Farm Innovators Heated Chicken Waterers: HPF-100, HB-60P, Heated Base and Bowl Compared
Farm Innovators makes four products that keep poultry water from freezing: the HPF-100 heated fountain with 3 gallons, the HB-60P heated nipple drinker with 2 gallons, the HP-125 heated base for double-wall metal founts and the P-60 heated bowl. All four are thermostatically controlled and guaranteed for one year according to the manufacturer. They differ in container, rated low temperature and where they may stand.
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The short version
The Farm Innovators HPF-100 is a complete 3-gallon, 100-watt fountain rated to 0 °F. The HB-60P is a 2-gallon, 60-watt bucket with side nipples for up to 15 chickens, and its instruction sheet recommends it for use to −10 °F. The HP-125 is a 125-watt base for double-wall metal founts, rated to 10 °F. The P-60 is a 60-watt, 1.5-gallon open bowl sold for dogs. The instructions say all switch on below 35 °F.
Farm Innovators, Inc. is a manufacturer of heated farm and pet products. Its instruction sheets give an address in Plymouth, Indiana.
For this site the brand matters because its HPF-100 fountain is our pick among complete heated waterers, as explained under best heated chicken waterers. That choice rests on documents. Farm Innovators publishes a product page and a downloadable instruction sheet for each model, and we read both in October 2026. Where the two differ, this page says so. This site runs no product tests.
The four models side by side
This selection covers only products sold on Amazon. It is not a market overview. Products are compared by manufacturer and listing data, not by hands-on testing. How we evaluate
Some details stand only in the instruction sheets. They are collected here.
Point
HPF-100 fountain
HB-60P nipple drinker
How the maker classes it
“Indoor product,” for a dry sheltered area
“Outdoor product”
Recommended for use to
0 °F
−10 °F
Thermostat
Operates only below 35 °F
Operates only below 35 °F
Placement in the instructions
On a hard, flat surface in a sheltered area, protected from wind
On a hard, flat surface, or hung with rope and a fastener (not included), protected from wind
Filling
From the bottom, unit turned upside down
From the top
Birds
Not stated
Up to 5 hens per nipple, up to 15 chickens in total
Warranty
One year
One year
One point differs between the two documents for the fountain. The product page says the HPF-100 is designed to hang and has foldable legs for three heights. The instruction sheet says to place the unit directly on a hard, flat surface. Both are from the manufacturer; this site goes by the instruction sheet.
HPF-100: the complete fountain
Our pick for waterAd
Farm Innovators
Farm Innovators HPF-100, 3 gal
A complete 3-gallon heated fountain with a built-in thermostat for a dry, sheltered spot in the coop.
Why here: The complete unit of the range: 3-gallon reservoir, drinking trough and a 100-watt heater with thermostat in one piece, rated by the manufacturer to keep water from freezing down to 0 °F.
Best for: Small backyard flocks in regions where winter lows stay above about 0 °F.
What speaks for it
All-in-one: reservoir, trough and 100 W heater in one unit
Thermostatically controlled: operates only when temperatures fall below 35 °F (instruction sheet)
Foldable legs allow three heights (manufacturer)
Manufacturer publishes instructions and a one-year guarantee
What to know first
Rated to keep water from freezing down to 0 °F only (manufacturer) – not the choice for deep northern cold
Fills from the bottom, so it has to be taken down and turned over
Open trough gets dirtier than nipples do
An indoor product for a dry, sheltered area, placed on a hard, flat surface and protected from wind (instruction sheet); the product page says “designed to hang”
Needs a grounded cord and plug on a fixed GFCI outlet (NFPA, instruction sheet)
Type
Heated fountain with trough
Power
100 W
Capacity
3 gal
Thermostat
built in; operates below 35 °F (instruction sheet)
Use
Hard, flat surface in a dry, sheltered area (instruction sheet); fills from the bottom
The HPF-100 is a gravity-fed fountain. A white reservoir locks onto a red base that holds the trough and the heater. It suits keepers who own no winter waterer yet and whose birds are used to an open trough.
Three things from the instruction sheet are worth knowing before buying:
It is meant for shelter. Inside the coop fits the sheet's “indoor product” and “dry sheltered area.” An open, windy run does not.
Filling takes a routine. The unit is turned upside down, filled through a hole in the bottom and turned back. With 3 gallons of water inside, that is a heavy unit to flip. Do not lose the rubber stopper.
HB-60P: the nipple drinker
The HB-60P*(paid link) is a closed 2-gallon bucket with side-mounted nipples and a 60-watt heater. The top comes off for refilling.
The instruction sheet answers two questions that come up with nipples in frost:
Do the nipples freeze? The maker describes them as drip-free and freeze-free: shaft, spring and seal stay unfrozen and keep working. The red outer plastic reservoir is not heated, and a little ice there is described as normal.
How do birds learn to use them? Remove all other water sources and tap each metal pin so water shows. The birds then peck at the pin.
The sheet also says not to let the unit run without water. The figure of −10 °F comes from the instruction sheet; the product page names none. More closed drinkers are compared under heated nipple waterers.
HP-125: the heated base
The HP-125*(paid link) is not a waterer. It is a 125-watt plate that a fount stands on. The manufacturer states that it is designed for use with double wall metal founts and that it prevents water from freezing down to 10 °F. Its instruction sheet calls it an indoor product, to be placed on a hard, flat surface inside a sheltered area with a metal pan or metal poultry fount on top, warns that the upper surface gets extremely hot and says: “Do not use extension cords.” The product page words the location as “outdoor use in a dry, covered area.” We go by the sheet.
Two limits follow from that. It is the least cold-rated of the three poultry products. And it is for metal containers, not plastic ones. Which bases name plastic, and how to check the fit, is covered under heated base for a chicken waterer.
P-60: the heated bowl
The P-60*(paid link) is a 60-watt bowl with 1.5 gallons that the manufacturer sells for large dogs. The heater sits below the plastic bowl, and the cord has an anti-chew protector. On this site it stands for open water, which ducks need (University of Maryland Extension). Options for open water are under heated water bowls for chickens.
Which one for which flock?
Which one for which coop?
If you own no winter waterer and lows stay above about 0 °F → Farm Innovators HPF-100, 3 gal
Power: what the manuals say and what the NFPA says
All four products are mains-powered devices in a dusty building. The NFPA safety tip sheet for backyard coops has a line just for them: be careful with electrically heated poultry waterers, and make sure the cord and plug are properly grounded. The same sheet says: “Do not use extension cords in the coop.”
The manufacturer's own documents do not agree with each other on this. The HB-60P sheet says to plug the cord into a fully grounded 120-volt receptacle. The HP-125 sheet says “Do not use extension cords,” and so does the sheet for the company's de-icers. The HPF-100 sheet describes connecting the unit through a heavy-duty, fully grounded 16/3 AWG extension cord to a GFCI receptacle, and the FAQ on the de-icer product page accepts a heavy-gauge, three-conductor outdoor cord. The cord instructions conflict with the NFPA sentence above. This site follows the stricter source: a fixed outlet with ground-fault protection within reach of the unit's own cord. How the sources differ on cords, and what a fixed supply takes, is explained under electricity to the chicken coop.
The sheets share the basic rules: inspect cord and plug before use, do not use a damaged unit, do not open or puncture it, and unplug it when it is not in use.
Strengths and weaknesses of the range
Reasons to buy
One brand covers four container types: fountain, nipple drinker, base and open bowl
A product page and an instruction sheet for every model
Thermostats that switch on only below 35 °F (instruction sheets)
Stated low-temperature ratings for three of the four
One-year guarantee (manufacturer)
Reasons to skip
No listing mark such as UL or ETL is named on the product pages we read
Ratings stop at 0 °F for the fountain and 10 °F for the base
The fountain is for sheltered, dry places and fills from the bottom
The heated base is for metal containers only and is classed as an indoor product in its instruction sheet
The HPF-100 manual describes an extension cord, which the NFPA tip sheet and the maker's own HP-125 sheet rule out
Which Farm Innovators heated chicken waterer should I buy?
Go by what you own and how the birds drink. With no winter waterer yet, the HPF-100 fountain is the complete unit with the largest reservoir. If you prefer nipples and keep up to 15 chickens, the HB-60P fits. If you already own a double-wall metal fount, the HP-125 base keeps it in service. For ducks or other birds that need open water, the P-60 bowl is the simple option.
At what temperature does a Farm Innovators heated waterer turn on?
The instruction sheets for the HPF-100 and the HB-60P both state that the product is thermostatically controlled to operate only when temperatures fall below 35 °F. Above that the heater stays off. The thermostat prevents ice. It does not serve warm water, and nothing in the sources read for this site says chickens need warm water.
How cold can it get for the Farm Innovators HPF-100?
The manufacturer rates the HPF-100 to keep water from freezing down to 0 °F, and its instruction sheet recommends it for operational use to 0 °F and asks to protect it from wind. The instruction sheet of the HB-60P nipple drinker names −10 °F. The HP-125 base is rated to 10 °F. For regions with long spells below these figures, compare units with a lower rating first.
How do you fill the Farm Innovators heated poultry fountain?
From the bottom. According to the instruction sheet you lock the white reservoir onto the red drinking area, turn the whole unit upside down onto the four legs on top of the reservoir, pull the black rubber stopper from the filling hole, fill the reservoir, press the stopper back in and turn the unit upright. Unplug it before filling.
Can I use the Farm Innovators heated base with a plastic waterer?
The manufacturer states that the HP-125 is designed for use with double wall metal founts and names no plastic container. Its website adds in general terms that some of its de-icers are safe in plastic and others are not, and refers questions to customer service. The University of Maryland Extension advises confirming that a base will not melt or damage the water receptacle.
Coop heat, winter water and the sources behind both
We are the editorial team at chickencoopheater.com. We read what university extension services, the NFPA and manufacturers publish about heating a coop and keeping water liquid, and turn it into plain-English buying advice with the sources on every page.