XanderWiFi
Songster
My wife and I check our chickens each morning. Give them fresh food and water then let them out to range for the day. However, despite freshly filling their water tank right in front of them they will typically wait to be released and then enjoy wetting their beaks in the exit opening of our underground gutter downspout line.
Like I said: this downspout is underground running about 15-20 yards before opening up 15-20 feet from our chicken coop. They love to drink out of it. And with our Virginia summer rains it likely stays pretty fresh. I imagine the ribbing of the pipe with the distance filters out much of the shingle grit akin to a septic tank system and solids.
Which gave me the idea of making a "watering hole" or small pool for them filled from the rainfall and siphoned off by gravity as it filled-yet small enough that if it did not rain I could simply fill it with our well water. Nothing large or elaborate. If I had to pick a size and depth comparable to an every day use item it would be an oil drain pan from your basic auto parts store.
My question is what would be the best way to do this? Dig the concave dip and fill with all the loose granite rocks in my yard I collect? Bury a small "pan" and add some decorative stone around? Dig and place plastic lining underneath rocks? I would like for it to appear tasteful. The last thing I would want is a mud hole haha. It just seems like a good way to make use of rainwater and a nifty addition to their ranging area.
Like I said: this downspout is underground running about 15-20 yards before opening up 15-20 feet from our chicken coop. They love to drink out of it. And with our Virginia summer rains it likely stays pretty fresh. I imagine the ribbing of the pipe with the distance filters out much of the shingle grit akin to a septic tank system and solids.
Which gave me the idea of making a "watering hole" or small pool for them filled from the rainfall and siphoned off by gravity as it filled-yet small enough that if it did not rain I could simply fill it with our well water. Nothing large or elaborate. If I had to pick a size and depth comparable to an every day use item it would be an oil drain pan from your basic auto parts store.
My question is what would be the best way to do this? Dig the concave dip and fill with all the loose granite rocks in my yard I collect? Bury a small "pan" and add some decorative stone around? Dig and place plastic lining underneath rocks? I would like for it to appear tasteful. The last thing I would want is a mud hole haha. It just seems like a good way to make use of rainwater and a nifty addition to their ranging area.
hi 
if I was going to make a pond i would put sand then carpet then pond liner for your situation though i would just bury a kiddie pool or something like that
