Cleaning auto-waterer

[Smccau3]

Hi all!

We recently purchased an auto waterer for our coop. It is mounted on the wall ( screwed in) so I'm not sure the best way to clean it.

It gets dirty pretty much every day. I cleaned it out once, but that involved syringing out all the water and then cleaning out the bottom. It was tedious, and didn't work all that well.

I believe it was meant for dogs so it is bowl shaped and the chickens love to perch on it.

 

[BellevueOmlet]

Do you have a picture of the waterer. I use a bucket waterer that I just do a quick sweep of the bucket every 6 months or so and it is good since it is covered most of the time.

 

[Smccau3]

I don't have a picture of my own, but this is the one we bought.

http://www.petsmart.com/product/ind...-C881-DE11-B712-001422107090&mr:referralID=NA

 

[msf]

I have the cup watering system shown in this pic. My chickens drink out of it but they don't push the little plunger to refill the cups. Any suggestions on "teaching them" how to do that??

 

[Smccau3]

Unfortunately, I've never used a watering system like that. I know many other people have it, so I'm sure someone could answer your question.

 

[lynn1961]

Have you tried a baby bottle brush to clean it with ? Pretty cheap, about a dollar if you go to the dollar store, is flexable, use one on the jug waterers that we use for baby chicks. a little apple cider vinegar in the water will help cut down on the slime that starts in plastic waterers. if they are pooping in the water or wading in it you could put a piece of wire over it with holes big enough for them to drink out of it, if they are wading in it you could build a box to go over the waterer with a space at the water bowl for them to put their heads in to get a drink.

 

[Smccau3]

The main problem is they perch on it and get sand from the coop floor in it. That leads to a soggy, moldy smell. I don't htink a baby bottle brush would help with that.

I'm not sure about the wire. I feel like my chickens would still stand on the wire.

 

[frostbite]

Find or make something heavy and cone shaped that will fit in the bowl so that the birds can't perch on it, and will have more trouble perching on the rim. Then make sure it's mounted high enough that it's up out of the litter zone, so they can reach it standing up. If it's harder to perch on, perhaps they won't make such a mess of it and you won't have to clean it so often.