Winter brings many challenges for the backyard chicken-keeper, and frozen water is chief among them.  You can make your own waterer heater for use with either metal or plastic waterers. It will cost less than $10, cost pennies to run and you can complete the project in under ten minutes! Make your own waterer heater for use with either metal or plastic waterers. It will cost less than $10, cost pennies to run and you can complete the project in under ten minutes!

We had record-breaking, sub-zero temperatures for long periods of time in 2010 here in Connectictut and my waterers never iced over the way they used to without these heaters.  It doesn’t seem as though a humble, 40 watt lightbulb should be able to produce enough warmth to keep the water in a plastic waterer from icing over, but remarkably, it does!

It doesn't seem as though a humble, 40 watt lightbulb should be able to produce enough warmth to keep the water in a plastic waterer from icing over, but remarkably, it does!

Supplies:

  • 10″, metal cookie tin (available at most dollar & thrift stores & likely in your garage or basement)
  • lamp assembly kit (available oniline, at hardware & home improvement stores OR buy a thrift store/tag sale lamp and take it apart)0
  • 40 watt, incandescent light bulb (in deep-freeze conditions, use a 60 watt bulb)(in light of the government phase-out, some users recommend 40 watt candelabra bulbs or CFL bulbs, but I have not, so I cannot vouch for their effectiveness)
  • Drill with 3/8″ drill bit
Lamp assembly parts.
Lamp assembly parts

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Drill a hole in the side of the cookie tin.

String the pre-threaded lamp stem assembly through the hole & tighten the screw on the stem.

2. String the pre-threaded lamp stem assembly through the hole & tighten the screw on the stem.

Screw in the light bulb.

3. Screw in the light bulb. Voila!

TO USE:

Put the top on the cookie tin and place the tin on a cinder block or another level surface in the chicken run.  Plug into a GFI outlet. Place metal or plastic waterer on top of the water heater when freezing temperatures are anticipated. Disconnect when not in use or use a ThermoCube to turn the unit on when temperatures reache 35°F.

It doesn't seem as though a humble, 40 watt lightbulb should be able to produce enough warmth to keep the water in a plastic waterer from icing over, but remarkably, it does!

When I made my first cookie tin water heater, I found it difficult to believe that this device, which barely felt warm to the touch, could possibly do the intended job. I was only convinced the first frigid morning I went out into the run and found no ice ring to chip out of the waterer. You may have to try it to believe it too.

Plastic Poultry waterer on Cookie tin water heater

Kathy Shea Mormino

Affectionately known internationally as The Chicken Chick®, Kathy Shea Mormino shares a fun-loving, informative style to raising backyard chickens. …Read on

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Winter brings many challenges for the backyard chicken-keeper, and frozen water is chief among them.  You can make your own waterer heater for use with either metal or plastic waterers. It will cost less than $10, cost pennies to run and you can complete the project in under ten minutes! Make your own waterer heater for use with either metal or plastic waterers. It will cost less than $10, cost pennies to run and you can complete the project in under ten minutes!

We had record-breaking, sub-zero temperatures for long periods of time in 2010 here in Connectictut and my waterers never iced over the way they used to without these heaters.  It doesn’t seem as though a humble, 40 watt lightbulb should be able to produce enough warmth to keep the water in a plastic waterer from icing over, but remarkably, it does!

It doesn't seem as though a humble, 40 watt lightbulb should be able to produce enough warmth to keep the water in a plastic waterer from icing over, but remarkably, it does!

Supplies:

  • 10″, metal cookie tin (available at most dollar & thrift stores & likely in your garage or basement)
  • lamp assembly kit (available oniline, at hardware & home improvement stores OR buy a thrift store/tag sale lamp and take it apart)0
  • 40 watt, incandescent light bulb (in deep-freeze conditions, use a 60 watt bulb)(in light of the government phase-out, some users recommend 40 watt candelabra bulbs or CFL bulbs, but I have not, so I cannot vouch for their effectiveness)
  • Drill with 3/8″ drill bit
Lamp assembly parts.
Lamp assembly parts

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Drill a hole in the side of the cookie tin.

String the pre-threaded lamp stem assembly through the hole & tighten the screw on the stem.

2. String the pre-threaded lamp stem assembly through the hole & tighten the screw on the stem.

Screw in the light bulb.

3. Screw in the light bulb. Voila!

TO USE:

Put the top on the cookie tin and place the tin on a cinder block or another level surface in the chicken run.  Plug into a GFI outlet. Place metal or plastic waterer on top of the water heater when freezing temperatures are anticipated. Disconnect when not in use or use a ThermoCube to turn the unit on when temperatures reache 35°F.

It doesn't seem as though a humble, 40 watt lightbulb should be able to produce enough warmth to keep the water in a plastic waterer from icing over, but remarkably, it does!

When I made my first cookie tin water heater, I found it difficult to believe that this device, which barely felt warm to the touch, could possibly do the intended job. I was only convinced the first frigid morning I went out into the run and found no ice ring to chip out of the waterer. You may have to try it to believe it too.

Plastic Poultry waterer on Cookie tin water heater
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Lynne
Lynne
10 years ago

I love someone's tip about the fishtank heater, need to make something, breaking ice on their water almost every day

Debbie May
Debbie May
10 years ago

Love this idea. We purchased an electric 'waterer' but I will keep this in mind to use if it doesn't hold up. Would have saved money to go this way in the first place.

2TrakMind
2TrakMind
10 years ago

We had temps down to -30f last winter and this did a great job of keeping the water, water. We did have some occasions when the surface froze, but rarely.

Tiffany
Tiffany
10 years ago

Buy a fish tank heater and put it in you bucket. It comes with a suction cup to hook it to the inside of the bucket. Cut a hole in cover of bucket to run cord through the top. Plug the unit it to a thermocube and it will only come on when the temp is below 35 degrees. It works GREAT!

Tiffany
Tiffany
10 years ago

Hey guys, did you think about using a fish tank heater in a bucket with chicken nipples to prevent it from freezing? They come with a suction cup to suction to side of bucket. Plug it in to a thermocube and it will only come on if it is below 35 degrees and keep your water from freezing!

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