Heated water recommendations

[DENNIS HALL]

I now have two lovely layers and with winter just around the corner I was wondering if someone could recommend a reliable heated waterer for our cold winters.

 

[NNYchick]

I use a heated dog bowl. They are a lot cheaper than the heated chicken waters. Even at -10 degrees they stay thawed. The only thing I don’t like is the water gets dirty fast and pain to clean.
If I could get my chickens to use horizontal nipples I would do that as you can buy heaters for them and they are cleaner.

 

[DENNIS HALL]

Thank you so much. I was looking at the heated dog bowls but was not sure if they would be ok for chickens. I have a omlet eglu up coop and clean it every other day so cleaning the bowl every other day will not be a problem. Thanks again and God bless

 

[Sea Wolf]

I have a metal water fount. It sits on the ground. In the winter, I found that a cheap bird bath heater placed under it prevents the thing from freezing and it works great. There is also a more expensive, heated base that you can use. But this simple bird bath heater has lasted years so far.

It says Walmart sells them but you can find them online too as well as in shops that cater to folks that feed the birds and local farm (Agway?) type stores. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Farm-Innovators-Economical-Bird-Bath-De-Icer/17718101

I also just found this do-it-yourselfer and another similar using a cement block. https://the-chicken-chick.com/make-....com/make-cookie-tin-waterer-heater-under-10/

 

[wamtazlady]

I use a container, in my case a tote with lid, horizontal nipples, and a stock tank deicer. You can also use something like a 5 gallon bucket with lid. It has gotten down to -22 F here and my water has stayed thawed. One advantage, especially with just 2 birds is that you could go weeks without having to fill the container. Since the container is covered and using horizontal nipples, the water stays clean in winter.

 

[wamtazlady]

If I could get my chickens to use horizontal nipples I would do that as you can buy heaters for them and they are cleaner.

To get them to use the horizontal nipples all you have to do is believe they will use them and remove any other water source. For example, one evening I brought home some new pullets. They were used to drinking from a dog dish. Locked them in the coop with my waterer. When I checked them early in the morning they were already getting drinks from the nipples. The neighbors' free ranging flocks also learned to use the nipples at my house rather than go home to get a drink during the day. All it takes is one bird to figure it out and the others will do the same.

I have probably had 4 or 5 different batches of chickens that I have exposed to horizontal nipples. They all learned to use them. The longest it took was a couple hours. Others learned even faster.

Chickens are curious. They are also attracted to the color red and to shiny things. They will poke them with their beaks just to see what the nipple will do. They soon realize that the nipple means drinks.

However, the weather is getting cold, at least where I am. We're in the low 20s at night already. I would hate for the birds to be thirsty for even a short time during the cold season. It might be best to wait until spring to try horizontal nipples. As a back up waterer I have a heated dog dish in the garage, just in case.

 

[blackdog043]

I use horizontal nipples in a 5 gal bucket, with a stock tank de icer.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...ock-tank-deicer-and-horizontal-nipples.74609/

 

[aart]

3 gal jug with horizontal nipples and aquarium heater.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/aarts-heated-waterer-with-horizontal-nipples.67256/

If I could get my chickens to use horizontal nipples I would do that as you can buy heaters for them and they are cleaner.

I've had all age birds either pick it right up within an hour...and others that take weeks to really figure it out.

Here's my thoughts on 'nipple training'.
First, it's good to know how much water your flock consumes 'normally', I top off water every morning and have marks on the waterers so I know about how much they drink.
-Show them how with your finger(tho that might just train them to wait for your finger), and/or manually grab them and push their head/beak onto the trigger(easier with chicks than adults).

-No other water source, best to 'train' during mild weather when dehydration is less of an immediate health risk. I do provide an open waterer late in day to make sure they don't go to roost dehydrated, especially young chicks.

It can take days or weeks to get them fully switched over, just takes observation, consistency, and patience.

 

[Alaskan]

I now have two lovely layers and with winter just around the corner I was wondering if someone could recommend a reliable heated waterer for our cold winters.

How cold does it get where you are?

Are your "cold winters" 40F, 0F, -20F, or -50F?

 

[henless]

I use a 5 gallon bucket with horizontal nipples. During the winter, I sit the bucket on my cookie tin heater.

cookie tin