Hanging vs on-ground feeder & waterers?

[yyz0yyz0]

I made the bucket waterer with vertical nipples and heat tape wrapped around. I had no problems with freezing and we did get below zero several times this winter. But when I bring in the bucket to change the water, it's steamy when I open the bucket and remove the insulated top. so it could be a function of the power of the heater system and how well insulated the bucket is.

 

[debid]

I wouldn't be surprised if there is widely varying quality out there. I bought from someone (who used to be?) on BYC and after seeing posts by folks who bought cheapies on Ebay, I'm thinking I must have the good ones. Mine have survived me dropping the bucket on them, the juice bottle (unheated) waterer has frozen solid on multiple occasions, and they are still not leaking at all four years after installation. I did follow the provided instructions to the letter -- using a sharp drill bit of the correct size and wetting the grommet with nothing but water. I used a screw on lid bucket with a tiny hole drilled to keep the water clean while avoiding vacuum formation. Still, I have moderately hard water here and fill their bucket from a hose. The lid is propped open a bit with the bucket heater all winter. So, I was expecting buildup or dirt specks to cause problems eventually. It hasn't happened.

I have a 250W bucket utility deicer. It has a built in thermostat to heat the water only to 40F. It is plastic safe so it sits in the bottom of the bucket between the nipples. The water never has ice, even at the top of the container. It works well.

 

[Ridgerunner]

[Back to the OP (Original Poster).

Madam Penny, there are a tremendous number of ways we feed and water. Everyone has their opinion but the reason there are a tremendous number of ways is that a whole lot of different things work. There are no rules that civilization as we know it will be forever altered if you don’t do it one specific way.

Some people feed in the coop to keep the feed away from wild birds. I often find wild birds in my coop, but yes, there are more in the run than in the coop. Some people feed in the run to not attract rodents like mice into the coop. Some people lock up their feeders at night with the thought that keeps mice away. Some people water in the run to keep the coop drier. Some people water in the coop to keep the water from freezing as easily. Other people do one or the other for a whole lot of other reasons.

I feed and water in both the coop and run. Most of the year I have various ages of chickens. It seems like I’m always integrating. Integration is easier if they have multiple places to eat and drink. I have an oversized coop and sometimes I’m late getting down there to let them out. With food and water in a large coop, I don’t have to be in a hurry to get down there. But with food and water available in the run, they don’t spend as much time in the coop once I let them out. That way they don’t drop as much poop in the coop so I don’t have to work as hard on poop management as I might need to otherwise.

There are all kinds of reasons to do one or the other or both. It boils down to personal preference.

Chickens like to scratch a lot. If the waterer or feeder is close to the ground, they will scratch a lot of trash in it, whether that is in the coop or outside. There are different ways to address this. One way is to have the feeder or waterer up high, the top of the back of the shortest chicken being a regular recommendation, but I find mine will reach up a little higher if they are hungry or thirsty. Another method used is to build a platform up above the bedding and put the feeder or waterer on that.

With certain types of feeders or waterers, chickens like to perch on top. Not only can this knock them over, if they perch on top they will poop in the feed and water below. That’s generally not good. If you do have a feeder or waterer of the type they can get on top of, an easy way to combat that is to hang something over the container in their way of perching. You can use about anything your imagination comes up with, but a fairly standard way is to put some sand or dirt in a plastic milk jug and hang that over the container high enough they can eat or drink but low enough they can’t perch up there. The sand or dirt keeps it from being blown about in the wind as badly.

Chickens do need clean water. That’s important. If you use some type of container the water can get dirty change it once a day. This not only keeps harmful pathogens from growing in there, it keeps the mosquito wigglers from maturing.

Some people like things as technical and complicated as they can get them. My wife tends to really like her gadgets. Personally I like to keep it as simple as I can. For the feeder I took a free 2 gallon bucket I got from a bakery and cut 2-1/2 inch holes in it, then hung it up.

For a waterer, in the winter I use a black rubber tub, set in a frame so the chickens can’t turn it over. If it freezes, I take it out and stomp the ice out (or usually just bash it on the ground). Since it’s black, if the sun is shining on it, it will act as a solar heater and keep the water thawed to a fairly low temperature. In the summer, if it is in the sun, I use a white plastic bowl to try to keep the water cooler. If I have baby chicks that might drown if they get in, I put some rocks in the bowls so they can “walk on water” and not drown.

I’m not trying to say that my way is the best way for you or anything like that. I’m just giving examples or methods that work for me. Good luck!

 

[ohiochicknewbie]

Hanging waterers and/or elevated waterers keep the chickens from kicking their bedding and poop into it. I had this problem and raising the waterer on 2 short pieces of two by fours really helped.