Clean Water

[snow5164]

As for the mold, if you clean with regular vinegar and add a bit to your water it will help with that .

I find that the higher up the waterer is the cleaner it stays .
My coop is sand and they dust bathe in it , my waterer is up 12 inches off the ground with logs on 3 sides for them to stand on and drink ..

I hate those nipple waterers, I had them once and they stood forever to get a good drink , little sips are not a big gulp!! Also mine got green mold in them that I couldn’t see, my 5 gallon waterer with a tray is clear so I can see if it’s getting dark .

 

[blackdog043]

Can you share the diy no waste feeder plan?

I fastened my elbows with L brackets, instead of using caulk. I just felt that the caulk may get pecked at or come loose at some point, from getting bumped or old. Here's the link for the feeder thread and a pic of the inside of one of mine.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...lon-25-feed-bucket-feeder-for-about-3.834227/

 

[LittleMissCountry]

I hung my waterer up so that it is chest level, and the chickens still kick dirt in it. It seems like the dirtier it is, the better they like it. I can put fresh water in, and they will immediately scratch the dirt up and in the waterer tray. I clean it daily, but I stopped worrying about it having dirt in it during the day.

 

[pintail_drake2004]

I took a 5gal bucket and added 8 horizontal nipples (sealed with Teflon tape or caulking for added insurance). My 5gal waterer stays clean, I add a couple tablespoons of ACV every other time I fill it up, this has helped a lot with the slime in the heat of the summer.

As for the feeder, I took a large clear tote with locking lid and some 3" 90* elbows from Menards, cut 8 ports in the sides of the tote. I cut the flange off one end of the elbow, and insert it into the port hole I just cut. seal the elbow into the hole with some caulking and let it cure for a day. I've made 2 of these, one holds about 60# of feed, the other will hold over 80# of feed. This has really cut down on how much feed we go through because they are not raking it out constantly.

 

[Dennisi01]

I took a 5gal bucket and added 8 horizontal nipples (sealed with Teflon tape or caulking for added insurance). My 5gal waterer stays clean, I add a couple tablespoons of ACV every other time I fill it up, this has helped a lot with the slime in the heat of the summer.

As for the feeder, I took a large clear tote with locking lid and some 3" 90* elbows from Menards, cut 8 ports in the sides of the tote. I cut the flange off one end of the elbow, and insert it into the port hole I just cut. seal the elbow into the hole with some caulking and let it cure for a day. I've made 2 of these, one holds about 60# of feed, the other will hold over 80# of feed. This has really cut down on how much feed we go through because they are not raking it out constantly.

This seems to be the way to go. I have a 5 gallon bucket and a 2 gallon bucket of water in the run and even after weeks the water is crystal clear and clean. No slime or funkiness. The PVC elbows for the feeder are also awesome, no more wasted food!

 

[trudyg]

I've been using 5 gal buckets with horizontal nipples for years. They stay clean. Only issue is when it's hot the water is hot.... I put gallon milk jugs of ice in there in the morning and it stays cool all day. I would clean with soap and water, then bleach, once a week.
BUT--this spring I had pink spots show up in the plastic. I couldn't scrape it off, so it was in, not on, the plastic. Got new buckets and nipples, good to go. I tend to rotate buckets now, one in the chicken yard and the other soaking with bleach water, then rinse, fill and bring in the dirty one for treatment. I've been ocd about clean water/food, so beats me what it was. (S. marcesans?). It's so hot out that I often wonder if they get enough water, but I put it under a tarp so it's in the shade and they all seem hydrated.

 

[chickenhatch]

i use this for feeding chicken

chicken

• chickenhatch
• Sep 8, 2018