Last Updated on May 19, 2021
Stop dealing with frozen water. Today, I want to show you how I keep my pig and goat water from freezing during the winter with a very simple setup.
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Introduction to How to Keep Pig & Goat Water From Freezing
If you raise pigs or raise goats then you’ll know that keeping their drinking water from freezing can be a huge pain in the winter. But with the right setup, it doesn’t have to be.
Here is the system I implement during the winter to keep my pig water and goat water from freezing and to make sure they never run out.
My Winter System to Keep Water From Freezing
Normally, I move my pigs and goats in and out of paddocks throughout the year. During that time, I using some variation of a 55 gallon barrel, 275 gallon tote, a pond, or a water trough to provide them with drinking water. This works great in the spring, summer and fall until their drinking water starts to freeze in the winter.
To prevent my pig and goat water from freezing in the winter, I implement a new system. I move my animals closer to the house so they are near an electrical source and a water faucet.
At this point, I only use a water trough for their water. To keep it from freezing, I install a floating tank heater like this one.
- De-icer is designed to float in the water tank
- Thermostatically controlled with an automatic shut-off
- Styrofoam float is completely enclosed within a rugged plastic housing
- Cord exits from the top of the unit, giving the heater added stability making it less likely to tip the tank
- Operates at 1000 watts, 120 volts with 6-foot cord; also for use in ponds
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And in order to keep my animals and the tan itself from touching the tank heater, I install a tank heater guard like this one.
- Can be used with the floating, sinking, or 2 in 1 de-icers
- Specially designed to protect rubber, plastic, or structural foam tank
- Made of galvanized wire
- Safe for Plastic Containers
Prices pulled from the Amazon Product Advertising API on:
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
How to Fill a Water Trough With Water in the Winter
Whenever the water trough is running low on water, I simply connect a water hose to my spigot and fill it up. When I’m done, I walk the hose out to get all the water out of it and I just roll the hose back up.
The key here is to walk the hose out every time you are done using it. It’s very important not to leave any water in the hose or it may be frozen and not work next time you need it.
Once winter is over, I put my animals back into my paddock system and start rotating them around the farm again. I then put my tank heater in storage until next year.
So that is how I keep my pig and goat water from freezing in the winter. Let me know if you have any questions.
Video Instructions
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How do you keep the pigs from nibbling on the heater and/or cord?
I keep it close to the electric fence. They never seem to bother it because they have plenty of other interesting things since they are still in a large paddock.