A FIX to messy food and water containers in Brooder Boxes

Many of us use the Mason Jars screwed onto a base for Watering or Feeding chicks.

These are great as the nutrients flow slowly down and last for a few days at a time. The problem most folks have is they sit on the brooder box (or any container) floor and get messy. It only takes a few hours after filling the containers up and placing them on the floor; when they get floor material, poop, etc. on the openings or tray.

Let that happen for the first week, only to get the chicks use to eating or drinking from the containers.

After a week the chicks are strong enough to stand tall (even stand on one another) and reach up 2 to 3 inches above the ground floor to their nutritional sources.

Putting the units up 2 or 3 inches above the floor keeps them relativity clean. This helps prevent contamination from poop, floor material flying into the open sources, and chicks sitting on the container.

How Too? Use square (small squares) chicken fencing available from the co-op or feed store. Cut with wire cutters a strip about 8 to 12" inches long and 2" to 3" from top to bottom (the height).

I suggest the small square fencing for its strength when all is done. Circle the wire and affix one end to the other end making a ring of wire. That's it. Simple.

Place the ring on the brooder floor and on top place the feeder/watering containers. The chicks will find their way and reach nicely into the food base and water tray. Now they will not sit on them, scratch floor material into the tray or food holes, and they last longer in-between fillings.

I hang mine on a chain above the litter, then can easily raise them as the chicks grow to keep them at chest level.

Good Idea; as long as their is a way to support a chain. Most brooder boxes are large plastic containers or a simple Plastic or Cardboard Wall type. These do not have anything above the opening to the interior section, thus no support.

Your comments are truly appreciated.

I hang both waters and feeders. I use nipples from day one. Very easy to build a wood arch out of scrap wood or even hefty branches to hang everything.

Heme said:

Many of us use the Mason Jars screwed onto a base for Watering or Feeding chicks.

These are great as the nutrients flow slowly down and last for a few days at a time. The problem most folks have is they sit on the brooder box (or any container) floor and get messy. It only takes a few hours after filling the containers up and placing them on the floor; when they get floor material, poop, etc. on the openings or tray.

Let that happen for the first week, only to get the chicks use to eating or drinking from the containers.

After a week the chicks are strong enough to stand tall (even stand on one another) and reach up 2 to 3 inches above the ground floor to their nutritional sources.

Putting the units up 2 or 3 inches above the floor keeps them relativity clean. This helps prevent contamination from poop, floor material flying into the open sources, and chicks sitting on the container.

How Too? Use square (small squares) chicken fencing available from the co-op or feed store. Cut with wire cutters a strip about 8 to 12" inches long and 2" to 3" from top to bottom (the height).

I suggest the small square fencing for its strength when all is done. Circle the wire and affix one end to the other end making a ring of wire. That's it. Simple.

Place the ring on the brooder floor and on top place the feeder/watering containers. The chicks will find their way and reach nicely into the food base and water tray. Now they will not sit on them, scratch floor material into the tray or food holes, and they last longer in-between fillings.

Click to expand...

Pic please.

I do the same thing, and raise feed, and water yo the back height of my babies.However now I am having a problem with them turning the water over, flooding the brooder box seems can not win for loosing.

I raised the height to 4". My support ring has a smooth end facing down (to the floor) and I left the top of the ring with the spiked portion (Pins Up) to keep the containers from sliding around. If you make the ring a bit smaller than the bottom of the watering tray or food dish; it fits nicely under the units. The reason I leave the spiked prongs up (not cut off) is to grab the surface of the trays and keep them from moving side to side or become tilted. A level watering unit will not empty if positioned correctly.

The other way I managed the food and watering units (glass mason jars screwed into a plastic base) was to use the 2" covers from my blank Computer CD Discs. I put the open side down, and on the top; flat portion, I placed some rubber like mat used in a kitchen drawer or shelves. The mat material grabs the surface and keeps anything that comes in contact with it; stuck to its surface.

Heme said:

I raised the height to 4". My support ring has a smooth end facing down (to the floor) and I left the top of the ring with the spiked portion (Pins Up) to keep the containers from sliding around. If you make the ring a bit smaller than the bottom of the watering tray or food dish; it fits nicely under the units. The reason I leave the spiked prongs up (not cut off) is to grab the surface of the trays and keep them from moving side to side or become tilted. A level watering unit will not empty if positioned correctly.

The other way I managed the food and watering units (glass mason jars screwed into a plastic base) was to use the 2" covers from my blank Computer CD Discs. I put the open side down, and on the top; flat portion, I placed some rubber like mat used in a kitchen drawer or shelves. The mat material grabs the surface and keeps anything that comes in contact with it; stuck to its surface.

Click to expand...

@Heme Some pictures would really help......worth a thousand words!

I don't go through all the work with cutting chicken wire, etc. I just use a brick or scrap 2x4s. A brick leaves enough room for one or two chicks to hop up there at a time, so is okay for smaller broods. I can use longer 2x4s for larger broods of chicks so more birds can fit at a time. Keeps bedding out of the waterer. They can still scratch feed out of the feeder, but I've got no problem having them eat what they scratch out off the floor of the brooder so not an issue for me. As they get older they don't fit up on the bricks, so they just stretch up and can't scratch feed out anymore. I do this will all my chicks--brooder or hen-raised from day one. A day old chick is plenty able to hop up on a brick.

Great, another idea for our chicken lover family. Thanks for sharing your experience.

One reason I liked the wire method was because the area under the containers was open to air circulation. Falling food or water soaking into the floor (Dirt/Sand/and Hay) became moldy and I was concerned about that when using a cement block. When I changed to the wire method, water drained well and dried immediately; food particles stayed there until I raked the area and no mold.

Just the same...the brick format did work and if you feel comfortable with that, good luck with that procedure. Happy Holiday to ALL.