Heated waterer question

[BlessedFeathers]

I have always just dumped ice and refilled the water for the chickens every day in winter. I think I want to try a heated waterer. What is your favorite kind? Do you just run an extension cord from the house to the coop? Thanks for the advice!

 

[WVduckchick]

My favorite is the Farm Innovators, but they run around $40 each. I have several, and they have lasted 7+ years, and still going. The plastic handles usually break within the first year or two, so I replace them with a chain or strap for carrying. The cords eventually break where they come out of the bottom plate, but I have repaired them by cutting out the bad spot and splicing them back together, so they still work. I have broken a couple of the founts, but the bottoms are still in use by sitting a regular waterer on top of it! Lol

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Another option -
This year, I bought 2 heating pads and put them inside cookie tins, since they aren’t technically made for plastic waterers. Then I sat the plastic waterers on top of the tin. Important - They need to be plugged into a Thermo-cube though, because they aren’t thermostatically controlled.

 

[CanadaEh]

I have always just dumped ice and refilled the water for the chickens every day in winter. I think I want to try a heated waterer. What is your favorite kind? Do you just run an extension cord from the house to the coop? Thanks for the advice!

we use nipple waterers, unheated. If I were to use any kind of heated bucket type, I would still have to dump it or at least part of it because of the dirt they would scratch into it (even if well elevated). So what is the point.

 

[rosemarythyme]

This is the heated waterer I use: https://www.backyardchickens.com/reviews/premier-1-heated-poultry-waterer.11903/ - it keeps the water liquid and clean, the thick opaque walls prevent algae growth in warmer weather, and the cord is fully removable when not in use.

 

[CanadaEh]

too bad there are no cups under those nipples, but I guess those would freeze

 

[CedarLane]

This is the heated waterer I use: https://www.backyardchickens.com/reviews/premier-1-heated-poultry-waterer.11903/ - it keeps the water liquid and clean, the thick opaque walls prevent algae growth in warmer weather, and the cord is fully removable when not in use.

I really like this waterer too. I do not like how the other waterers get so dirty. With the Premier 1 heated waterer, I know that they will always have clean water. So far we've never had any trouble getting our hens to use the nipple waterers.

 

[wamtazlady]

My winter waterer is homemade because it needed to hold more water than ones you can buy. Presently my waterer is a 14 gallon tote with lid, horizontal nipples, and a 250 watt stock tank deicer.

I'm 70, have health issues, and live in NW Montana. When we get snow storms I can't always get out to tend to the birds so need a waterer that can hold a week's worth just in case I can't get out. Even at -26 F my birds have thawed water. Food and water are both filled up prior to a storm coming through.

 

[sybonbon]

I have always just dumped ice and refilled the water for the chickens every day in winter. I think I want to try a heated waterer. What is your favorite kind? Do you just run an extension cord from the house to the coop? Thanks for the advice!

A heated dog bowl

 

[K0k0shka]

I use a heated dog bowl and I love it! I have a heavy duty outdoor extension cord running from the garage to the coop, for various coop needs, and that's where I plug it in. The bowl itself stays outside in the run. I have two, actually. It's a good idea to have two heated waterers, in case you need to isolate a chicken for some reason and they need to have access to water as well. I currently have an injured hen that's separated out from the others until she heals, and she has her own heated dog bowl (small size) for water. The rest of the flock is using a larger size heated dog bowl.

 

[linguini]

We use the K&H universal de-icer with a RentACoop 5 gallon horizontal nipple waterer

super easy and clean.

BTW, we also recently added a heated birdbath on my porch - birds go crazy about it on cold, sunny days. Figure I can use it for chickens in case of emergency as well.