5 Gallon Heated Chicken Waterer with 4 Nipples & Foldable Legs, Red

It��s not for everyone, keeping chickens year-round in a cold climate. Ourselves included, usually. We��ve generally kept chickens through the spring and summer and given them away come fall. With a few modern upgrades like heaters and this waterer, though, it makes the job more appealing. Of course, you still have to shovel your way out to the coop �� or use a snowblower if you��re really fancy.The biggest appeal here is the built-in heating, which is designed to keep the water from freezing in cold weather. Anyone who has dealt with frozen water in winter knows that keeping chickens hydrated becomes another chore to add to an already lengthy list. Having a heated waterer could make that part of winter chicken keeping considerably easier.It holds five gallons, which is a generous capacity and means less frequent refilling than with a smaller waterer. The removable top should also make it easier to fill, rather than having to fuss with a tiny opening. The water is dispensed through four nipple drinkers, with two at the front and one on each side, so multiple chickens can drink at once, as they tend to do. An extra nipple is included as a spare, which is a thoughtful little addition.The six foldable legs are another useful feature. They allow you to adjust the height of the drinkers from about 3.15 to 5.12 inches, depending on the size of your birds, and help keep the bottom of the reservoir raised above muddy ground. The legs can also be folded away when needed. There��s a hanging hook as well, so you have the option of suspending it in the coop instead of using it freestanding.The power cable is about 9.2 feet long, giving you some flexibility with placement, although you��ll still need a suitable power source near the coop and a setup that keeps the electrical connection safe from moisture and curious birds.At $96 on sale, down from $120, it��s certainly an investment compared with a basic poultry waterer. But for someone determined to keep chickens through a Canadian winter, avoiding frozen water and repeated trips to refill it could make the extra cost worthwhile. The five-gallon capacity and multiple drinkers are useful even aside from the heating function.We��ve usually treated chicken keeping as a seasonal activity, so this is the sort of upgrade that makes me reconsider whether winter has to mean giving it all up until spring. It doesn��t eliminate the work involved in caring for chickens in cold weather, but making sure they have access to water is one less thing to worry about. I��d still want to see how well the heating holds up in genuinely cold conditions before making big promises, but the concept is appealing.

I keep a small backyard flock, and winter watering is always a chore. I like the heated design because it takes one more thing off my morning checklist. The five-gallon size is convenient, although I still check the water and nipples daily to make sure everything is flowing properly.

My chickens tend to splash water everywhere with open bowls, so the horizontal nipple setup is a practical change. It took a little time for the birds to get used to pecking the nipples, but the area around the waterer is easier to keep tidy. I also appreciate the sloped lid.