Heated dog bowl on pine shavings???

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Bearded Farmer

Bearded Farmer

In the Brooder
7 Years
Jul 9, 2012
26
3
24
First off let me state that I own quail. I think you chicken people will have more experience with this issue though, thats why I am asking here.

Normally I use a 1 gallon hanging chicken waterer in the summer months but since the temps are now getting into the low 30s at night I have started looking into heated options. I just bought a small heated dog bowl to heat my quail waterer.

Here is my setup....


Is this bowl going to be OK sitting in the coop on pine shavings?? I am not really sure how hot these get and couldn't find it in a search. I can not raise it up on blocks because I don't think they will reach it and they do not like nipple waterers. I could put it on the wire mesh portion as shown below but was hoping to keep it inside.

A picture from summer showing the entire coop...


Anyone have any experience??
 
We've used a heated dog bowl for years, for our outside cat. It will only keep your water at a few degrees above freezing, so you will likely find the water partially frozen if your nights/days are regularly below freezing. It's certainly worth a try.

As to the bowl on the shavings I would not risk it, due to the slim chance of a fire.

Another way to set up the bowl, would be to take the waterer out, and put a few hand-sized stones inthe bowl, and then partially cover with water. That way the quail would have a place to perch while drinking.

The quail are very cute!
 
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How about a round cement paver. If it's a bit larger than the heated bowl you can raise it high enough so the quail could step up onto the block to take a drink.
 
I've used these bowls for my dogs for years and they never get hot to the touch ever! they are thermostatically controlled, but I would be safe and clear the shavings out from under and use the round paver as precaution as others have said inside the coop, any spark with shavings as tinder could be dangerous. I only have my electric bowl outside the coop in the covered run for safety purposes and the chickens don't drink at night anyway, not sure about quail? cute enclosure and birds, my husband wants to raise some quail :)
 
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I have used heated dog bowls in my coop (two of them) the last few years with no problems. I had them setting on top of the shavings but the chickens, during their scratching for food would send shavings flying into the water. I have since placed them on top of bricks to pick them up higher than the shavings eliminating the problem.
 

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