Last Updated on January 10, 2023
Keeping your chicken’s drinking water from freezing in the winter shouldn’t be a chore. Here are the best heated chicken waterers to make sure your chickens always have fresh drinking water on those cold winter days.
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When raising chickens in a colder climate, you’ll quickly learn that dealing with frozen drinking water can be a huge pain. You’ll be constantly breaking up ice so they can get a drink.
If you do this enough, you may even break their waterer in the process. This is why it’s good to invest in a good heated chicken waterer or a heater for their existing waterer.
And if you are looking for non-heated ones, check out our post on the best chicken waterers.
With that being said, here are our favorites.
Best Heated Chicken Waterer Overall
- Harris Farms Heated Poultry Drinker Base
- Prevents Water From Freezing Down to 10 Degrees Fahrenheit
- Thermostatically Controlled
- 125 W of Power
- Can be Used with Plastic or Metal Drinkers
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Since most people reading this article probably already have a chicken waterer, this Harris Farms heated poultry drinker base is our choice for best heated chicken waterer.
Simply place the heated base under your existing chicken waterer to keep it from freezing during the winter.
It works with both metal and plastic chicken drinkers.
It has a built-in thermostat so it will turn on automatically whenever it gets below freezing.
I personally have one of these and it works great with my metal chicken waterer. The key is to make sure it’s level and there is no debris between it and the drinker.
If you want a simple solution that works with your existing chicken waterers, this Harris Farms heated base will work great for you.
Best Heated Chicken Waterer Runner Up
- This item is a Farm Innovators All-Seasons Heated Plastic Poultry Fountain - 3 Gal. Model HPF-100, 100-Watt
- Purpose of use for Farming, Poultry Care
- Thermostatically controlled to operate only when necessary
- Prevents water from freezing down to 0-degree F
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If you don’t already have a chicken waterer, this Farm Innovators heated poultry fountain can serve as a chicken waterer all year round.
It also has a built-in thermostat that can turn the heating element on whenever the weather gets below freezing.
I’m personally not a fan of these types of plastic waterers because you have to remove the top from the bottom to fill them up, however, this waterer has plug in the bottom that makes it easier to fill.
So, if you are looking to buy a waterer that will function all year round then this Farm Innovators heated poultry fountain is our runner up for best heated chicken waterer.
Best Heated Chicken Waterer Nipple System
- Provides chickens with easy access to clean water year-round
- 3 side mounted drip-free and freeze-free nipples accommodate up to 15 chickens
- Can be hung or placed on the ground
- 60 watt heater is thermostatically controlled to work automatically
- Top removes for easy filling
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If your chickens know how to drink from a nipple system then this Farm Innovators heated poultry nipple drinker will is a great option for the winter.
Unlike other plastic waterers, it can be filled up from the top. It can also hang so it doesn’t have to rest on the ground.
It has 3 nipples and is rated for up to 15 chickens.
It has an automatic thermostat to turn it on and off when needed.
With all of these great features, this is our choice for best heated chicken nipple waterer.
Best Heated Chicken Waterer Bowl
- The thermostatically controlled K&H thermal-bowl features a 5.5 Steel wrapped abrasion resistant cord and electronics are safely sealed inside the bowl. This product has a 1-year limited warranty
- K&h Pet product heated pet bowls are energy efficient, using only 25 watts The internal heater is thermostatically controlled to turn on and off as necessary to keep water from freezing, even at -20°f
- This 1.5 gallon, Granite – 14L x 14W x 5H heated dog bowl helps keep your pet hydrated, no matter the weather This product is Made with BPA free plastic The K&H thermal-bowl is perfect for any outdoor animal that’s thirsty during freezing cold winter weather
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This Pet Products 2020 Thermal-Bowl is not designed specifically for chickens but can work for chickens as well.
Since there is no lid, it’s super easy to fill up. Just dump the water in and you are good to go.
This is really nice in the winter when you don’t want to touch a waterer and remove its lid.
The downside with a bowl is that the water typically gets dirtier than enclosed waterers but the trade-off is how simple they are to fill up.
If you are looking for a heated bowl then this Pet Products 2020 Thermal-Bowl is our choice for best heated chicken waterer bowl.
Best Heated Chicken Waterer on a Budget
- 40 WATT A19 FROSTED GLASS ROUGH SERVICE BULB - Provides 290 Lumens of output; Comfortable 2700K soft white color; Standard E26 Medium Base
- STANDARD HOUSEHOLD SERVICE LIGHT BULB - Rough service bulb contains additional wire to support and protect the filament from vibration and external stress
- APPLICATIONS - Ideal for kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, living rooms, ceiling fans, porches, patios, garages and workshops; Perfect for lamps, sconces, vanity, pendant and string lights
- DIMMABLE - Customize the brightness to your preference; Ideal for home or commercial use; 360° omnidirectional beam angle
- SAFE AND DURABLE - Lasts 3,000 hours - longer than standard incandescent bulbs, CSA Certified; Heavy duty reinforced filament for increased durability
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- Medium base Outlet-to-Lampholder.
- 660 Watt Socket
- 125 Volts
- Polarized plug
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- Thermostat control outlet with the smart indicator light: The indicator light turns on when its below 38 and it has energized the outlet.
- Energize below 38℉(3℃) and to turn off automatically at approximately 50℉(10℃). Automatically turns power on and off according to ambient temperature. Save energy and save money
- Easy installation: just plug this device into electrical outlet. Maximum 15 amps. CSA approved. Only for dry location.
- Can be use for other applications: 120 VAC electric heaters, gas heater, Engine heaters, pipe heat tape, roof heating cable and so on
- Make a test when you received the product. Put it into the freezer for 45 minutes. And then plug in and you will see the red light on the thermostat control.
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If you want to build your own heated chicken waterer like the one shown in this video then you will need a 40 watt incandescent light bulb and a outlet-to-lampholder adapter.
I have personally built one of these before. It didn’t keep the water completely unfrozen during the really cold nights but for most normal winter days it worked fine.
If you want to save light bulbs and electricity then the HEATIT ET-21 Thermostatatically Controlled Outlet is an optional add-on. It will automatically turn the heater on and off depending on the temperature outside.
This cheap solution is our choice for best budget heated chicken waterer.
![Read more about the article Raising Chickens: The Complete Guide [2023]](https://farmhacker.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Raising-Chickens-600x450.jpg)
Thanks Casey! This is great information. I don’t have any power near our coop but we have great sun exposure. Have you guys tried your hand at running solar to your chicken coop?
I haven’t but that sounds like a great idea. If you end up doing that, please feel free to report back with how you did it. Thanks!
You missed an excellent heated chicken waterer from Premier 1. Kinda pricey, but they work great. I have two that I use in the winter.