Chicken Waterer in the "Chicken Jail"

[barbara4rb]

I need some help figuring out how to do a chicken waterer for my Chicken San Quentin.

I have several free range chickens on my property, and a hen hatched out 10 babies many weeks ago. We were able to catch the day old chicks and put momma and kids in a 8'x8'x2' cage type thing (see picture) that we covered with poulty netting.

This worked well. Momma and the kids were prisoners for about 2+ weeks and then we lifted the jail and they are now running around. This is nice because the chicks were protected. Mom has already turned them loose and they are "big stuff" now in the yard.

The problem was the waterer. (see in the corner of the jail) They kicked dirt in and made a muddy mess. The only way into the cage in through the top, reaching down in. Those waterers worked, but ohhhh they were hard to reach, and keep clean.

I have another hen sitting on eggs in an Igloo doghouse in the carport. The chicks are due in 2 weeks. I plan to put her and chicks in the jail for a few weeks. I'd like to come up with a waterer of some sort where the water jug is on the outside and it feeds a trough on the inside of the cage. Something that can be cleaned easily. Maybe a PVC pipe cut in half, gravity fed or vacuum fed?

Thanks for your help!

 

[Beekissed]

Since they are outside and leaking or dripping of water won't be an issue....why not try the water bottles with the metal nipples that folks use for rabbits. I've heard that this (metal nipples) is how the commercial growers water. They come with a little wire hanger that secures them to the outside of the cage and the nipple juts into the wire. A typical metal nipple will also fit on a 2 ltr. pop bottle, if you want to keep more water on hand than the regular bottles deliver. Maybe one on level for chicks and another for hen level?

 

[patandchickens]

Have you tried putting several large pavers on the ground around the waterer (so there is no dirt within 2' or so of it) AND raising the waterer up on bricks or etc so that it is at the height of the chickens' backs. That will help a lot, maybe even 'enough'.

Good luck,

Pat

 

[Jolyn]

I too was going to suggest the rabbit water bottles. Seems they would work great with your set up!! If you have a freecycle you could probably request some and get them for free.

 

[Rooroo]

Hello all...
How do you teach the girls to drink from the water bottles...?

 

[TeaLady]

I've been using a dog-size version of the "ball in a tube" rabbit water for months. They love it. Training was just a matter of tapping the ball for them a couple of times, or tapping beaks to the ball. The water is never, ever fouled. I love it. When they all decide to get a drink at once, it sounds like a steno pool.

They do tend to let some splatter around while they drink. Not much, but watch to see if it gets muddy and use the suggestions others have made if it does.

 

[TeaLady]

Oops. Double submit. How can I delete the re-post?

 

[injunjoe]

Ok this may sound redneck, as it should!

How about hang the waterer from the top of the pen, then through the top of it put a nozzle hooked to that hose we see in the picture? A fast rinse with some pressure, then fill and serve! I am thinking of this for my girls.
Just a thought!

 

[KellyGwen]

Why don't you put a few pavers in and cut a notch in the chicken wire so that the dish part of the waterer is in the cage and the bottle part is outside? That way it would be raised to help keep it clean but you could remove it from the outside to clean it.

 

[barbara4rb]

WOW, great suggestions! The pavers are a wonderful idea. Momma sure scratched up a storm in there. Both waterers were always muddy.

I will try the bottles with the rabbit tubes too.

As for a dog waterer type thing, with the bottle outside, pan on inside, the frame of the cage has thick wireabout 2"x6" wire openings, not sure I could get the pan through it.