Keeping their water clean!?!

[Godiva]

I was wondering if any of you could share your methods of keeping your chickens water clean when they are confined. When they are cruising the land in their tractors there is very little problem with this but once there is hay or shavings around I can't keep their water clean for more than a few minutes. Before I know it they have kicked another heap of poopy hay and dirt into the waterer again!!

I was thinking of building a 'table' of sorts with a hardware cloth top supported by some wood pieces to get it about a foot above the loose bedding... I was wondering if any of you would mind sharing how you do this... I was also wondering if any of you have a suspended waterer... I would like to put something like this in the chicken tractors as the challenge there is keeping the waterer level on the slopes... SO fill me in on all your brain storm ideas folks! I know that there have got to be some great ideas out there! Thanks.

 

[nccatnip]

Quote:
There is your answer. I hang mine from chain with a clip to make for easy removal to clean and refill

 

[Scrambled Egg]

Like catnip, I also hang my waterer and also had to rig a shield to go around the top of it (much like one of those crazy wide collars for a dog that scratches it's ears) to keep the chickens from getting on the top of it and adding more garbage to the water. It seems to work pretty well unless they are in a major kicking mood and then the water is dirty regardless! Hanging does help some though...

 

[hoosierhen]

I also hang mine from a chain. I read somewhere to hang it approx the level of their backs. All of my chickens are around the same size, so "one size fits all."

 

[muddler6]

I raised mine up on an over turned saucer for a planter or on top of some pieces of 4x4's. My winter waterer is a heated birdbath that is attached to a 2x4 and a few inches above the floor of the run. They still get some mess in there, but it is better than when I just sat it on the floor.

 

[ChuckenGirl]

i proped mine on 2 blocks. and keep it away from the roost. unless they like chocolate

 

[Godiva]

So how do you hang it? The 3 gallon waterer I have is not supposed to be suspended by the handle on top. Do you make a little platform that you suspend.... what does yours look like? I think I am going to go for this idea though, will have to keep chickens of the same size in each section though.

 

[chickenranchwife]

I just get an emply lick barrel (the smaller size) and turn it upside down. An old rim to a tire works well too.

 

[SeaChick]

Ours sits atop an inverted flowerpot... maybe 10-12" high. For a while we had a plastic squirrel guard (from a bird feeder) on top, but now no one tries to roost there so we took that part off. Having it sitting this high keeps all but the most enthusiastically scratched-up shavings out, and the girls can reach the water just fine!

 

[Godiva]

Seachick, I see you have the same feeder that I do... initially I didn't like it but it really cuts down a lot on the waste! Even my enthusiastic chickens can't mess with this one. I might try your flower pot idea for in the coop but I still think I need a suspended waterer for the tractors.