Farm Innovators 125 Watt Heated Base for Double Wall Metal Poultry Founts with 35 degrees Fahrenheit Temperature and Below, Metallic

I read several reviews before purchasing this unit.Pro's:-Nice sized unit for a 3 or 5 gallon waterer. You could easily fit a larger waterer on here too (but I can't lift it filled with water!!), probably a good 18" in diameter). This is a "pro" for me, but as one reviewer mentioned, it may make this unit too big for those with a small coop.-Solid base keeps the unit stable on the coop floor-Good height helps keep pine shavings/litter out of the water (although I do have mine sitting on pavers for added height and security)-Units thermostat seems to work very well, keeps the water lukewarm into the low 20's (I haven't had a chance to test it at colder temp's yet).Con's- The unit seems to get almost a little too hot, I would still order it and it's not enough of a concern to reduce the star rating, just an observation.- Cord could be longer and it would be nice if they included something to put around the cord to protect it from the inevitable pecking. An easy fix with a trip to the hardware store.Additional detail:When I received the box, I plugged in the unit inside to ensure the temperature gauge was working (shouldn't kick on until the temperature is 35 degrees or colder). I also put this outside (in a dry location) when it was just over 35 degrees and again when it was in the 20's to see how hot the unit gets. The temperature sensor seems to work really well, but the unit gets much hotter than I expected from reading other reviews. I don't think it's hot enough to allow anything to catch on fire; it is too hot to touch comfortably but not hot enough to burn my skin.I would not recommend using this with a plastic waterer, it may be ok, but it wasn't worth the risk to me.The cord is made from a very thick sturdy rubber; that being said, I would recommend running to the hardware store to add something around it - you could even slice an old hose and slip the cord in that.June 2014 edit - Just a quick update to say that this is still working like a champ and made it through another winter. Very durable! If and when it ever goes, we will be replacing it with the same thing. As a side note, we never did wind up adding a hose around the cord and the chickens have left it alone for 2 full seasons now.

I have used this heated base for years, in fact I have 2. One for a 2 gal double wall waterer for my Silkies; and one for a 5 gal double wall waterer for my Sex Links. They have worked flawlessly. Easy to clean; just wipe with a damp cloth.

I cannot attest to how long this heater will last, but it worked PERFECT for our cold snap in January. It only kicks on at a certain temperature. It was very nice to not have to worry about our chickens' water freezing and having to refill it every day.

I have been using this for two months and it works great. It got down to -15 over the weekend with the wind blowing and the water was not frozen. As far as I know it doesn’t work when it is above 32 so doesn’t use power. Plug it in and forget about it. Would recommend and would buy again.

Second time buying this water heater as the first one quit working after 3 years. Keep my chicken water from freezing in our cold Michigan winters.

Haven't had a chance to use this yet as it still summer. I will keep you posted when he gets below 35°. I will change my rating when the time comes

Never really worked. As flock size grew, I wanted a second freeze protection watering setup, so I tried a recommend solution of a double walled metal waterer and this heated base. Winter here has been pretty mild si I couldn't really tell how it was working but first time temps got to around 20 everything g froze solid the first night. I double checked my power, setup, etc. but it continued to fail. Never could really sense any radiant heat from base while set up (didn't bother me as I knew it was thermostatically controlled) but I reslly think the double wall vacuum insulation from the fount was doing all the work down just below freezing. This was a pretty pricey piece of gear and I heartily do not recommend. I'm still using the plastic heated waterer I got last year for the main station and smaller, frequently changed fonts for supplemental watering.Addition: very successfully using K&H Thermo-Poultry Waterer 2.5 gallon for main non-freezing water source. 2nd year, also got here on Amazon, great design, works well below freezing (rarely gets to 0° range here on Cape Cod, but this unit handles it the few times it did - better than specs describe).

Item delivered as stated, tks!!

I have this base with an double wall metal fount with a base that covers the entire warmer (mid sized fount?) I have it located in a fully enclosed greenhouse type poultry run adjacent to the coup. The temperature reached -35 without the windchill for a couple nights in a row and this fount never froze up at all. Perfectly liquid the entire time.It did freeze up on a -15 night when it was exposed to the wind and snow drifts. Once I put it inside the enclosed poultry run with no snow and no drift..... -35 and still no signs of freezing, not even crystallization.This was a solid investment. I am very pleased with this product and would not hesitate to purchase another in the future.

Works perfectly in cold Alberta. We've just come through a month of severe cold here, -44C was the coldest, but for close to a month, not warmer than -30C. Not once did the water freeze up with this under it. I may buy a second one and I would recommend this to anyone.

Returned, as I didn't need it.

Well made and the perfect size for my waterer.

I looked around and found very few options for my particular situation of having only a few birds. This base does what it is supposed to at a modest investment. The thermostat is energy-saving so that if it is warm enough in the coop, it will shut off automatically. My only concern is that the power cord is much too short especially since the use of an extension cord is not recommended. Also the chickens like to peck at the cord so it would be nice if more protection were available. Other than that, it is good value for the money and provides some peace of mind that the water will not freeze.