One thing that helps with the chick feeders and waterers, and for that matter, with all chicken feeding is to get the container high enough so it is level with their back when they are standing up. That prevents a lot of waste, and a lot of soiling. I used wire to make a macramé style basket to go around the mason jars attached to my chick feeders and waterers. Hung from a chain, it made it easy to make the weekly adjustments to keep them at the right height. For my 5 girls, I'm very satisfied with a dog food bowl for either dry or FF. Just be sure it's the right height, and that it's the style where the base is wider than the top. My girls use a 2 gal bucket outside in the warm months, and a regular 2 gal fount waterer inside, a heated dog bowl in the winter with a gallon milk jug full of water in the middle to provide a moat effect. If you use a bucket for water, you need to be very aware of the risk of the bail getting stuck around a chicken's neck, and the risk of a smaller chick(en) drowning in any open water. I did make a gutter trough feeder, and will use that when my flock size increases this spring.
