Best Chicken Waterers – Heated and Automatic Models Reviewed

It’s winter and the water is freezing. Your chickens try desperately to peck the rocky ice and get a drink, all in vain. Even if they’re winter-hardy breeds, they’re just biological organisms and they won’t survive long without water.

Your solution? The best heated chicken water! A heated chicken waterer is a normal waterer, only with a heater attached. It may be built-in or at base-positioned.

In this post, we’re going to help you find the best chicken waterer. We have reviewed both heated and ordinary non-electric waterers so you can pick what suits you best.

The heated types we’ve included in this article are those that use power from a normal 110/120-V outlet. Those that use battery operated water heaters aren’t included.

Before jumping into the reviews, let’s clarify first, why it is essential for you to get a poultry waterer.

Image	Product Name	Editor’s Rating	Price
	Farm Innovators HB-60P Heated Drinker (2 Gallon)	5 out of 5
	Harris Farm Drinker (1.25 Gallons)	5 out of 5
	K&H Pet Products Heated Poultry Waterer (2.5 Gallons)	4 out of 5
	Cozy Products Coop Heater	5 out of 5
	Harris Farms EZ Drinker (3.5 Gallons)	4.5 out of 5

Benefits of Using Heated Waterer for Chickens

Did you know eggs are around 65 percent water? That, in itself, is enough to tell you how important it is to keep your chickens well watered.

As one smart farmer put it, “a good waterer keeps the girls happy and healthy”. Outlined below are the main benefits of using a heated waterer for your poultry:

Fighting illnesses

First of all, chickens cannot go too long without water, otherwise, they’ll fall sick. Secondly, a good heated chicken waterer keeps dirt and contamination at bay, protecting your birds from illness.

Keeping the water flowing

This is the whole essence of getting a heated waterer. The heater in the unit prevents the water from freezing even during winter, ensuring the birds are able to drink at all times.

Making work easier for you

If you’re using an ordinary non-heated drinker, then you’ll be returning to the coop many times to dry and break the ice manually.

That is both time-consuming and tiresome. The best heated waterer for chickens actively prevents ice buildup, thus freeing you from the task of returning to the coop frequently.

Now that you understand why you need a waterer for your chickens, it’s time to go through the reviews.

Our Top 10 Best Heated and Automatic Chicken Waterers Picks

1. Farm Innovators HB-60P Heated Drinker (2 Gallon)

Are you looking for the best automatic chicken waterer? A unit that works excellently whether you hang it or place it on the ground? You might want to try the Farm Innovators HB-60P.

One cool thing about this drinker is that its lid is very easily accessible. You can remove the lid and refill the water without having to take down the drinker if you’re hanging it. These aspects make the waterer extremely easy to use.

If you’ve used waterers before, you might already have come across the flimsy types whose walls and lids are thin and weak. This is not one of those useless waterers.

It has thick and strong walls and a strong lid as well. Apart from that, the hanger is sturdy and will keep the drinker suspended without the risk of falling off.

The unit has three nipples on the side and guess what? Unlike most bottom nipple buckets, the side nipples don’t leak.

So, if you’ve been used to an annoying puddle under the bucket, you won’t be facing it anymore.

And now for the ultimate benefit – the heater. You can rely on this little feature to keep the water flowing even when the temperatures are low, like in those cold winter nights.

The nipples work pretty fine, and all that the chickens have to do is poke them a little to get the water out. But as some users have highlighted, it might be a bit hard for 1-day-old chicks to get the water flowing. Hence, we recommend this for adult chicken and at least 3-days-old chicks.

Go ahead and see what the other users have to say about this poultry drinker. It goes for around 50 bucks on Amazon.

Highlighted Features:

• Sturdy construction for long-lasting service
• 60-watt heater for preventing the water from freezing
• To be hung or kept on the ground
• Easily-removable lid for convenient refilling
• Side mounted nipples that feed more than 10 chicken at a time
• Translucent drinker that lets you see the water level

2. Harris Farm Drinker (1.25 Gallons)

From the longevity brought about by the good quality of the plastic to the ease of connecting the bucket and the bottom, the joys of using the Harris Farm Drinker are endless.

This unit is designed for both hanging and placing on the ground. You can hang it directly through the notch at the middle, or you can connect a string to the notch and hang it wherever you like.

If this drinker has one thing going for, it is the capacity. The unit is able to simultaneously feed over 25 birds comfortably. With such a large capacity, you won’t have to get as many units as you’d need with other drinker brands.

Perhaps you find 1.25 gallons to be too little for your needs. In that case, you can go for the 3.5 gallons option. Many people find the size option super convenient.

Ease of use, as mentioned before, is one of the reasons why this waterer is one of the most preferred models in the market.

Yes, the bucket is round and might feel a bit slippery, but there are protrusions at the top, which come in handy turning the bucket.

 The ease of connecting and disconnecting automatically translate into easy cleaning, which is a great benefit.

There are a few issues, however, that you have to think about when buying this waterer. First, it’ll freeze the water during winter, as it doesn’t come with a heater. Secondly, it leaks a bit. To solve the leaking issue, ensure you keep it on level ground.

Other than that, it’s a nice and inexpensive waterer that goes for less than 25 bucks on Amazon.

Highlighted Features:

• 1.25 gallons capacity – there’s a 3.5-gallon option
• Hard, durable construction
• Easy to connect the bucket to the bottom
• Notch for easy hanging

3. K&H Pet Products Heated Poultry Waterer (2.5 Gallons)

When the days/nights are too cold and the water risks freezing, leaving your birds with nothing to drink, the best heated chicken waterer is all you need.

The K&H Pet Products Heated Poultry Waterer is a gravity type drinker with a jug and a bottom tray where the water gets dispensed.

When talking about the water getting dirty, we have to think about the design of the tank. One great thing about this particular unit is that the tank is designed to discourage the chicken from roosting at the top.

This, in turn, decreases the amount of dung getting into the bottom tray.

The ease of cleaning is of great importance when considering whether or not to purchase a waterer. What makes the K&H waterer so worth it is the fact that cleaning the tray is a piece of cake.

That is made possible by the filter part (or rather the screen), which you can disconnect in seconds from the main tray unit and clean it speedily. No more having to dismantle your waterer to clean it.

You may have used a drinker before that spilled the water as you carried it. That might have been due to the poor handles or the weak material of the drinker. Well, this drinker is different.

It’s made of a sturdy plastic material and apart from that, it has a comfortable handle. Hence, you can transport the unit with water without having as much spill.

The anti-freezing mechanism keeps the water flowing even when the temperatures are at 0. But as the temperatures approach -20 °F, the water starts freezing.

As the tank’s mouth is super small, removing the ice is a bit of a hassle.

Apart from those shortcomings, the unit is really great and will generally serve you well.

It goes for less than 60 bucks on Amazon.

Highlighted Features:

• Good 60-watt heater with a sturdy cord
• Anti-roost top design
• Screen for easy tray cleaning
• Sturdy handle for less spill during transportation
• 2.5 gallons capacity

4. Cozy Products Coop Heater

Want a TV for your girls? Well, it’s not exactly a TV but it totally looks like one and everyone thinks it’s a really awesome design!

The Cozy Products Coop Heater isn’t a waterer, so why did we include it in the list? Yes, it’s not a waterer, but it helps prevent the water from freezing during those cold times.

This gadget combines radiant and convectional heat to keep the area around it warm. Whether or not you’re using a heated waterer, the gadget will be immensely helpful.

But that’s not the only purpose. The heater comes in handy for keeping the birds warm. When the outside temperatures are below zero, the gadget will keep the space around it at over 20 degrees.

Just place it close to the coop to protect your chickens from the cold.

There are many great benefits of using this appliance. First off, it is absolutely safe. It uses superior technology to produce heat without the risk of starting a fire or scorching your birds.

The next benefit lies in energy efficiency. In contrast to the regular spaces heaters, which use up to 1500 watts, this one uses only 200 watts to produce the heat.

That means less energy costs for you.

The unit is also better than the brooder lamps and you know why? You won’t need to keep replacing the bulb. This longevity is very cost-efficient in the long run.

The only shortcoming is that the electronic components of the appliance are prone to moisture and this might lead to shorting.

You can solve that by covering both ends of the electric cord with cellophane. But, we still think the manufacturer should have designed them in a way that they’re more protected from moisture or at least indicated that caveat in the instructions.

Highlighted Features:

• Shaped like a flat-screen TV
• Radiant and convectional heating
• 200 watts – for energy efficiency
• Built-in thermostat for safety

5. Harris Farms EZ Drinker (3.5 Gallons)

Cleaning a chicken waterer isn’t fun but then, many waterers out there have to be cleaned frequently to prevent dirt accumulation and mold/algae growth.

If you don’t have time to clean your waterer regularly, or you just don’t like the task, then you’ll find the Harris Farms EZ Drinker quite appropriate. Many users clean this once in three to six months, and they say that they find the tank absolutely clean.

When dung or dirt accumulates in the trough, you can just invert the unit and drain the filth.

As a gravity drinker, this unit ensures the water reservoir stays free of contaminants.

Another great factor is the ease of filling. Firstly, the filling is done from the top. That means you don’t have to take the drinker apart to fill the tank with water.

Secondly, the lid is supper easy to connect and disconnect, and this makes the whole process of filling a breeze.

Want a waterer that is able to feed many chickens at the same time? Go for the Harris EZ. This drinker has a huge bottom tray that accommodates up to 40 chickens at a time.

As for the material, the unit is pretty long-lasting. It is made from hard BPA-free plastic that is difficult to break. There’s a hanger at the top, which you can use for carrying as well as hanging the unit when you want to keep it in a suspended position.

As a few people have highlighted, there’s a problem with leaking, but this becomes an issue only when you connect the tank and the bottom incorrectly. You might want to check out the useful tips that some reviewers on Amazon have left.

Generally, this is a great model and it goes for just over 30 bucks, which is reasonable for 3.5 gallons.

Highlighted Features:

• Sturdy BPA-free plastic
• Top filling tank
• 3.5 gallons capacity – with different options
• Carry handle
• Versatile design – for hanging or placing on the ground

6. Farm Innovators HPF-100 Heated Poultry Drinker (3 Gallon)

Do you want a chicken waterer that will ensure your birds drink water efficiently regardless of what season it is? You might want to hear about the Farm Innovators HPF-100.

This unit’s wonderful heater makes it the best chicken waterer for winter. Even though the heater has a wattage of just 100, it is able to prevent ice formation in the water and keep in flowing when the atmospheric temperatures are less than 0 °F.

When using such a gadget, you, of course, want to know about the power costs. Well, as mentioned, the heater’s wattage is just 100, meaning it consumes very little power.

The increase in your energy bill will be extremely little.

Another awesome feature of the heater is that it is thermostatically regulated. It senses the temperature of the water and heats it only when necessary.

This not only boosts power efficiency even further but also ensures the water the chickens are taking isn’t too hot.

The unit comes with a nice and sturdy handle at the top. You can use this for carrying or for hanging the drinker if you want to keep it in a suspended position.

Longevity is also important when looking for a poultry waterer. You’ll be glad to know that the unit is made from hard, sturdy materials that don’t break or bend easily. It’s certainly going to last a long time.

As for the shortcomings, there are two main issues with this unit. Firstly, the top is designed in such a way as to encourage bird roosting. Dirt and dung will be accumulating in the bottom tray a lot and that means more cleaning sessions for you.

Secondly, it leaks a bit at the bottom. Not too much; only a bit.

Besides that, the unit is really good and it works well.

Go ahead and view it on Amazon. Its current price is around 45 bucks.

Highlighted Features:

• 3 gallons capacity
• Sturdy plastic construction
• Thermostatically regulated heater
• 100 watts heater for power efficiency

7. RentACoop 2 Gallon Chicken Waterer

Over 70 percent of users cannot be wrong to think the RentACoop 2 Gallon Chicken Waterer a 5-star chicken drinker, can they? So why do so many folks think this is the best waterer for chickens?

First, it’s an automatic waterer with 4 nipples on the sides, positioned horizontally. That, in itself, is already a huge advantage. Why?

Because there’s no way the water is going to be dirtied by the birds. Unlike an open or gravity drinker, an automatic drinker keeps both the reservoir and the water the birds are taking clean.

That is good news in the sense that your birds will take clean water all the time, as well as the drastically reduced need for cleaning.

Your birds will definitely roost at the top, but that isn’t a problem at all, as their gunk won’t be messing up the water.

The unit’s nipple system is without a doubt, an excellent solution, as it dispenses water seamlessly on demand, and without leaving a mess. All that your birds need to do is poke at the nipples, and water flows down without a struggle.

What everyone loves about the nipples that they don’t leak. Okay, when you first get it, you might find that it’s leaking. That is most probably because it’s not well tightened. All you got to do is turn the nipple a bit and it’ll be tight enough to stop the leak.

We also want to mention that the unit comes with a sturdy handle that makes transportation and hanging a breeze. The filling is also a piece of cake as there’s a detachable lid at the top.

Highlighted Features:

• Automatic model that prevents water dirtying
• 4 leak-free nipples
• Top lid for easy filling
• Ergonomic handle for carrying and suspending the unit
• Sturdy plastic construction – BPA-free food-grade material

8. Harris Farms Drinker Base Heater

Maybe you have a great poultry waterer that does the job flawlessly and keeps your birds well watered. But there’s one major issue – when the cold seasons come, the water in the unit freezes, preventing your birds from drinking.

There’s nothing wrong with the drinker, all there is to blame is the cold. So, don’t throw away the unit, just get a heater to keep the water flowing.

The Harris Farms Drinker Heater is a base heating unit that allows you to keep the water in the drinker from freezing even when the temperatures are below zero.

The coolest thing about this model is that it is compatible with both metallic and plastic waterers. It is thermostatically controlled so you can rest assured that your waterer won’t get scorched even if it’s made of plastic.

Having a thermostat also means less work for you. Forgot to turn it on? No worries. As long as it’s connected to the power supply, the heater will sense the drop in the water temperature and turn itself on.

Wondering about power consumption? The unit uses only 125 watts, which is really low and which means that the increase in your energy bill will be negligible.

You might have seen heater models that are prone to water damage. This is not one of them. It’s bottom is completely covered, protecting the electronic components from water damage.

You should definitely be cautious and protect it from water/moisture, but at least you have the peace of mind of knowing it has a high capability to resist water.

There is one issue, however, or rather a missing vital item. The unit doesn’t have an indicator light, and that means you cannot tell it’s on from afar. You have to inspect it physically to know it’s on.

Other than that, it’s a great heater that works very well.

Highlighted Features:

• Thermostatically regulated
• Covered base for protection against the water
• Energy-efficient – 125 watts
• Compatible with plastic and metal waterers

9. Little Giant Plastic Poultry Waterer (1 Gallon)

Going for less than 20 bucks presently, the Little Giant Plastic Poultry Waterer (1 Gallon) is one of the cheapest poultry drinkers on the market.

What is amazing about this flock waterer is that even though it’s low-priced, its quality is excellent. Over 65% of users cannot be mistaken to give it a 5-star.

The bottom part is really big and spacious enough for as many as 6 big chickens to drink at a time. As the edges aren’t high, even 1-day old chicks can drink without a hitch.

Ease of use is the ultimate factor why this poultry waterer made this list. The unit features a screw-on design so that with a few turns of the top part against the bottom part, you can open or close the unit.

Yes, you cannot fill it from the top, but the ease of opening and closing makes filling a breeze.

Cleaning the unit is also pretty easy. The water reservoir stays clean, and when dung and dirt collect in the bottom tray, you can use a spoon to get it out.

Talking of the ease of screwing the bottom and top part, it’s good to mention a great perk we found.

The parts attach perfectly, leaving no spaces, and subsequently ensuring there are no leaks. If you want a model that doesn’t leave a mess or waste water because of leaks, this unit will work for you superbly.

Even when you invert the unit, there’ll be no leaks as long as the parts are well screwed on each other. This makes draining the water in the bottom trough a no-brainer.

There are two main problems with this unit. Firstly, there’s no hanger, and secondly, the plastic isn’t heavy duty so you might want to avoid keeping it in the sun for too long.

Other than that, it’s a great flock waterer.

Highlighted Features:

• 1 gallon capacity
• Transparent plastic tank – makes it easy to view the water level
• Screw-on design – easy filling and draining
• Inexpensive – less than 20 bucks

10. Farm Innovators HP-125 Base Heater

Last on our list is the Farm Innovators HP-125 Base Heater. This is yet another item that comes in helpful when the weather is very cold and the water in your waterer is likely to freeze.

It is a thermostatically controlled gadget that senses the temperature of the water and turns on when it drops below 35 degrees Fahrenheit. That means the unit only actually consumes power when necessary.

This is good news for someone who’s looking to save on energy costs. Moreover, as a 125-watt machine, it consumes minimal amounts of power as compared to regular space heaters.

If you’ve used a drinker heater before, you might already know how destructive mice can be. They get under the heater to enjoy some of that warmth and before you know it, the wires are all chewed and destroyed.

Well guess what? Farm Innovator’s heater is totally sealed at the bottom, preventing mice from chewing the electrical components. This sealing is also helpful in the sense that it prevents water from contacting and destroying the electrical parts.

The manufacturer says that this is for use only with metal waterers, but we find that it can be used with plastic waterers as well. Unlike some cheap models, it doesn’t get extremely hot so it won’t burn your waterer.

As for the shortcomings, the first issue we found was that there’s no way of telling when the heater is on, as the unit doesn’t come with indicator light.

The second issue is that the heater’s electric cable doesn’t seem like it will last. You might want to cover is with tape.

Besides that, the heater works well and it’s very helpful. Go on and check it out on Amazon. It goes for around 45 dollars.

Highlighted Features:

• Thermostatically operated
• Draws 125 watts
• Supports over 10 gallons of water
• Sealed base

How Much Water Do Chickens Require and Where Should You Place Waterers?

It doesn’t seem like chickens drink much, as you’ll see them sip a little and go about their business. But do you know most mature chickens need 0.3 to 1 liter of water every day to stay healthy?

Meat birds grow rapidly, and thus typically need more water than other poultry.

Another thing to keep in mind is that when chickens are unwell, they might need to drink more water than they usually do, and that means increasing the water supply.

Chickens don’t drink huge amounts of water at once. Instead, they sip a little and move along. That means you should keep the water supplies (waterers) nearby. Depending on the design of these waterers, you can place them on the ground or keep them suspended in the air.

While choosing the positioning, take your chickens into account. Don’t position the waterers where your birds cannot reach them. For instance, you don’t expect one-day old chicks to reach a point that is too high above the ground.

What to Look For Before Buying A Chicken Waterer?

When shopping for the best chicken waterer, there are a couple of considerations to make. The factors discussed below will help you get the most appropriate waterer for your needs.

Dispenser/container type

The next factor to think about is the type of container and the dispenser. The main types are:

1. 1Open/dish type waterers
2. 2Automatic waterers
3. 3Gravity waterers

1. Open/dish type

Open/dish type drinkers are inexpensive so they’re a good option if you’re on a budget. Another perk is that they’re able to feed many chickens at the same time.

However, they come with major shortcomings. First, they accumulate dirt quickly. The chickens scratch the ground throwing dirt in there and again, they leave their dung in the water, making it dirty.

But, you could lift an open drinker off the ground to minimize the instances of the chickens roosting in it and making the water dirty.

2. Automatic waterers

The automatic drinkers are designed like the gravity waterers, with the only difference being in the manner in which the water gets dispensed. Rather than having a bottom tray for water to drip into, these waterers have nipples around the bucket/jug.

The nipples release water when the chickens peck or point their beaks on them.

Automatic drinkers are definitely the perfect choice for poultry because the water stays clean and there’s no water wastage.

3. Gravity type

These are an improved type of open waterers designed to keep the water supply clean. Gravity waterers are composed of a bottom that attached to a bucket that can be filled from the top or from the bottom.

The water is slowly dispensed at the bottom and it fills the bottom tray for the poultry to drink.

The water reservoir in the bucket stays clean, but note, however, that once the water is in the bottom tray, it is prone to dirt. Some farmers lift the unit off the ground to minimize the accumulation of the dirt.

Heater type

For the heated drinkers, there are three main heater varieties:

1. 1Base heaters
2. 2Built-in heaters
3. 3Water bowl heaters

The best heated chicken waterer is really a matter of circumstances and personal preference but we find the built-in heater to be the most convenient.

Material

The material that the waterer is made of determines 2 things:

• Longevity – how long it will serve you
• Whether you can use apple cider vinegar (ACV)

Metal is ideally the preferred material for longevity. But metal has one huge shortcoming – it rusts when you put ACV in it. The purpose of putting ACV in the water is to make the water taste better for the chickens encouraging them to drink.

If you have plans to put ACV in the water, plastic is without a doubt the ideal material for you as the ACV will not cause it to rust. Try getting a well-built hard plastic drinker that will also last a long time. 

Number of chickens

This is a crucial consideration to make when looking for a waterer. You’ll be able to determine the size of the waterer you’re going to use once you know the number of birds you have in the coop.

If you have many birds in there, it’s better to get larger capacity waterers that can accommodate many birds at a time. That way, you’ll have to get fewer units.

A unit with a large capacity also reduces the number of times you have to refill.

Positioning

By positioning, we mean the way in which the unit can be kept when feeding the chickens. There are two types of positioning:

• Ground – most open models can only be placed on the ground
• Hanging – automatic models and some gravity units can be placed in a suspended position

Different Types

Chicken waterers come in all shapes and sizes. But how do you know exactly what model to get for your needs? This section dives deeper into the types of waterers there are.

There are various ways to categorize flock waterers:

• By material
• By shape/dispensing mechanism

By material

There are 3 main materials used to make chicken waterers – metal, glass, and plastic.

Glass

Glass waterers are recommended only for chicks, and once they’re older, you switch to plastic and metal as adult birds can break glass with their beaks.

Metal

Metal drinkers are available in a range of galvanized versions and their main advantage is longevity. Unlike plastic models, they’re not prone to bending or overflowing because of the water’s pressure on the material.

They’re, however, often costlier than other drinkers made of plastic, and they’re also generally heavier. Apart from that, they’re prone to fading and rusting especially when you put apple cider vinegar in them. For these reasons, most people go for plastic.

Plastic

Plastic drinkers have the convenience of being lightweight and inexpensive. In addition to that, they’re not prone to fading and rusting, and you can put apple cider vinegar in there without the risk of corroding the material.

The problem with plastic is that it’s not robust and it will break much sooner than a metal model would. There are however, various hard models that will last a bit longer than the regular plastic model.

A good gravity or automatic chicken waterer made of plastic will usually serve you well. Just look for a model with thick walls and a sturdy appearance and you’ll use it for a long time.

By shape/dispensing mechanism

This is another popular way to group chicken waterers. Based on the shape, you can either have a standard/dish/open, gravity or automatic (nipple-operated) drinker.

Open/dish

The standard model is the most basic type. It’s just an open dish from where the chickens can drink freely. As a smart farmer, this is definitely not the type for you.

Why? Because the chickens throw dirt in there as they scratch the ground and deposit their dung in there, dirtying the water.

Gravity

The gravity model is an improvement on the open dish model. It includes a tank and a bottom tray. The water gets dispensed slowly from the tank into the bottom tray from whence the chickens feed.

This innovative design allows the water in the tank to stay clean and depending on the design of the tray, the water in there might stay relatively cleaner than that of an open dish model.

The issue with gravity models is the need to refill as dirt accumulates in the water in the bottom tray.

Automatic

An automatic model has one or several nipples around it that only release the water when the birds poke on them with their beaks.

These are the best chicken waterers in that they minimize water wastage and ensure that the water that your birds are drinking is always clean. As long as you’re using the best automatic chicken waterer, you never have to worry about the water getting dirtied.   

Before you go shopping, there’s another aspect you got to keep in mind. There are heated and non-heated waterers.

You know what most people do to keep the water from freezing during the cold times and allow their girls can drink without a hitch? They get the best heated chicken waterer.

How Many Waterers Does Your Flock Need?

If you have one to ten chickens, a single waterer will likely be enough.

But if you normally let them out into the compound and put them back in the coop at night, then you might want to get two waterers – one for the indoors and the other for the outdoors.

If you have more than 10 chickens going up to thirty, you need at least two waterers. Of course, one waterer can serve them, but if you want to avoid the competition among the chickens when trying to get a drink, then an extra waterer is necessary.

10:1 is the ideal ratio when getting a waterer for your chickens. This figure is not arrived at scientifically, but most of the farmers we’ve talked to have said they use it and it works excellently.

However, if you have a large number of chickens, ranging in the hundreds or thousands, 10:1 will mean you have to get so many units that it will not be cost-efficient or even space-efficient for you. In that case, you can get one waterer per 15 or 20 chickens.

The good thing is that chickens don’t take forever to drink. A chicken drinks quickly and moves on, providing the next chicken a chance to drink. 

How to Keep Your Heated Chicken Waterer Clean and Take Care of It for Longevity

If there’s one thing that can cause your waterers to depreciate quickly, it is dirt. Dirt and dung settling on the waterers contain minerals and impurities that corrode the material of the waterers.

Moreover, the impurities that the dirt introduces can be harmful to your dear chickens.

So, once a week, at least, you got to give the waterers a good scrub. The good thing is that the cleaning exercise doesn’t take long and it doesn’t need too much energy or costly supplies.

Here are the items you need to clean your waterers:

• White vinegar
• Water
• Scrubber

If you want to get rid of the odor, you can use some apple cider vinegar as well during the cleaning exercise. A poultry cleaner that is essential-oil based will come in handy for removing any germs on the waterer.

Here’s how to go about the cleaning exercise:

• Remove any water that is remaining in the drinker.
• Scatter a spoonful or two of the vinegar into the drinker and let it sit for 5 minutes.
• Use a scrubber to loosen the grime.
• Rinse thoroughly with clean water.
• At this stage, the waterer should look cleaner and smell a lot better especially if you used apple cider vinegar.
• Repeat the process if you deem the unit needs more cleaning.

You wouldn’t want to drink stale water that lets off an odor, would you? Well, livestock and chickens agree. They might drink a little when very thirsty, but they certainly won’t take enough water to keep them healthy.

When you see that the water containers are no longer getting depleted at the end of the day, it’s likely that the water isn’t so good. Rust and algae are some of the culprits to watch out for. They form a biofilm in the container, causing the water’s taste to go foul.

What you need to do is dump the water and give the container a little scrub and some treatment with apple cider vinegar. ACV is thought to improve the taste of water for birds and livestock.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What can I do to keep the water for your chicken from freezing during winter?

A regular waterer will serve you flawlessly during spring and summer. But come fall, and especially in winter, it might not be very helpful. In that case, you need a winter chicken waterer or rather a unit that has a heater in it to prevent the water from freezing.

Alternatively, you can get waterer heaters and place your regular waterers on them.

What is the best chicken watering system?

The finest unit is the one that enables the birds to drink without a struggle in any season. Again, it’s a model that’s able to keep the water clean and ensure the chickens drink clean water at all times.

With these factors in mind, an automatic unit is the best poultry waterer.

Can chickens take dirty water?

No one loves dirty water; not even chickens. When there’s only dirty water around, they’ll take a little to combat the thirst, but not enough to stay properly hydrated.

How does a gravity waterer work?

Gravity waterers are some of the most popular units. They’re composed of a tank acting as a clean water reservoir and a bottom tray where the water from the reservoir drips to.

What is the best type of waterer for chickens?

There are three types of waterers – basic open dish, gravity, and automatic waterers. Of these, the automatic type is the best, as it makes certain the water that the chickens take is always clean.

How do you care for a flock waterer?

The care that a waterer depends on what type it is. Cleaning is the most important care that waterers need, with the open dish type requiring the most cleaning, followed by the gravity type. Automatic waterers need the least cleaning.

How may chicken drinkers do I need?

That mostly depends on the number of chickens you have as well as the type of waterer you’re getting. If you have one to ten chickens, one electric chicken waterer will likely be enough. The 10:1 ratio often works well.

Final Word

Our top 10 picks were chosen extremely carefully to ensure that you get nothing but the best heated chicken waterer for your needs. We also threw in a few heaters to make it possible for you to keep the water flowing even if you buy a non-heated waterer.

For a smart poultry farmer, the deciding factors when looking for a best waterer for chickens include the presence of a good thermostat, the ease of refilling, the ability to keep the water clean, the durability, and of course, a reasonable price.

These are some of the factors we considered when looking for items to include in our review.

Go ahead and follow the link associated with the waterer you’re interested in to find it quickly and conveniently on Amazon.