Need a better way to water my flock

[alwaystj9]

@alwaystj9 No I have not, the water stays very clean inside. I rinse the drums out 2 or 3 times a year, because I think I should, not because it's dirty or slimy. Inside the lid is a foam seal, which I took out so it wasn't air tight, which may hinder the nipples working correctly. I've used the drums for a couple years now, before that I used 5 gallon buckets with HZ nipples.

Thank you, I have to dump every open water source every 3 days. I just got rid of my rain barrel it kept a flock of mosquitos. Have you ever checked water temps in it during late summer?

 

[blackdog043]

Have you ever checked water temps in it during late summer?

I did once, outside temp was 90 and the water was 70. Both drums are in the shade which helps. If your concerned about the water being to hot, you could freeze blocks of ice to put inside as needed. I never lost a chicken to dehydration.

 

[alwaystj9]

I never had one dehydrate. I work long weirdly roatating shifts and may not be able to check water daily. I use large black fortiflex pans, different sizes depending on where they are. My chickens usually have access to pasture water containers, I am just looking for some ideas for my tween-age chick pen. The good part about the open pans is I can see the level!

 

[docdubz]

How many chickens do you have?

I use 5-gallon bucket nipple waterers. I sit them up on cinderblocks and put cone-shaped tops on them to keep them from attempting to roost on them.

I have 35 right now. I guess I'll make something for those nipple waterers then. Is there a specific brand that is better than the others?

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

I have 35 right now. I guess I'll make something for those nipple waterers then. Is there a specific brand that is better than the others?

I’ve got about 70 in my flock at the moment, and use 3-4 of these:

https://www.amazon.com/Gallon-Chick...+&sr=1-2-72f97b9d-4da3-494a-85d0-f933637a0690

You may be able to build or buy something similar for less.

 

[aart]

My chickens are drinking upwards of 5 gallons a day

I have 35 right now.

That's a lot of water for 35 birds.....leaks and/or evaporation must be a factor.

 

[WindingRoad]

My chickens are drinking upwards of 5 gallons a day and by the time I get around to refilling them their waters wind up going dry more often than I would like. I tried a diy vacuum waterer (basically 5gal buckets sitting in pans) and that worked great until my chickens figured out how to knock over 5gal buckets full of water (I have no idea how they could possibly do it, but here we are).

So, I need a solution that will allow me to have at least a 20 gallon or so water capacity. Are those nipple waterers actually worth it? They seem like the sort of gimmicky thing that sounds good but never works for me.

I used a heated dog bowl hold 1.5 gallons have 12 chickens. I throw away about a half gallon of water a day. Thinking of getting 4-5 smaller ones so everyone can get a drink when they want and hopefully not throw out water at the end of the day. If your birds are drinking that much you probably need a couple more waterers. I have some white and red ones that get algae in them in the summer. I fixed that by using ACV in them daily.

 

[aart]

A common estimate seems to be that an adult chicken will drink a pint of water each day, and up to double that (a quart each) in hot weather.

35 pints = 4 3/8 gallons
35 quarts = 8 3/4 gallons

So if the chickens are all adults, that amount is reasonable.

Mine don't drink that much....even in summer.

 

[Lin B]

For me I have several waters for my flock. I have 13 birds and 4 waters. That way they don't crowd around just one. They sit up on cinder blocks to keep them cleaner.

 

[westgl]

I have a 5 gallon bucket and use 5 Horizontal Nipples on it. for only 6 Chickens. The Horizontal Nipples are a Leaky way to get water to the chickens in my Opinion. the Problem is they can get stuck Open and ALL the Water drains out of the 5 gallon bucket. i have been using this method for over 5 years. I have replaced all Nipples several times, same problem, I have checked for any cracks in bucket including bottom of bucket. I have also increased the Springs, spring rate inside the nipple to provide more tension on the O-ring in the nipple, i have replaced O-rings in the nipples to get a better seal, No luck. i May have to replace O-rings again in all the Nipples to keep the Nipples from draining all the water out in a Short period of time.