Cookie Tin water heater

[OrpingtonManor]

fantastic idea! I never had to worry about the water temp before. We're having a cold snap here, and the birds have basically stopped laying. I supplement the light, but I don't think they're drinking much. Maybe if the water were a little warmer.

My dad told me when he was a boy, the farmer nearby told him that chickens don't like cold water, and lay better with warm water. Wonder if chickens like tea.......



Seriously, I'm definitely making one of these. I've got all the stuff already. Thanks for this great thread!

 

[HEChicken]

I made one earlier this week and was stunned by how simple it really is. DH had taken the car to work that day so I couldn't get to the store, but found I was able to make it from materials I already had at home and it only took minutes. That night the temp was supposed to get down to 0 so I put the cookie tin in the coop as a supplemental heat source, with a 13w bulb in it. The following morning, the coop was toasty warm when I opened it, even though the outside temp at the time was only 6 degrees and the coop isn't insulated. The cookie tin gave the birds just a little boost to keep warm. I plan to repeat this whenever the temp is forecast to be below 15 - at 15 or above they seem to do just fine.

 

[hinkjc]

DaKid - I do not find that these work well outdoors. I also raise turkeys and use the heated dog dishes for them. They are perfect for that size bird and work really well - worth the investment. Bring them in over summer and back out in the winter - they'll last a long time. Also the tin heaters we use have cords that are meant for indoor use, so I would think if you wanted to alter it for outdoors, you'd need to ensure you use appropriate wiring for that purpose, as they will be exposed to various weather conditions.

OrpManor - I have always found chickens prefer cool water over warm water. Warm water tends to slime and allow bacteria to grow as well, so something to keep in mind.

HeChicken - I'm glad you found this helpful. I have large coops, so did not think about them potentially throwing off some warmth, but I guess for a smaller coop that is possible.

I don't find them useful for a coop heater for large spaces as that would take quite a bit of wattage to produce heat. A 40 watt bulb gets the can pretty warm, but my 25 watt bulbs really don't and are just warm enough to keep the water tray flowing/open in very cold conditions.

Someone had asked about the size of the tins. I try to use the 6 inch tin for the typical gallon size water founts and about 12 inch tin for the 3 gallon size founts. I have also used square tins in a pinch and they work just as well as the round ones.

 

[mayden]

I finally went the dollar general and bought a tin. Great idea. I took apart a little night stand light that had a chandelier bulb in it. I drill out the side and used the thread rod from the lamp and feed it though the hole with nuts on both side of the tin and I added a rubber grommet just in case there is some water splash. I had a galvanized shallow pan that fit perfectly on top of the tin. I set the unit on a concrete block but wanted to make sure the water pan was weighted so I used a coffee can filled with rocks to set in the middle of it. I then wanted to discourage them from roosting on it so I took some welded wire fencing and cut a piece that I could roll up and stick inside the coffee can. So the fencing sticking out of the can stick up like little spikes so that won't get on top of it. Everything seems to be working out just fine. Thanks for the idea. This is a much better idea than dropping a light inside a cinder block.

 

[rickc24]

just made mine this morning will install it on a timer so it turns on at 6am and then off at 400pm thats when i pickup the food for the night..

 

[B'villechicken]

We have been in the teens with high winds and snow here in the Syracuse area for the past several days. My cookie tin heater has performed well.

 

[hinkjc]

rick - I'm not sure about the daytime timer idea. I find I need mine most at night to keep the water open. Otherwise, it freezes solid and they would not get water in the morning. I can usually turn it off during the day if temps come up high enough.

B'ville - I'm glad to hear it's working well.

 

[GardenWeasel]

My husband made a cookie tin heater using one of the cheap candle stick Christmas lights. It came with a 5 watt, C7 bulb. My question is can you use a higher wattage bulb in this socket? I am a total dummie about electric. I don't know if this will be enough heat.

 

[bald egg]

Which water works best with the cookie tin? Do you folks prefer the metal ones or the plastic waters? Any models to avoid? Any favorites? Thanks

 

[B'villechicken]

I have a one gallon plastic waterer with a 40 watt bulb in my tin. Keeps it warm without melting the plastic.