fine no matter how cold it gets.
My horses have a 3 sided shed and it is just outside the opening along the shed wall/ corral fence. Just steps away from where I put their hay, but nowhere near where they would poop in it.
Dumping water frequently in below freezing temps is a risky thing to do.
I have one that I’ve used in a stall (worked great) & now that I have the horses at home (I didn’t build stalls), I use it in their run-in shed (their side is 12 x 24’). I love it.
I suspect that if your horse is not already a known bucket pooper, he won’t poop in his water in a tub either. I’ve never had poop in mine, nor seen it at the last place I boarded, where all stalls had heated muck tubs in winter.
I dump mine very rarely – as was correctly noted above, horses do not require laboratory pure water. Water conservation also matters. I use old nets from work (I’m an aquatic biologist), similar to little aquarium nets, to scoop out debris. I might dump it when it’s low maybe 1-2 times per month. I just top it off daily (2 horses will usually drink it in 12-24 hrs) & the horses prefer that over the nearby unheated trough when it’s cold out. The only reason that trough doesn’t have a plug heater in it is because there’s no safe way to run power to it without digging a trench & I can’t be bothered (I have another trough that I do heat).
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