Heated Waterers---the freezing factor

For those of you that use waterers with some heat producing feature to keep
the water from freezing, does the water that's in the drinking area stay totally unfrozen,
or does the water get a thin layer of ice on top but, thin enough so the chickens can break
through it if they want a drink. Say... like in cold weather down into the low 20s.
thanks... I'm doing a bit of an experiment

I've used them in the past and they keep the water ice free 100%
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Hey if my heating pans keep the wateres defrosted at -40 at my house .....20's will have no problem keeping totally defrosted!

If the water freezes the surface is too far from the heat source. If the surface has a thin coat at 20,It will have a thick coat at 15.

I use a heated dog waterer. It was the only one that stayed defrosted at -10 degrees here in Colorado. Read labels. Some waterers say that they're only good to 15 degrees, a bit of a joke here.

I have one of those nice big three gallon red ones with the heated base. I use it in the summer when I put out five different waterers for them. It just didn't work here. There was an icy crust on it.

Mary

What brands do you guys use that work the best? I am also interested in getting one( has been a hastle to take out hot water twice a day to thaw there water) I am thinking about the one that has the heated base built into the waterer, White top, red base.

There's a recent post on this thread discussing the merits of this waterer. It didn't work for me. This is the kind I use in the summer.

First of all, it needs to be perfectly level - I mean get your carpenter's level out and level the platform it will sit on. Otherwise, it all just leaks out.

Secondly, it formed a crust of ice when the temperature dropped below zero. Yes, there was unfrozen water underneath but my girls aren't smart enough to peck through.

If you get one, develop the technique of filling it and turning it over quickly - otherwise you'll lose a lot. Don't carry it full by it's rather wimpy handle because it might break.

I had high hopes for mine when I bought it, now I use it in the summer. It's a nice big waterer.

I am sold on heated dog watering dishes. Mine has never frozen, even at 10 below zero. Mine holds over a gallon of water, I fill up a jug of water in the house in the morning and give them fresh water every day.

Yes, it gets dirty because they're chickens and what else do they have to do but kick dirt and crud in their waterer?

Mary

I use a 5 gallon bucket with a bird bath heater and the nipple dispensers. So far - works great. We have been in the single digits at night - no freezing. This week might see our first below zeros. That will be a good test. This has been a super easy watering method for me. No mess, no ice.

I use a metal heated base set on cement blocks inside the coop with a metal two gallon water on top. It has made my life so much easier, and I don't worry about fire risk. Water does not freeze at all.

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Thats the one that I use also, got mine at Tractor Supply. Metal heater was about$40 and I think $15 or $20 for the 2 gal. metal waterer. Has not failed me yet, so easy to fill too. The plastic one with a heater sucks!