Can I use a (plastic safe) bird bath heater in plastic waterer?

[kathyinmo]

Have you tried a bird bath heater, like the one in this link, to heat your plastic waterer? It says it is safe with plactic, copper, concrete.

http://www.birdbaths.com/bird-bath-accessories/bird-bath-heaters/150wattbirdbathheaterdeicer.cfm

 

[chickendude]

I think this product is designed to be placed in the water. not on the bottom of a plastic waterer. So I don't think it would work for most chicken applications.

 

[kathyinmo]

I think this product is designed to be placed in the water

Yes, I understand that. My question is: Can I use one inside my plastic chicken waterer?​

 

[chickendude]

Well not 100% positive. But it does say it is ok for plastic birdbaths. I also saw a larger wattage one in that add. If it gets in the teens and lower where you live you may want the larger one.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

Can I use one inside my plastic chicken waterer?

If your waterer is open, it may work
If it's one of the "fountain" types, it has to be airtight, which could be a problem​

 

[SandyK]

You can buy an electric water container for chickens for that price.

 

[GingerTreacle]

I too would like a bird bath warmer, to go in my 3 gallon plastic bucket. It would need to not sink as the bucket has nipples at the bottom. I love this waterer and don't want to go back to open ones for the winter, particularly after reading that closed ones help keep down the moisture content in the coop.
Can anyone advise me on which model to buy for this purpose please and what wattage I should be considering in zone 4, where we have got down as low as -25'F some winters. :/Thank you, (new to all this!).

 

[Eggcessive]

I don't use the nipple waterers, but I have heard that a lot of them freeze up in winter. I would always have a back up plan in case this happened. A lady in Minnesota came home after working a 14 hour day, and realized her chickens had not had water available for who knows how long. Here is what I use, which could be a good backup for you:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=1277
http://www.gundogsupply.com/heated-super-bowl-by-farm-innovators.html

 

[GingerTreacle]

Thank you. I have a few questions about using these open bowls :
1. Can they be tipped over, as one of my ladies likes to do that to bowls immediately and daily?!
2. How do you keep them clean? I changed to the nipple waterer because they got their water so dirty within minutes (and I only have four pullets!)
3. Can chickens drown in deep water?! (I tend to treat them like toddlers in terms of chopped up food and safety issues!)