Hanging 1 Gallon Water Jug - Constantly Empty

[CPrendie]

Howdy! I recently purchased a 1 gallon hanging waterer from TSC, the red and white kind with the twist on bottom. I've got it hanging in the coop and can not keep the birds from knocking in to it and draining it. I had the smaller stand version, not hanging, and they'd knock that one over and it didn't hold enough water. Anyone have any good ideas to keep the water where it belongs instead of all over the floor of the coop? Thanks!

 

[Lots A Cluckin]

I was having the same problem..they would bump it to splash out water so they could lay in it when they got to hot...then we got some 4 inch think concrete blocks and got a 3 gallon water jug from TSC and set the blocks down directly on the floor...dont set it on top of the bedding it wont be level and the water will drain out..and just set the water jug down on the blocks...you can get thicker blocks or even 2 4 inch blocks to make it taller if you have a problem with the bedding getting into the water

 

[Ridgerunner]

In my brooder, I did this. I put in four screws to keep them from knocking the waterer around and fashioned a wire to go over the top to keep them from knocking it over. You are right though in that it does not hold a lot of water.

In my grow-out coop I do this. Cut a hole in a piece of plywood to fit the waterer and raise it a couple of inches.

I've also been known to do this. I get a free 2 to 3 gallon bucket with lid at a bakery or deli and cut a couple of small holes very near the top. Fill it with water, put the lid on, and invert it is a bowl. Gravity feeds the water as they drink it. This is the same principle as the chick waterer.

In any of these, set then up high so they don't scratch bedding or dirt in them. And I agree they need to be very level.

 

[CPrendie]

Awesome! Thanks for the replies! I did discover them knocking over the water to sit in it. I put it up on blocks yesterday, which seemed to help. But, today they knocked it over while I was at work, it was hot today, and I found one of my meat birds dead when I got home. I'm suspecting from heat exhaustion. I'll secure the bucket with some wire, like you show.

 

[bj taylor]

i hated the water dispenser that required me to twist the bottom off to refill. i found a waterer that was 3 gal & filled from the top. i set it on a stone to keep it a little cleaner. it's easier to fill and less prone to tipping. it holds alot of water, but i just fill it about half way because it needs freshening after a few days.
good luck

 

[poltroon]

I've found that I like to have multiple waterers in any pen where the chickens knock things over. I have one of the TSC hanging waterers, and the chickens also have a short 12" diameter tub that I fill with water, which gives them a place to play and get their feet wet. They rarely knock over both during the day.

It's a more challenging problem with waterers inside a coop, where spilled water is as much a problem as missing water. For those, I hand made some ceramic crocks with big bottom bases that extend beyond the diameter of the crock body, rather like an inverted capital T.