Chickens, like all animals, require water to survive. They need regular access to it to remain healthy. This can get complicated during the winter. Chicken waterers come in a few common designs. They can be either plastic or metal. Both materials have pros and cons and may behave differently when the outside temperatures get below freezing. Winters are mild here compared to farther north, but there was still a learning curve with keeping them watered in freezing temps. I’ll start by stating that many people simply move the water to a sheltered area at night. I don’t have a place to do that and we luckily only get hard freezes for 2 or 3 weeks per year.

Lesson 1: Large Waterers Are Harder To Freeze

I had two chicken waterers, a one gallon and a five gallon. Almost every day during below freezing conditions, I had to dislodge a large block of ice from the smaller waterer. The five gallon had less icing issues. Smaller quantities of water freeze faster. This is because there is more surface area in relation to total volume in the smaller quantities. I came across a suggestion to add ping pong balls to the bulb in order to kind of keep it agitated. Obviously, it did not work.

While both trays froze, the tray of the larger one usually wasn’t quite solid. So that one mostly only required a quick scrape and a little chipping. The tray on the one gallon was literally frozen to the bulb and the water inside was almost frozen solid. The best way I found to refill it was to fill a pitcher with hot tap water and pour it over the bulb and into the tray. I let that sit while I went about the rest of my chores. Eventually, I would be able to remove the bulb and refill.

Lesson 2: Plastic Sucks

While I was fighting thermodynamics with the one gallon waterer, the five gallon was not without issues. At first, it required refilling every few days. But I was refilling it daily once the temperatures got below freezing. I thought the weather swing had them drinking more or they hit some sort of growth and were drinking more because of it.

One day, I was having a hard time unscrewing the cap to refill. It must have been frozen on because I was really applying some force. The whole thing suddenly shattered. We were given three of these plastic five gallon waterers by friends. I went to grab a replacement only to discover that it was cracked. Turns out number three was as well. I formed a theory that the first actually had a slow leak in the tray that caused it to slowly drain. These had been donated and were already a few years old. So they may have been near the end of their usable life anyway.

Frustrated, I immediately went to Tractor Supply and bought two galvanized metal waterers.

Lesson 3: Metal Is Not Without Issues

I actually only encountered one issue so small it almost isn’t worth mentioning. But just in case there’s a frustrated chicken owner out there who thinks they bought a defective product, here it goes.

The waterers I got have a double-wall design. The outer shell comes up and off to access the inner reservoir for refilling. With the outer shell on, it works just like many other waterers. When the water in the tray falls below a certain level, more drips from the reservoir. Suction keeps it from overflowing. Removing the outer wall causes a plunger on the reservoir to close to keep the water from gushing out. In very cold temps, ice would form around this plunger or the hole that allows the water to refill. Sometimes, a piece may cause the plunger to stay open and spill water all over the place. One simply needs to clear the area around the plunger.

Finally, even though it is metal, I would be careful about rough handling. Because the design requires a seal between the two walls, any deformation around the bottom may render it useless.

Overall, the metal version is more complex. All of the plastic chicken waterers I’ve encountered were simpler designs. The reviews are mixed; so time will only tell if they will hold up. Based on the reviews, I will be looking out for rust and possibly solder coming undone. Everything seems solid, though.

Lesson 4: Try Something Simple

Like I said before, simply moving the water to a sheltered area may mitigate the freezing issues. However, if you don’t have that kind of place, there is something else you can do to save some time. Don’t bother with the ice in the bulb. If you can, get the ice out of the tray and just fill that. If you can’t get the ice out, hot tap water will help thaw it. Top off the trays after they drink and before you leave. This will give the birds a chance to at least get a drink.

That’s really it. Luckily we don’t get crazy cold winters. So we don’t have to go to any extremes to keep our chickens healthy. But these are all things to consider when looking at plastic vs metal chicken waterers.