how to keep chickens from spilling water in their coop??????????

[chickenmamalp]

Can someone tell me the best way to provide water in the coop without the mess!
I'm sure there are many threads on this but I can't seem to find them right now. Pictures would be great.
or provide me with link.

Thanks in advance

 

[chickeydee]

hang up a 5 gallon Bucket with nipples on the bottom if it . Farm-Tek.com.Works great and you can run a hose to the bucket and fill it while it is hanging up .Merry Christmas ..

 

[gsim]

What I did was to take a length of pvc house guttering and two end-caps to make a trough. I mounted it so that the top was 8" above the floor. I filled it with water and they never spill a drop. I have better details if you are interested.

I am in Tenn and I decided to move my water outside because the chooks got litter in the trough and it required cleaning once a week. I much prefer to keep water outside. For one thing, when I open their pop doors in the AM they all come out for a drink and I can then close the doors to keep them from being underfoot as I do the chores in the coop. I do not want to ever go back to watering them in their coop. If it is freezing, I just bring a gallon of very warm water with me in the AM.

I never feed them outside except for treats. I do not want to attract nuisance birds with their diseases. I do use the trough for feeding and they never spill feed from it either because I never fill it to the top. Not only that, but it is out of the way mounted beneath the nest box row on that wall so that it is never in my way.

 

[chickenmamalp]

Thank you , Thank you sounds great! yes please send me more info and a picture if you have one. I'm visual can't seem to figure things out unless I see it

I sent you a pm, not sure how that works !!!!

 

[Ridgerunner]

I've had pretty good success with this set-up. The bucket was free from a grocery that has a deli. Finding the correct-sized base was my problem. You cut a couple of small holes in the side of the bucket so when the bucket is turned over, the holes are the height you want the water in the base to be. I had to cut the holes in both the lid and bucket and put a mark on them so I could always line the holes back up. You fill it by taking the lid off, filling it, put the lid back on, then turn it over into the base. If you invert it over the base, any spilled water goes into the base, not on the ground.

If you elevate it to the height of their backs, they can reach it easily. Of course, that is the height of the lowest back, whether that is chicks, bantams, or full sized fowl. The more you can elevate it, the cleaner it will stay. I've got about an inch of room between the bucket and base for them to get a drink.

I hung a pyramid shape over it to keep them from trying to hop on top of the bucket where they could foul the water underneath. Many people hang an inverted funnel, a plastic milk bottle, what ever they have. Whatever you use, it has to be heavy enough to not move too much in the wind if it is outside.

Instead of putting it on a firm base, some people come up with a way to hang this set-up. From what I've read, the chickens or wind can get it swinging and water can spill. I haven't tried that myself but have been happy with what I have.

Almost forgot, the bricks or whatever you use to elevate it need to spread out a bit. The wider you can make the brick or whatever to support the base, the more stable it is. I've never had this one turn over but I have a pretty heavy base. And this one can freeze and split the bucket. I use a black rubber bowl with no bucket when it gets down to freezing. I have to refill it more often and you have to have something hanging over it to keep them from fouling it or turning it over, but if it freezes, just turn it over and stomp on it. It does not break and the ice comes right out. Also if the black rubber is in the sun, it will stay thawed even is a certain amount of freezing weather. Passive solar heating.

I saw a photo on here a while back where someone used my set-up for a waterer in their cooop, but put the waterer up a bit and had a plank walkway to get up to the waterer so they had to leave the litter on the floor behind to get to it. That way, they could not scratch any litter up to the waterer. Supposedly kept the waterer very clean.

Good luck!! Many different ways to handle this problem.

 

[LynneP]

I use an electric dog bowl up on a patio block supported by cinder blocks and it works well except on bitter days. Even so, yesterday I placed a rubber stock bowl under it and I was delighted to find that the hens perch on the rubber to drink, reducing the splatter immensely!

 

[SkipperDoo]

Almost time for my pullets to arrive. Are you saying that I should only keep the feeder inside the coop even though top to including floor of run has hardware cloth? But keep water in both?