is there a better waterer out there?

[chickerdoodle]

Quote:
I only get the organic ACV (apple cider vinegar) with the "mother" in the bottom. I use the Braggs brand as its easy to get and add 1 teaspoon per gallon. I have a 3 gallon waterer in the run and a 1 gallon in the hen house for 5 pullets. I change the one in the hen house every other day and the one in the run every 2-3 days. Neither gets slime or algae and the water always smells clean and fresh when I dump it. In hot weather (over 85 degrees) I do change them daily and add another 1 gallon one in the shady area of their run. I do use plastic waterers as metal ones will rust for the ACV.

 

[bdog]

If your looking for buckets, try a local restaurant!

They get stuff in 5 gal buckets all the tine. Pickles, sauces, etc!

They would probably save you a few!

We own a restaurant and I get all the buckets and give them to my friends.

My Best,

Jimmy

 

[Boo-Boo's Mama]

We took a cat litter bucket and put 4 chicken nipple waterers (bought from BYC member Neil G. for a great price...fast delivery for cheap!) in the bottom and hung it in the run. We are HOT here so I freeze various bottles I recycle and put them in the run...some go in the bucket to chill the water down. I usually dump the water out once a week and rinse out...no algae thus far.

 

[gryeyes]

I have been using the empty frosting buckets I get for free from the grocery story bakery, with 3 nipples installed on the bottom. They're white, and algae does build up if you don't keep it out of the sun and/or don't dump and clean it fairly often.

It sits on an up-ended concrete block and is bungee-corded to one of the T-posts in the run fencing. I now have a yard umbrella set up at the end of a coop near it, so it's in shade most of the time.

After I added bantam breeds to the flock, I put a couple of bricks at the base of the concrete block so the banty chickens could reach the nipples. I didn't have to worry about chicks, because my first GrandChick is a CLEVER little goober and figured it out on its own!

Also set one up for the A-Frame coop, with a PVC pipe and four nipples, with the end of the pipe a little lower than the bucket so I could be sure the gravity feed took water all the way to the last nipple. Also for shorter chickens, too.

And for inside a coop, you can make one out of an empty gallon milk jug, just to ensure they get water even if they have to be stuck inside for an extended period of time.

 

[BWKatz]

I started out with dish, went to quart screw on waterer & finally 5gal bucket from Lowes With the USC Gamecock logo on it. Used Avian aquamiser nipple(no drips on ground) and plant pole hanger. Works like a dream. will download pics later.

per MSU http://msucares.com/poultry/diseases/solutions.html

They have alot of other common treatments too.


SANITIZING SOLUTIONS

These solutions will reduce or eliminate slime and most disease organisms in water, drinkers, and water lines.

For Constant Use

1 teaspoon chlorine bleach (sodium hypochlorite) in 5 gallons of drinking water

This solution provides 11 ppm chlorine for sanitizing. The birds will drink the water and not be harmed by drinking it. They may need a short time to become accustomed to this solution. A more dilute solution with half the above level of bleach can be offered for a few days before using the 11 ppm solution. Clean the waterers thoroughly each day to get the best effect.

Weekly Sanitizing Rinse Solution

1 oz Chlorine Bleach in 6-8 gallons water

Rinse, soak, or expose equipment to this solution. Let stand at least one hour, then rinse with fresh water. This solution contains equivalent to 45 ppm chlorine. The procedure is most effective if conducted on a weekly basis. Remember, chlorine disinfectants are inactivated by organic matter. Clean all equipment well before using chlorine rinse solutions.

 

[rarebreedeggs4u]

Quote:
This is exactly what I use, BUT my buckets (that I bought in the Spring) are failing. The bails are pulling out and in one unfortunate case, crushing birds when the bucket falls

I love the nipple waterers, but I have to find STURDIER bucket with a lid. I have plenty of flatback horse buckets, I might have to make some jigsawed lids for them that will work with the bails. I was heartbroken to find 2 young Black Copper Marans and a young Wheaten Penedesenca under a fallen bucket

For water treatment, I use .8cc of Oxine per gallon in all waterers, even for my horses.

 

[ams3651]

I gave up on all the fancy stuff, making my own, etc. I use a black dishpan with a rock in the bottom so they dont topple it and I have a heated dog bowl inside the coop in the winter, I think it holds a little over a gallon and both are good for a day for my 9 (I think its 9 LOL) I paid $1 for the dishpan at the Dollar Store and I think $15 for the heated dog bowl.

 

[Tofer76]

Quote:
This is exactly what I use, BUT my buckets (that I bought in the Spring) are failing. The bails are pulling out and in one unfortunate case, crushing birds when the bucket falls

I love the nipple waterers, but I have to find STURDIER bucket with a lid. I have plenty of flatback horse buckets, I might have to make some jigsawed lids for them that will work with the bails. I was heartbroken to find 2 young Black Copper Marans and a young Wheaten Penedesenca under a fallen bucket

For water treatment, I use .8cc of Oxine per gallon in all waterers, even for my horses.

fill only half full worked for me for now

 

[TcherDawn]

I live in NH as well and have been through the 22 Below zero temps that we can have here. Everything freezes solid withing minutes, you can't breathe through your mouth because it will make you go into a coughing fit, and your nostrils freeze shut if you inhale to hard through them. I heat my coop to just above 32 degrees, but I also use a plastic heated water fount in the winter. It works well in the coop. I never had a problem with it not letting water out into the trough. The trough is always very full, sometimes too full. I stopped using outdoor waterers when the winter get really cold. The disadvantage of the heated waterer that I have is that when you fill it and flip it over, you get wet (lovely in below zero temps for sure!) because of it letting the water out through such large holes. I have thought of trying the galvenized buckets, but occasionally use ACV and heard you cannot use it with them. Glad to hear I am not missing out on anything great. Here is the pic of the waterer that is heated:

I think it is called Farm Innovations and I might have gotten it from Randal Burkey?

 

[Xanthro]

Tips on the 5 Gallon bucket waterer.

1. Do not hang by the handle. Drill 4 holes in the bucket, and place bolts with washers in the holes. Hang the buck by the four bolts. This way failure does not crush your chicks.
2. You MUST use a lid. Otherwise your chickens will eventually jump in the bucket, and either foul the water or drown. Plus, if you don't the bucket will deform because of the weight of the water and increase the chance of failure.
3. Use organic ACV in the water to prevent algae growth. It also helps with the chicks.

They make snap on rings for 5 gallon buckets, then an insert that screws into the lid. This makes opening the lid easier, but they are not cheap.

I don't have to worry about freezing in my area, so I can't speak to how to keep the water from freezing.