That $40 heated waterer I bought last winter was a total waste

I got this fancy heated dog bowl for the chicken coop back in December because I was tired of breaking ice every morning. Cost me $40 at the farm supply store. Worked great for about two weeks until the heating element just quit on a 15 degree night. Came out to find the water frozen solid and the bowl cracked from ice expansion. Has anyone found a heated waterer that actually lasts more than a single season?

3 comments

3 Comments

jamienguyen23d ago

Two Nebraska winters with a rubber pan? That's practically a lifetime warranty in the chicken world.

the_oscar23d ago

My luck with heated waterers is about the same as my luck with cheap space heaters, which is to say I've become an expert at hauling warm water out to the coop in a bucket. I finally gave up and rigged up one of those heated stock tank deicers with a heavy rubber pan last year, and your mileage may vary but that combination has made it through two Nebraska winters so far without a crack or a failure.

sarahpatel20d ago

Oh man, I feel this SO much. The bucket haul is a whole winter lifestyle, isn't it? I've done that dance more times than I care to count, especially on those mornings when the water is frozen solid and you're out there in your bathrobe at 6am. Your rigged up deicer and rubber pan combo sounds like absolute genius, really. It's amazing what we end up Macgyvering when we get fed up enough with the cheap stuff.

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