The 8 Best Heated Buckets
This wiki has been updated 30 times since it was first published in December of 2016. If you are responsible for taking care of any livestock or pets that spend time outside during the colder months, you can provide them with a reliable water supply that does not ice over when the temperature drops below freezing with one of these handy heated buckets and containers. Just be certain to follow all the manufacturer's safety recommendations while you're setting one up for use. When users buy our independently chosen editorial choices, we may earn commissions to help fund the Wiki.
Editor's Notes
October 08, 2020:
When choosing a heated bucket for outdoor animals to get through the winter months, one size will not fit all, so our selections cover the needs of everything from large livestock like horses, to chickens.
For chickens or any other fowl you are keeping, we added the Farm Innovators Poultry Drinker that features freeze-free dispensing nipples mounted to the sides of the heated bucket. It's an alternative to the K&H Pet Products Thermo-Poultry that is not as easy to take care of and clean, but still remains on the list because its unusual shape prevents birds from roosting on top, for anyone dealing with that issue.
While the K&H Pet Products Thermal Bowl is not quite a bucket, as it holds just under a gallon, it's a good choice for pets as well as any smaller animals that may have trouble reaching into the taller choices for livestock, like the API 16HB.
October 11, 2018:
Removed the Premier 1 Supplies poultry waterer due to concerns about availability and replaced it with K&H's poultry waterer. Investigated claims about the power and durability of Farm Innovators' models.