# Any good heater chicken waterers out there?



## PreparedRifleman73 (Nov 2, 2012)

So we have 6 laying hens in Minnesota. I have a terribly contraption of a chicken waterer from the fleet store. It's just a pile of junk. I don't know if this is exactly it, but it looks like this:









It's tough to get the bottom back onto the top when it's full of water. And it's just too small. The kids can't do it either.

Any better ideas out there? I'd like something with a larger capacity and it must be able to be heated.


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## AdmiralD7S (Dec 6, 2012)

Not sure why it'd be hard to put it back together after refilling. I have a non-heating one that has the same water-dispensing mechanism. You are putting the red bottom on the white bucket part and then flipping the whole thing over, right?

To answer your question about alternatives, I have a 5-gal non-heated waterer that also works just like the one your picture has. You can buy a separate water heater that looks like an inverted feed pan. You just set your non-heated waterer on top of the heater and you're done.


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## TheLazyL (Jun 5, 2012)

This is what I've used for the past two winters. Last winter temps were in the single digits (Fahrenheit) for several weeks and water never froze.

http://www.amazon.com/Little-Giant-Water-Heater-HB125/dp/B000HHLSMA/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1441215441&sr=8-3&keywords=chicken+water+heater


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

Here is a simple DIY. Get any size waterer you want and place in on the cinderblock heater.


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## bacpacker (Jul 15, 2011)

I have waters like that and I think they suck. I did find some with a screw on lid so it never has to be flipped over. Much easier IMO. Also the metal heated tray works very well for other non heated water buckets.


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

Watch the wattage rating!

The water just needs to be kept from freezing, it doesn't need to be "warm". Don't buy a heater that costs 50 cents a day to operate or it won't be worth the cost.

I participated in a thread on here years ago where we talked about Insulated tanks, solar heating, and even digging a deep pit and circulating warm water up from the bottom. All something to consider. 

Aquarium heaters come in 25 watt, 50 watt, 75 watt, etc. sizes. Those might be worth checking into.

At any rate, always keep the waterer out of the wind. It'll always be much harder to keep from freezing when the heat is allowed to escape.


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## Starcreek (Feb 4, 2015)

I use a heated dog dish from Tractor Supply. It's just a large plastic bowl that plugs in and warms up just enough to keep the water from freezing.


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## smaj100 (Oct 17, 2012)

I'll try to get a pic later, but i drilled a hole in one of our top down waters that the lid comes off of, instead of removing the whole thing from the base. I then insert a tank deicer. It doesnt boil the water or anything, has a temp sensor and it cycles on and off well.


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## ClemKadiddlehopper (Aug 15, 2014)

Starcreek said:


> I use a heated dog dish from Tractor Supply. It's just a large plastic bowl that plugs in and warms up just enough to keep the water from freezing.


I use them as well. -30 C and they still do not freeze up.


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