I'm trying to find a solution to keep my chicken's water from freezing. We're in the process of building a new, bigger coop where we can have the waterer inside and be able to keep the cord safely off the ground and away from the elements, but for now the chickens are in a "tractor style" coop that is too small for a waterer, so we have the water outside in the run. We were going to make the cookie tin water heater, and bought this lamp kit at Home Depot but I am worried now about the lamp cord being outside. The lamp kit wasn't designed for outdoor use and just doesn't feel safe to me. We would have it plugged into an outdoor extension cord that would be plugged into a gfci outlet, but still. The run has a roof and a tarp on one side, but I'm not sure we could properly protect the cord from the snow and rain or keep it completely off the ground.
Another issue is that with the current coop, the waterer is accessible only through a small door (our one gallon plastic waterer fits through only if you unscrew the red base first) or by climbing in through the top of the run, which requires minor gymnastics. My mother in law will be petsitting for us over Thanksgiving and she is not able to climb into the coop and is not able to lift anything very heavy, so whatever waterer we use has to be able to go in and out of the roughly 8x12 inch door. The heated chicken waterers that I've been able to find are all 3 gallon and way too big/heavy.
I'm looking at this heated base too, but it says it's for outdoor use in a "dry, covered area" and I'm not sure my run counts as dry and covered. And then plus I would have to buy a metal waterer that would also probably be too big.
And I was looking at something like this dog bowl mod, but a quart size wouldn't be big enough (at least over Thanksgiving; my mother-in-law will only be over once in the morning to fill the waterer for the day) and it doesn't look like the dog bowl would accommodate a gallon waterer.
I'm not sure what my other options are. I don't want to spend too much money, because once we finish the new coop and can have the waterer indoors this will be less of an issue, but I also don't want to risk my chicken's safety for the sake of saving a couple bucks. What's a good chicken water heater that can be used outdoors?
Another issue is that with the current coop, the waterer is accessible only through a small door (our one gallon plastic waterer fits through only if you unscrew the red base first) or by climbing in through the top of the run, which requires minor gymnastics. My mother in law will be petsitting for us over Thanksgiving and she is not able to climb into the coop and is not able to lift anything very heavy, so whatever waterer we use has to be able to go in and out of the roughly 8x12 inch door. The heated chicken waterers that I've been able to find are all 3 gallon and way too big/heavy.
I'm looking at this heated base too, but it says it's for outdoor use in a "dry, covered area" and I'm not sure my run counts as dry and covered. And then plus I would have to buy a metal waterer that would also probably be too big.
And I was looking at something like this dog bowl mod, but a quart size wouldn't be big enough (at least over Thanksgiving; my mother-in-law will only be over once in the morning to fill the waterer for the day) and it doesn't look like the dog bowl would accommodate a gallon waterer.
I'm not sure what my other options are. I don't want to spend too much money, because once we finish the new coop and can have the waterer indoors this will be less of an issue, but I also don't want to risk my chicken's safety for the sake of saving a couple bucks. What's a good chicken water heater that can be used outdoors?
