Winter is coming...

[ChickenCanoe]

This is the type of bowl I'm referring to.
https://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail...gC-u2YGoQ9uNGYqPXYx0JQOR92HCRoLUaAngQEALw_wcB
Chickens tend not to walk in water when temps are below freezing.
The heated bowls of any kind aren't good for many breeds of roosters since to drink, they must dip their wattles in the water. Wet wattles will freeze and be frostbitten.
If it is elevated on bricks and large enough, you won't have to change it that often, and elevated so the rim is at back height, they won't walk in it.

A drinker cup system will freeze at night and when the chickens aren't drinking to bring in heated water. I'd estimate that about an hour at 20F and the water in the cup will freeze if it isn't constantly replenished with warm water. A little while later, the seal will freeze and before long any tubing leading to the cup will freeze with no heated water from the reservoir flowing into it.

Thermocubes will work for shutting off the heat when it gets above freezing.
https://www.amazon.com/Farm-Innovators-TC-3-Thermostatically-Controlled/dp/B0006U2HD2

I use an inline aquarium heater in a constantly circulating system.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Love that. Ive heard the water nipples not all birds will use though. If anyone has made this themselves i would love to hear feed back. Do you think it will work with the cups instead?

I love the cups but they don't work below freezing for the reasons I said. The seal is external to the heated water. The horizontal nipples work because the seal is in the heated zone.

 

[Ninjasquirrel]

I use an inline aquarium heater in a constantly circulating system.

Please post pics of your set up.

 

[Trux]

Love that. Ive heard the water nipples not all birds will use though. If anyone has made this themselves i would love to hear feed back. Do you think it will work with the cups instead?

Cups are good for summer in your climate, not winter. One of my family in MN made that mistake, had heated lines and it worked good until after Thanksgiving when the temps went below zero. He had a ice berg outside the coop and partially inside the coop. Also lost 13 out of 42 hens because of it.

 

[SueT]

The heated bowl keeps water just barely above freezing. I don't think chickens would want to step in it...it's not like a nice warm hot tub or something, lol

 

[Ninjasquirrel]

The heated bowl keeps water just barely above freezing. I don't think chickens would want to step in it...it's not like a nice warm hot tub or something, lol
View attachment 1529874

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

This is the type of bowl I'm referring to.
https://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail...gC-u2YGoQ9uNGYqPXYx0JQOR92HCRoLUaAngQEALw_wcB
Chickens tend not to walk in water when temps are below freezing.
The heated bowls of any kind aren't good for many breeds of roosters since to drink, they must dip their wattles in the water. Wet wattles will freeze and be frostbitten.
If it is elevated on bricks and large enough, you won't have to change it that often, and elevated so the rim is at back height, they won't walk in it.

A drinker cup system will freeze at night and when the chickens aren't drinking to bring in heated water. I'd estimate that about an hour at 20F and the water in the cup will freeze if it isn't constantly replenished with warm water. A little while later, the seal will freeze and before long any tubing leading to the cup will freeze with no heated water from the reservoir flowing into it.

Thermocubes will work for shutting off the heat when it gets above freezing.
https://www.amazon.com/Farm-Innovators-TC-3-Thermostatically-Controlled/dp/B0006U2HD2

I use an inline aquarium heater in a constantly circulating system.

How would the rubber bowl work with the aquarium heater any differently than the heated dog bowl? I have a rooster now and never thought of his wattles getting wet in winter.

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

The heated bowl keeps water just barely above freezing. I don't think chickens would want to step in it...it's not like a nice warm hot tub or something, lol
View attachment 1529874

 

[NNYchick]

I use a heated dog dish too, I do put my regular 1 gallon water inside it because my Silkies get their crest and beards wet and walk around with icicles goatees and Mohawks. I think they are stepping in things and knocking over things because you don’t have enough room for eight birds. What is your snow load like? If you get a lot of snow what are your plans for the run area to keep snow from building up and dry as the coop is not large enough to keep them in for more than just sleeping.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

How would the rubber bowl work with the aquarium heater any differently than the heated dog bowl? I have a rooster now and never thought of his wattles getting wet in winter.

I used bird bath heaters with the rubber bowls.
https://www.farmandfleet.com/products/571160-farm-innovators-heated-poultry-fountain.html
I had a couple of the farm innovators 3 gallon heated water founts. They keep the roosters from dipping their wattles in the water. They will keep water thawed but they are very poorly designed. After a couple years, sunlight made the white part extremely brittle and they shattered.
I had one hanging from a tree that kept the water thawed all winter.
If you get a power outage, the water will freeze and it won't thaw the water in the moat when power is restored.
There are several other design flaws but half the battle is keeping it perfectly level.