Home made waterer/feeder

[seafood]

So I got a 5 gallon bucket and a plastic planter base and tried to make a waterer for future chickens. I put 2 small holes in the side bottom of the bucket, glued bucket to planter base. Put water in bucket. (basically the set up that is shown on this websites learning center.)

My initial thought is that this is not going to work as a waterer. I think a full bucket will "push" the water out and above the height of the planter. Anyone know if I am correct?

If so then I will have to drill more, and bigger holes in the bucket and just use it for a feeder. Although now I am thinking that if I use it for a feeder it will be too small for 8 chickens.

Anyone have any thoughts on my dilema?

 

[silkiechicken]

You can use it as a feeder... as for water... you have to have a vaccume for it to work. If you look at pics of like the standard chicken waterer there is one hole at the bottom of the upside down bucket so that no air can get in unless the water level drops below the opening.

Like that, you have to make sure the "top" of the bucket has no holes and is really, an upside down bucket.

 

[Churkenduse]

Your problem is that you glued the top to the base, as Silkie says it works on a vacuum. There cannot be holes above the water line.

This is how it should be done, I have done this a few times.

Get a bucket, make a few holes about 1/4 inch about 1 inch from the top, the top being the rim of the bucket, do not glue it to the base.
You now have to fill it with water and then place the base on top and holding it with both hands flip it over being sure not to spill all the water. Now a vacuum will form and you can set it and Forget it...

You cannot glue the bottom on since there will be no way of filling it. A hole in the top above the water line will remove the vacuum, lketting all the waterto just stream out.