What is the best heated water bowl?

[ShrekDawg]

Mine learned how to use the nipples no problem and they had never used them before either. They like pecking shiny stuff so learn pretty fast. Just gotta push it a couple times to show them (though even that may not be necessary) and also have to take out all other water sources and they learn pretty quickly!

 

[Crazy Fun Chicken Lady]

I use buckets with these nipples and a plug in heater in the bucket.
https://www.mypetchicken.com/catalo...atering-Nipples-buy-more-save-more-p1861.aspx
https://www.amazon.com/Farm-Innovat...9821&sprefix=water+bucket+hea,aps,189&sr=8-18

 

[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.

 

[Finnie]

View attachment 2335815
Maybe I'll do one of these with the floating thing @Flockincrazy was talking about.

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?

Yes

My birds have never used a nipple waterer so I'd be worried that they wouldnt be able to figure it out. How does putting the fountains in discourage perching?

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.

You can put in the floating thing that @Flockincrazy mentioned in an earlier post.

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.

 

[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.

 

[Flockincrazy]

Plus you could still fill it from the top which would be nice. Honestly thats the only thing I like about the dog bowl. But having to clean it out constantly makes it a hassle. By the end of december I'm praying for warm weather so I can switch back to my fount. I'd like a better base than a pie tin though. Not sturdy enough.

I use a cast iron pot with a pie pan liner

 

[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!

 

[Crazy Fun Chicken Lady]

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.

I tap on the nipples until a curious chicken comes to check it out. Once one chicken figures it out the others will learn by copying.