55 gallon waterer

[WILIFORD]

Smart set up! Did you make your feeder? If so what did you use, if you don’t mind sharing

I did make it. It has been awhile so I don't remember the exact dimensions. I'm at work right now. If I can remember I will try to post the measurements and hopefully a picture tomorrow evening. It is a simple design.

 

[WILIFORD]

Smart set up! Did you make your feeder? If so what did you use, if you don’t mind sharing [/QUOTE

I used scrap material I had, mostly plywood and 2X4's. I also used a piece of plexi-glass in the front. Which I love, because I can glance into the hen house and see how full the feeder is. Because I use the deep bedding method, I have suspended it with chain from the rafters, so I can adjust it up as the bedding gets deeper Here are a few pictures and a very rough line drawing with the dimensions. A couple of tips: the lid on top needs to extend past the feeding slot at the bottom. This will prevent any droppins from above dropping down into the feeding area. Also there is a piece of plywood inside the feeder at an angle to force the food forward into the feeding slot. If you look up the plans for a treadle feeder, you will see how this piece is installed (a pictures worth a 1000 words). I'm not saying this is the best design, but it serves my purpose well. It holds about 150 lbs of food. I usually fill it with 100 lbs which last about 1 1/2 to 2 months. Don't give me a hard time about my hen house, it needs cleaned, which I plan to do on my next days off. I hope this helps. let me know if you have any further questions.

 

[WILIFORD]

I did make it. It has been awhile so I don't remember the exact dimensions. I'm at work right now. If I can remember I will try to post the measurements and hopefully a picture tomorrow evening. It is a simple design.

One thing I forgot to mention. There is a 2X4 screwed to the back of the feeder near the top. I screwed 2 eye bolts into this 2X4 to attach the support chains too. If you wanted to use this unit outside, you could simply disregard the chains and add some legs to it, or wall mount it outside.

 

[Beer can]

I just completed a new waterer for my 14 hens. I had some goals in mind. First, I wanted a waterer that only needed to be filled every month or so. Secondly, I wanted it to be minimum maintenance. Thirdly, it had to be visually appealing. I know obsessive, but even my hen house is automated with lights, an auto door opener, it is built to resemble a miniature red barn.

I will describe it briefly as it is pretty simple once you start building it. I used a 55 gallon food grade drum, a 30 gallon drum would work just as well. You want a drum with the caps that have a 1/2" pipe threads in the center. You knock the center out and plumb your piping into this port. Build a platform to your desired height as this will be a gravity fed system. Mine is elevated 18". The platform should be about 8" wider than the diameter of you barrel. This platform must be constructed to hold 400 to 500 pounds. I used 4X4 legs and 2X4's for all cross members and decking. You want to leave the center 2X4 out to allow for piping from barrel. using a hole saw drill a 1 1/4 hole in the bottom of the barrel, which for our application will become the top of our water. From one of the caps, punch out the center and thread a 1/2" short pipe nipple in to cap, then thread a 1/2" PVC union onto the nipple. Then screw an adapter into the union to go to glued fittings. I wont describe the plumbing for the nipples or bowls as this will be based on your preference. Cut to radiuses of thick plywood 2 inches in diameter larger than the diameter of you drum, which was about 25" for mine. You will ne to cut a circle out of one for the plumbing you just installed on the cap. Make sure you align the plywood radius so it is roughly center with the drum when marking this hole, also this hole should be cut significantly oversized to ease assembly (it won't be seen after assembly anyway). Now cut a hole in the other radius that aligns roughly with the hole you drilled in the opposite end of the barrel, which ultimate be the top of your waterer. Placed the radius you cut for the cap and the plumbing on the deck of your platform aligning the hole with the gap left in the platform decking, insure the radius is centered on the deck on all sides and screw down. Now place your drum on the platform with the cap plumbing protruding through the hole in the radius you just installed. Place the second radius on top of the drum aligning the hole in the plywood with the hole you drilled in the drum. Using cheap 6' by 6" wooden fence slats cut to 4" longer than you barrel is tall wrap the barrel with these wooden slats. The slats can be screwed into the plywood radiuses at the top and the bottom. Screw a PVC fitting into the hole in the top with a short nipple and cap for filling your water. drill small hole around the perimeter of the cap to allow for needed venting for the gravity system to work. Now plumb your watering nipples or bowls in per your own design. The water will sty tepid in the barrel, but any piping exposed to direct sun can cause hot water so keep exposed piping to a minimum and shades as much as possible. Your finished product should resemble a miniature wooden water tower. By adding a 32 ounce bottle of organic apple cider vinegar to the drum when filling it will prevent algae growth and is beneficial to my hens. This system should supply water to my hens for well over a month. Combined with my tredle high capacity feeder, I have minimum chores. I apologize for the length of this thread. This sounds complicated but really only took 1 day to build. Once you star it comes together pretty quickly.

Here are a few pics during construction, as requested. I will be adding a conical shaped metal roof to the tower and 2 black metal straps around the wood barrel soon. These items will on be for esthetics only. Note do not paint the PVC black as I did initially, it heats the water up excessively. I have since changed this. Hope this helps.

Nice! I have just a 15gal and hardly ever have to fill it up. Sure is better than hauling water all the time, and you always know the birds have water.

 

[New2Chicks97]

I used scrap material I had, mostly plywood and 2X4's. I also used a piece of plexi-glass in the front. Which I love, because I can glance into the hen house and see how full the feeder is. Because I use the deep bedding method, I have suspended it with chain from the rafters, so I can adjust it up as the bedding gets deeper Here are a few pictures and a very rough line drawing with the dimensions. A couple of tips: the lid on top needs to extend past the feeding slot at the bottom. This will prevent any droppins from above dropping down into the feeding area. Also there is a piece of plywood inside the feeder at an angle to force the food forward into the feeding slot. If you look up the plans for a treadle feeder, you will see how this piece is installed (a pictures worth a 1000 words). I'm not saying this is the best design, but it serves my purpose well. It holds about 150 lbs of food. I usually fill it with 100 lbs which last about 1 1/2 to 2 months. Don't give me a hard time about my hen house, it needs cleaned, which I plan to do on my next days off. I hope this helps. let me know if you have any further questions. View attachment 1547272 View attachment 1547273 View attachment 1547274 View attachment 1547275

Thanks for sharing! I am going to show my husband in hopes that he will help me build something like this. Would make it easier to keep them fed especially if we go on vacation again at some point. I think we would probably be able to mount it to the wall in our new coop as we don’t use the deep litter method.

 

[WILIFORD]

Smart set up! Did you make your feeder? If so what did you use, if you don’t mind sharing

I did make it. It is made with plywood and 2X4's with a plexiglass front, so I can see the level at a glance. The best example would be to look up a treadle feeder on youtube. Mine is similar to this design without the door or treadle. Mine is larger, and I modified the dimension, but it is basically the same principle. For the plexiglass, I made a frame out off 2X3"s to fit in the front of the feeder. I routed a groove on the inner side of the 2X3 frame the slide the the plexiglass (before fastening the frame together). Basically I made a fixed pane window and put it in the front. The top is hinged to allow for filling the feeder. One very important note, you don't want the top flat. it should be on about a 45 degree angle. otherwise they roost on it, then it gets cover with poop. Here are a couple of pics. I apologize, it doesn't look as nice as it did when it was new.

 

[B-Goock]

Nice designs wiliford.

I did a similar 55 gal waterer. I wrapped it with 2" of foam insulation and had an old aboveground pool wall that I wrapped the foam in. Had a thermostati controlled small heater & circulating pump pushing warm water through the nipple pipe & back to the drum.

When I sold my house the new owner wanted it but I haven't made another..... yet. On my list of things to do before vacation time.

 

[Lbrown123]

Very impressive and unobtrusive. I like the touch of the planks around the outside of the drum. Are you in an area where you have to deal with freezing conditions? If so, what do you do to prevent the freezing. I have a similar rig and am racking my brain trying to come up with something - I only have a few short months before I need to have something in place.

You could insulate the entire barrel or here we use electric pipe insulation to wrap our pool filter.

 

[aart]

I apologize, it doesn't look as nice as it did when it was new

That doesn't matter....I'd rather see things that have been used for awhile.

Love the trough opening, bet you don't get any billing out with that design!
How wide is the opening...going to guess 3-4"?

 

[WILIFORD]

Nice designs wiliford.

I did a similar 55 gal waterer. I wrapped it with 2" of foam insulation and had an old aboveground pool wall that I wrapped the foam in. Had a thermostati controlled small heater & circulating pump pushing warm water through the nipple pipe & back to the drum.

When I sold my house the new owner wanted it but I haven't made another..... yet. On my list of things to do before vacation time.

I like that approach. I fortunately don't have to deal with extreme cold, but the recirc pump is something I could probably benefit from. Does the pump prevent algae?