I am looking into using bottle style waterers to reduce spillage and increase sanitation. This seems to be a growing trend for those who don't want to create a piped system. Has/is anyone out there used water bottles (like the kind used for rabbits and parrots) for their chickens? I'd love to hear the pros and cons, also any good sources to purchase them. Thanks.
i though thought about using them before but then i thought how will they get there little tongues wrapped around it to suck the water out
I use them for my Silkies and Bantys that are too small to let out yet. They love them and they don't take up room because its on the outside of the cages. I was surprised at how fast they caught on. Just squeeze it a little so they see that the water is coming out and one will try it and then the rest will follow. I put a small dish under it in case it leaks. I got mine at Walmart for around 3.00. Works real good for brooders.
I use a bottle style waterer inside the coop, and a regular fountain style chicken waterer outside of the coop. The bottle style waterer I use is the Water Buddy by Edstrom. While it holds only about 32 oz, the outdoor waterer is several gallons. I believe that they are discontinuing the Water Buddy model soon, which is too bad, since I have had no leakage from the spout (as opposed to ball-style waterers, which always seem drippy). It's also top-fill, which is very convenient, and the water stays very clean. The chickens have had no issues learning how to use it, and the water level changes make it obvious that they are using it relatively often. It is keeping the coop much drier (and therefore cleaner) than when I had a larger waterer inside the coop (which kept getting bumped and spilled). They even make a Water Buddy with a plug-in heating element to keep it from freezing in the winter (I have both the heated and unheated styles, so I can switch them out). Since the bottle waterer does seem to make the chickens work a little harder to get water out, I'm glad that I have both the bottle waterer and the fountain waterer. I don't worry about them getting dehydrated as much, having the multiple choices available to them.
Quote:They don't wrap their tongues around it. They press the little metal ball that allows the water to come out and it trickles into their beak and down their throat. I am considering getting one for my bantams also.
Thank you for your experiences and opinions, I'd love to hear more. So far I'm leaning toward a regular water font outside and bottles in. There is one on a website called the Walden Effect for sale, it looks like it would do the trick. Has anyone tried it? If so, did you get the kit or ready to use one? What is the capacity?
Do chickens have tongues?? I've never looked that close.... I have one that we all (me and the chicks that is) LOVE. It's actually a heated one because when I went to buy a regular rabbit one....this was right beside it and I figure I'd have to tackle that come winter anyway...might as well get it now. So it was more expensive....but that's one problem taken care of. Mine doesn't drip much...if at all. The bedding underneath the spout is never wet, so..... I think it holds 20 oz of water...and I have to refill it every day. I'm not sure how much water a chicken (they are only 10 weeks old now...i have 4) is supposed to drink...but it seems like they are drinking more than when they had the regular dish that kept getting mucked up. I always throw an extra bowl of water out when they are freeranging and they still drink from that as well.
