Metal vs. plastic watering container

[millerchix]

Our metal watering container is getting rusty. I assume the rust is not good for the chickens so I plan on getting a new one. How bad is the rust for the chickens? Which brand or material do you use and why?

 

[SueT]

Mine rusted too. I recently changed over to the nipple watering system, making my own with a food grade plastic bucket from Lowes, and water nipples from a feed store. You might want to check out the idea. The water stays perfectly clean, I just love it; here's a video of a couple of mine using it:

 

[pioneerchick816]

I went plastic with cup style waterers. Food grade buckets from Lowes. Cup drinkers can be bought at my co-op but Amazon carries them in bulk or indvidual packages. I don't have the leakage with the cups, that's why I prefer them over other kinds

 

[tosacoba]

Mine rusted too. I recently changed over to the nipple watering system, making my own with a food grade plastic bucket from Lowes, and water nipples from a feed store. You might want to check out the idea. The water stays perfectly clean, I just love it; here's a video of a couple of mine using it:

How did you teach them to use it? We have wanted to try this but we're concerned it would be difficult to train them to drink from a nipple.

 

[GC-Raptor]

I use a galvanized fount, and feeder as it goes down to 0 Fahrenheit and below here. I use a heated base to keep water from freezing. It's easy to clean, I use a new toilet brush with an appendage. I keep it in the coop so it's not exposed to the elements. You can't use ACV or vinegar. I lift and tilt daily to clean trough of feed crumbs, and clean and refill weekly. Picture was taken last month. I've used over 13 months. GC

 

[debid]

How did you teach them to use it? We have wanted to try this but we're concerned it would be difficult to train them to drink from a nipple.

I've started new chicks on the vertical nipples without issue but I've also converted grown hens. The hens I converted were my mom's and she doesn't live close enough for me to check on them multiple times a day. So, I put the new bucket in at proper height and where one fount had been. I left a second fount in place. A week later, I removed that fount meaning the new bucket was the only water. I threw a handful of scratch under the new bucket and pulled up a chair to watch. Once they'd all had a drink after their snack, I considered the transition complete. It took less than an hour. And, they've done absolutely fine with it.

BTW, I switched them to keep the water cleaner, make it easier to fill for an older person (the garden hose reaches so she doesn't need to lift it except for the rare cleaning and she can let the level get low in anticipation of that), and it works with a bucket de-icer so she doesn't have to run a heat lamp in the coop as she had been doing to prevent the water from freezing.

 

[FlyingNunFarm]

I have two different style plastic waterers. The
Farm Innovators Model HPF-100 "All-Seasons" Heated Plastic Poultry Fountain, 3 Gallon, 100-Watt. I use it all year in the coop. I recently purchased the Harris Farms EZ Fill Poultry Drinker, 3.5 Gallon. I have it outside in the shade. I also get below freezing temperatures so I needed something heated. The Harris Farms waterer doesn't rely on a vacuum to work so I may try and rig it up with a heater this winter.
The trough of floaties drives me crazy but they are easy to clean. I wanted to try a nipple water system but wasn't sure how I would keep it from freezing. Someone recently told me they use a bird bath heater in their bucket/nipple waterer. Could be worth a try.