Friendly reminder...

[NotTheMomma]

With the hot weather either at your place now, or just around the corner (for those in the states), PLEASE, PLEASE check the water several times a day. There can be problems with just about any kind of watering item you use.

Last night, my husband locked the chickens up. He filled one galvanized two gallon waterer, and two of the plastic one gallon waterers with the red bottoms. He let them out at 6 am, but didn't check them. Just opened the pop up door. I had a doctor's appointment in another town. I didn't get home until after 1 pm. It was in the mid to high 80's today. I came in, let the dogs out, and went to check on the chicks. Good thing I did!!! Both of the plastic waterers were EMPTY, and so was the galvanized one!!! I don't know what happened wiht the plastic ones, whether they were that thirsty today or what. The metal one had developed a leak!!

I don't know how long they were without water, but know that they did have full containers last night. When I filled them up, the chickens were gulping down the cold water!!

I mixed some of their feed with water to encourage them to slow down on the gulping, but to also get water in them. I guess without water it was just too hot for them to eat because I noticed their feed container was pretty full still.

Please don't let this happen to your flock! The results could have been much worse if I had waited until this evening to check them when I let them out in the yard. I'm just thankful I checked them when I did!

 

[Glenda L Heywood]

some times the plastic waterers if not setting level on the floor will run out
how many chickens were drinking from so many waterers?

the galvenized ones if not completewly fit down will leak also
and yes you should check on thme half way thru a day as they may if a lot of them drink a lot of water
it is hard on them to be so thisty
they say for every hr they are with out water they take 3-4 hrs to restore their bodies with hydration

thanks for posting this incident
any questions email me

 

[joedie]

It's a good thing you checked on them!. It was 92 here yesterday and when I checked the girls in the afternoon they were panting. They had water but I refreshed it with cold. Now I'm going to keep several milk jugs filled with water and freeze them so when it gets really hot again they can sit on them or snuggle to them, also going to get a mister put in the run.

 

[cmjust0]

I think I may have figured out today how to make a non-electric, gravity/vacuum operated waterer that will hold as many gallons as a person wants or needs.. Pretty sure I can do it with a few pieces of PVC and a sealed tank of some kind...not a lot of $$$. I think I might even be able to incorporate a 'flush' system to blow the junk out of it from time to time....if I can figure out how to do that without flooding the coop, that is.

Needless to say, I'm getting a little nervous about their water supply -- but I'm not home to check it twice a day!