Can't seem to keep chicken water clean- will it contaminate eggs?

[tweetzone86]

Hello all!

We got our first egg today from our first flock! Woohoo!!!

I also cleaned the coop today. Which leads me to the question...

I can't keep their water clean

Currently I have a hog feeder dish in there with water perched atop two sideways cinder blocks because I have tried lots of other methods and none will work

Here's what I've tried:

1. Chick waterer- ok, that was fine, until they got big enough to perch on top of it and kept tipping it over.

2. Five gallon bucket with gasket seal lid, drilled 1/4" holes around the base and one fill hole in the bottom. This did ok, not great (still got poop in water because they'd perch on top), but it required me filling it up with gorilla tape over the water holes, then flipping it over after filling to set in the hog feeder (to hold the water). If anyone has tried flipping a FULL 5 gallon bucket, it KILLS the back, which led to...

3. Harris Farms poultry watering cups. Bought 8 of them (12 chickens, didn't want too much competition for water esp in summer), drilled the correct size holes, used plumbers tape, and screwed them into the base of another 5 gallon bucket. Filled it up, and it LEAKED So I used my hot glue gun to try and seal better around the edges, and it STILL leaked all over bedding (slower but steady leak, half the coop area bedding was completely soaked after soaking through a towel. So in desperation...

4. I just filled up the hog feeder dish with water, put it on two cinder blocks to keep it from constantly getting straw kicked up into it, and hoped for the best.

Problem is, the stinkers like to perch on the edge of the hog feeder It doesn't tip, so no more flooded coop, but I'm back to where I started in that the water still gets some chicken poop in it and gets icky (no straw since I elevated it, but icky nonetheless).

Will my chicken eggs be contaminated with salmonella if they drink water that they poop in? I do change their water out daily but it frosted last night and I won't be able to use the hose to clean it out much longer without risking my outdoor spigot on my house freezing up and causing busted pipes in my house.

I am just not sure what on earth I can do at this point to keep their water clean and fresh at all times. I'm SO frustrated, esp since the watering cups leaked. I was REALLY hoping that would be the answer. I am tempted to mount them to a different bucket with gaskets and see if that helps, but I would REALLY appreciate any help y'all can offer!

PS- on the egg contamination, we eat them well done and got our first egg this morning. Will they be safe to eat if the stinkers are determined to poop in their water no matter what I do?

 

[Chirehe]

I personally have a 5 gallon bucket attached through a soft rubber hose to a PVC pipe with 4-5 nipple drinkers on it, never had a problem with poo or leakage c:

They also have a tub and a kitty pool (mainly for the ducks but the chickens love it too) I change all the waters daily (especially the pools).

 

[Granny Hatchet]

Chickens cant perch

 

[Granny Hatchet]

It shouldnt hurt the eggs at all. Chickens will eat anything and I do mean anything. However, dirty water isnt good for the chicken itself. keeping it raised to their back level helps

 

[Cordelia_Adler]

I’m having a hard time keeping their water clean too. It’s a real learning curve to maintain my OCD raising chicks! I’m going to look into other options.

 

[Cordelia_Adler]

Chickens cant perch View attachment 1551674

Is this homemade? I love it! My phone is having a hard time zooming in on the photo..

 

[Granny Hatchet]

Its just a funnel. You can get different sizes and glue them to the top .

 

[rosemarythyme]

A properly fitted nipple waterer shouldn't leak. Have you tried getting a commercially made waterer with nipples/watering cups already attached, to take out the guess work? Since you mentioned having leaking issues with homemade set ups, it can be any combo of issues from issue with hole sizes, the bucket/container choice, etc. that may be causing the problem.

 

[DesertBird]

Your eggs will be fine, especially if you're doing daily cleans of the water. My birds like to stand in their waterers to cool down so who knows what's in those. lol We do daily changes as well and there haven't been any issues with them or with the people who eat their eggs.

As others suggested, use nipple waterers! I have a homemade one from a typical 5 gallon bucket with 3 holes drilled in the bottom just the right size for the nipple to go in. You can also buy them pre-done. There's a lot of ways to design nipple waterers but no matter what you do, it's going to stay way cleaner with no chickens pooping in it. lol I started using mine with my chickens after about a year or more and they took to it pretty quickly - just set it out there and they'll figure it out on their own; mine took about 2-3 days to go up to it and peck at it. Once one does it, they'll all do it. It does help to have it at a good level for them to reach up a bit to peck it and for a drop of water to be on it for them to realize what it is.

 

[Abraeri]

Haha duck person here... I pretty sure it won't affect the eggs, because if it did no one would go near a duck egg! Those nasties are always getting in the nastiest water around; the muckier, the better! Just try keeping duck water clean...