Brrrr. It’s cold out. A new flock owner soon learns that subfreezing weather presents the challenge of keeping the chicken’s water liquid when mother nature wants to turn it to ice.
Chickens have an amazing ability to thrive in cold weather, but they must have liquid water to drink. They can’t consume ice or snow and must be able to drink liquid water many times every day.
Years ago, our coop lacked electricity. During cold spells we carried a bucket of warm water to the flock every couple of hours to replace one starting to ice over. Replacing water frequently works to keep hens hydrated, but today many people are at work or school for long hours and can’t frequently carry water to the hens.
Electric heated waterers make the task easy and reduce the need to make many daily trips to the coop with a fresh bucket of warm water. Anyone with a coop lacking electricity might seriously consider hiring an electrician to run power to it. Electricity can be used to keep water liquid, power a coop light, and is just plain handy for many tasks that require power tools. It’s also helpful to visit the coop after dark and switch on an overhead light.
The Pros and Cons of Different Types of Heated Waterers
Many types of electrically heated waterers are on the market. All work but some are easier to use than others. We’ve tried several types over the years made by different companies. The following isn’t a review of any particular brand but analyzes the pros and cons of different types.
Heated Pet Bowls: These are made to keep the family dog’s water ice free, and they work well for poultry.
Pro:
- Readily available. They are sold in most pet stores and come in a variety of sizes.
- Fairly inexpensive.
- Effective down to subzero temperatures.
Con:
- Have a large water surface area, which speeds evaporation and allows dirt to easily enter. They need frequent cleaning and refilling.
- Are hard to carry when filled with water. Require two hands to hold and carry them from the faucet. We find it easiest to carry the waterer empty and fill it from a bucket once the bowl is placed in the coop.
Heated buckets:
Pro:
- Hold more water than pet bowls and have a slightly smaller surface.
- Simple to refill. They are easy to carry from the faucet to the coop when filled with water.
Con:
- Harder to find. Often only sold in farm stores.
Heated Platform:
Pro:
- Work well with waterers designed for warm weather use, so no need to buy
new waterers.
- Keep large five-to-eight-gallon waterers ice free so the need to refill is less frequent.
- Small surface area reduces evaporation and the entry of dirt.
Con:
- Large capacity waterers are hard to fill with cold hands and are heavy to carry. We clean the waterer at the faucet (outdoor or indoor) and place it empty in the coop. Then we fill it with water carried in buckets.
Immersion Heaters: We have never used one of these but see them for sale at farm stores. Many are made to keep stock tanks and other large containers open so cattle and horses can drink. Smaller ones can be used to keep buckets ice free in a chicken coop.
Pro:
- Work with many types of bucket and other containers
Con:
- May be too large for most henhouse waterers and don’t work with large capacity gravity type waterers.
Safety
Electricity makes caring for chickens easier all year and especially during cold weather but it must be used carefully. Safety guidelines include:
- Avoid extension cords. Position waterers close to outlets so the waterer’s cord reaches it, avoiding the need for an extension cord.
- Keep electrical cords and connections dry and away from combustible items.
- Keep electrical connections and cords away from chickens and other animals.
- Most water heaters have armored wires to keep animals from chewing or pecking them, but keep as much of it away from chickens as possible.
Laying hens need to drink plenty of clean water throughout the day to stay hydrated. Keeping liquid water available is important, and electric waterers make it easy.