Looking for waterer recommendations

[weeders n feeders]

Maybe my chickens (and me) are weird but mine drink from a plastic dish pan set directly on the sand in the run. It stays pretty clean except for an occasional stray feather and a little sand that maybe stuck to their beaks. It has maybe 4 inch sides. Easy to clean and takes nothing to fill. Can even set a hose to drip for constant supply.
I've tried chicken waterers - cleaning and filling takes more effort and they actually seemed to get dirtier and they would roost on it. A mean rooster took care of it for me once when I went to put it back in the pen he tried to flog me and luckily got the waterer instead and punched a hole right through it. I've built other waterers that worked ok but again took more effort to clean and fill and always seemed dirtier. The one thing they all had in common was low sides holding the water and a dry spot for the chickens to sit on. With my dish pan there are high sides and and only thin edges so too tall for scratchings to to get in and no place to perch and make droppings in it.

For chicks though I used the mason jar waterers. Don't want the little things falling in.

 

[DMRippy]

There was nothing I HATED more than the wateres!!!!! Nasty, poop in them, feed in them, SLIME.... just gross!!!!! I have a 55 gal drum that feeds four pens. I use 1 1/2 inch pvc and just screw the nipples in the pipe no muss no fuss! I use Oxine and it keeps the water crystal clear for months! I did add lots of waterers in the heat. For walking in and drinking

Now my only problem might be in really cold weather (we have mild winters but it can get down below 0 for a week at times) I am not sure how to keep it from freezing. I have read heat tape but I have not tried it yet. The 55 gal is in a covered building like a garage without a door. so it is out of the wind but in those temps it will freeze.

 

[wyododge]

Quote:
Circulate the water and put a stock tank heater in the barrel. It will only turn on if it needs to. You can get a temp activated plug for a small circulation pump that will only turn on at or below about thirty five degrees.

My experience with heat tape is not so good, but we get much colder here so it runs constantly.

My set up is fairly similar to yours, but I use nipple buckets. I can send ya picks if you are interested.

 

[zathura12]

If you use the nipples, make SUPER sure that you test before you install them. I learned the hard way: we glued them into the PVC pipe before testing and 2 of them didn't work.

We had to replace them. More work...

 

[gale65]

We have a plastic 3 gallon one that fills from the top. I love that it fills from the top-it makes it a lot easier. I have no desire to try to flip over 2 or 3 gallons of water without getting it all over me. I used to have a metal one and after a while, it was hard to get the top on and turned. I got my plastic one at Tractor Supply. Just be sure if you get this kind, it has the little plug included. Mine was missing and I had to go back (an hour away) to get it.

I did buy nipples too but haven't got them installed yet. I will probably only use them in the warmer months out in the run and use the regular big one in the coop. I've heard too many stories about the nipples leaking.