What is the best heated water bowl?

[Crazy Fun Chicken Lady]

I am concerned about using nipple waterers because I have adult birds that don't know how to use them. Would I be able to train them?

If you remove all other water and show them a couple of times they figure out the nipples very quickly. Only use horizontal nipples. Vertical ones will freeze.

 

[black_cat]

If you remove all other water and show them a couple of times they figure out the nipples very quickly. Only use horizontal nipples. Vertical ones will freeze.

How do you show them? I think that for this winter I will go the route of one of the submersible heaters and the bucket-pie tin route, but once I get chicks I may want to have them on nipple waterers to keep the water and brooder clean, and may transition my birds then.

 

[black_cat]

Yes
There’s not room for them to perch on the lip of the dog bowl. However, they can still hop up to the top of the green waterer, so not 100% stopping them, just discouraging.
I’m wondering how that could be arranged without disrupting the vacuum that keeps the water from pouring out the bottom holes? I still think horizontal nipples is the way to go.

And speaking of vacuum keeping the water in, with that photo, I’m not sure how you fill it without losing all the water before you can get the lid back on. Ok, I just looked back at the photo. It appears to only have one bottom hole? So you plug that somehow during refilling. I have a purchased waterer along the same lines. But I don’t heat that one.

That's a good point. I'm sure I could make the hole cork sized and just pop a cork in when I need to refill.

 

[NatJ]

I’m wondering how that could be arranged without disrupting the vacuum that keeps the water from pouring out the bottom holes?...
And speaking of vacuum keeping the water in, with that photo, I’m not sure how you fill it without losing all the water before you can get the lid back on.

Purchased metal ones: you lift off a dome, a little thing springs into place to plug the hole, you put in water and put the dome back on. The dome pushes the little thing inward, thus opening the hole so water comes into the pan again.

The bucket one: maybe a cork or a finger, or maybe it just makes a wet mess at filling time.

 

[Finnie]

The bucket one: maybe a cork or a finger, or maybe it just makes a wet mess at filling time.

And you want to make sure that wet mess is NOT inside your coop!

 

[black_cat]

Purchased metal ones: you lift off a dome, a little thing springs into place to plug the hole, you put in water and put the dome back on. The dome pushes the little thing inward, thus opening the hole so water comes into the pan again.

The bucket one: maybe a cork or a finger, or maybe it just makes a wet mess at filling time.

My current one you take off the bottom and fill upside down. Maybe I could do something like that?

 

[Finnie]

The hose is far away from my coop, don't worry.

I just meant for anyone who keeps their waterer in the coop.

So, if you have to carry this a long way, you might not want to fill it all the way full. 5 gallons is probably overkill anyway.

 

[black_cat]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/21-heated-water-dish.64225/
Maybe I'll do something like this?

 

[Big Doggie]

Thanks for the link! It looks great.

I’m using this one this winter. Haven’t tried it yet but supposedly has a good review

 

[Ninjasquirrel]

Better ask your parents then, doubt they'll appreciate a burst pipe. I had a pipe burst one winter in the garage simply because we didn't insulate the spigot.

Burst pipe is no bueno. I worked at a home for people with intellectual disabilities and had to stay over on midnights because we got snowed in. It was 10 below out and their water heater was in the garage. Didn't think to put the faucets on a slow drip to prevent freezing. Next thing I know in my sleep deprived delirium I heard water gushing in the garage. Since it wasnt my house I had no idea how to turn off the water. Embarrassingly enough I called 911 and the operator talked me through it. We were without running water until 1 pm because of the repairs needed.