DIY Heated Chicken Waterer

If you have a working homestead, then you know the value and importance in saving money. This not only applies to your household but also to the animals that provide you with food. In this post, I reveal a simple way to save money by making a heated chicken waterer.

What prompted me to work on this project was my frustration over having to replace my plastic watering devices. Since I live in a colder climate, the plastic waterers were cracking and breaking on a regular basis.  I've had to replaced the heated model twice in the last year. 

First I decided to go with a metal farm style watering fountain. Replacement cost for two of these was about $42. But, the heated base ranged in cost from $50 to $60. Not to mention the fact that they consumed about 125 watts per hour x 2.

The end result is that I needed to find an alternative. I needed something that was inexpensive, durable, and easily replaced.  I purchase the metal watering fountains and after some research I found an easy way to make two heated bases. 

The materials needed for this project was 2 half cinder blocks, two 6 foot extension cords with flat heads on the end, 2 light socket adapters which would plug into the extension cords and hold a light bulb, a hammer, a masonry chisel, a construction stapler, 2 scrap pieces of lumber, and two 40 watt light bulbs.

The steps are as follows:

1) Use the masonry chisel to make a small notch on the edge of each cinder block. The extension cord with run through this notch so that the cinder block does not damage the cord.

2) Place a small piece of lumber on the ground and make sure it is level.

3) Plug the socket adapter into the extension cord and screw in the light bulb

4) Place the flat head of the extension cord on the wood.

5) Place the cinder block over the cord making sure the cord runs through the notch.

6) Place the chicken waterer on top of the cinder block and turn on the power.

During the week after I completed this project, temperatures at the cabin dropped down to 10 degrees several times. Both of my new heated waterers stayed thawed the whole time.

In the end, I figured that I had saved about $120 in exchange for 1 hour of my time. 

Go off grid and live well,

Patrick