Waterers for tractor raised birds?

[HandsomeRyan]

I'm planning on getting some meat birds this spring and growing them out in a tractor. I've never done meaties before and my hens live in a fixed coop. I am at a loss for what would be a good way to make sure the meat birds have water available but that will move with the tractor and be easy to fill/clean.

One idea I had is using some three foot long plastic flowerboxes which do not have any drainage holes in them. I'd fabricate metal brackets to keep them secured to the edge of the tractor so they can't be tipped over and possibly even put some bars to reduce the likelihood of chickens swimming or roosting on top of it. Do one on one end for food and an identical waterer on the opposite end.

The boxes are roughly 6" tall. Is that too tall for the chickens at the size they will be when they can be moved from the brooder out to the pasture? I want to think my laying hens are already pretty good size by the time they go out.

The plastic windowboxes look like this:




Other ideas or suggestions welcome. I'd prefer not to have to go buy a $40 waterer from the tractor store just to water the flock for a few weeks until slaughter. We're just testing the waters and trying not to make huge capital investment until we decide if we like it.

 

[lazy gardener]

I don't think those will work, simply because they will slosh around too much. When I had birds in the tractor, I hung a 2 gal waterer from the top of the cage. I kept it on a chain, so it could be raised up as the birds grew. It was hung close to a trap door, so it was easy to reach in from the top and snag it out to re-fill it. An other option would be to use an appropriately sized bucket, and lift it out to move the tractor, then put it back in. Or, you could use a 5 gal bucket with saddle nipples attached to a PVC extension which would be inside the tractor.