Automatic King Size Poultry Fount - 2550

Got this as a gift. Hooked it up to a 5 gallon bucket because I hate leaving hoses on.
Not sure how long I dinked around with this piece of junk but no matter what I did it leaked and leaked and leaked some more, draining the 5 gallon bucket in an unacceptable amount of time. I'm generally good at figuring these things out, read the directions, looked on youtube, did everything you can do to this design and it was a huge water waster.
The only positive thing I can say is it has a nice capacity for lots of beaks. But the flip side to this is it is probably deep enough to drown a little chick if left in place- not something I learned the hard way, but should be considered if using around broodies with babies.

This found was completely unreliable for us. If it gets even the slightest big off balance, it will not work. We tried everything right down to constructing a wooden structure to hold it stead, but even that did not work efficiently. The hens knock at it and then it just stops filling. I would not trust this fount to keep my girls watered. We did have it rigged to a water barrel, so that could be a problem (pressure?) but everything else has worked fine connected in the same manner. I do not recommend.

My nipple watering system had a valve failure, so I switched to one of these. The chickens really like it and it's super easy to clean and manage.

I bought and installed several of these at one time and they all leaked right away. I removed one and took it back to the feed store where I bought it to ask for advice, and was told I wasn't the only person with that problem to come in that very day. Though they had told the previous customer to buy replacement parts online, they exchanged my faulty fount for a new one. I installed the replacement fount, and it also leaked. I did some research online and discovered the little screw-in nipple valve inside the waterer is the same as is used as tire valves. We picked up a bunch of reclaimed tire valves from the local tire store (free) and after exchanging the valves, the waterers stopped leaking and haven't leaked since. I'm very disappointed that this product is manufactured with faulty valves. Even new these valves are a few pennies each, so I see no excuse for it. While running diagnostics on the waterers I also found manufacturing debris inside the tubes where the valve screws in -- if I hadn't removed this debris it no doubt would have caused problems down the line.

Installation, adjusting and troubleshooting information is non-existent at the manufacturer's website. I found an okay installation video on YouTube (not referenced at the manufacturer's site, search for "Chicken Auto Bowl Waterer," and it was made and posted by McMurray Hatchery which sells kits for these waterers). Some replacement parts are available, but the valves are expensive compared to local sources and also require time and more money for shipping. There is no indication at the manufacturers website that the valves are a standard item available at all kinds of stores that sell tires or auto parts; I have no idea if resellers willingly share this information, either.

If you are likely to have debris in your water then it might be a good idea to install an inline water filter between your water source and your fount(s). The little valves are very sensitive, and the screen filters at the top of the waterer aren't fine enough to stop particles that might interrupt the functioning of the valve. Also, if you intend to use a garden hose as your water supply (adaptors are available), then I'd recommend using a lead-free hose rated for drinking water.

There aren't many options for truly automatic waterers for people with small flocks ... and this disappointing product is about as good as it gets. Fortunately, the main issue with this product is easy to fix.

The bowl's larger diameter allows more chickens to fit around at the same time (why does one thirsty bird make all the others think they need a drink too?) and it holds more water so they can get their fill. However, when I clean out the wood chips and other debris, there is more water I have to dump out. Good thing I have it connected to a 18 gallon bucket. The bowl cover sold to keep debris out, doesn't have the same diameter as the giant sized bowl so it only works well as an anti-roost device with this size bowl.