Need a better way to water my flock

[U_Stormcrow]

So....

I have a gutter on the roof of my barn. It feeds a 275 gal food grade tote ($125, used). That, via PVC, fills an "automatic" style stock tank waterer (installed in a scrap piece of long gutter, ends capped), some PVC poultry nipples, and once, an automatic dog watering bowl. (I have ducks, they can't use the nipples). 1" of rainfall fills the tote. We average an 1" a week, so my bigger problem is dealing with overflow. I've never had to manually fill it.

I have a second tote, soon to be filled with rainwater off the goat pen/second house, which I also PVC'd some poultry nipples too, plus mounted the above mentioned auto dog watering bowl at a height suitable for goats that the birds can't fill with mud, and a hose bib for easy clean out or just filling water bowls, whatever at the far end. In theory, 1" of rainfall should equate to 90 gallons if I pull from both sides (reality is that some won't be captured, for whatever reason). Again, I do not expect to ever need to manually fill it, once the gutter is hooked up.

Picture here. (Last picture in this message)

 

[JeniferBehm]

Automatic waterer with float

How to make a chicken waterer​

 

[mcdze]

i tried about everything and sooner or later the squirrels or something else gets around to destroying it .. now i will use an old bucket or other reused container can be anything, cut it down and screw it to something so it cant be turned over .. it just needs to be low enough to spray out and have enough of them they dont run out, and dont locate them under a roost lol, that never works out, somebody always poops in the water lol .. daily routine is spray the coop out and refill the waters .. just how i do it ..

 

[alwaystj9]

I have such a mosquito problem. The darn things hatch in the water then they move into my carport just waiting for me to let them in the house. I mostly use fortiflex pans and dump at minimum every 3 days, usually more often.
I had a commercial rain barrel (it was a gift) but it became mosquito central. It was very thick opaque plastic and did not have an algae problem.
I like the tote idea and there are quite a few for sale on Craig's List near me.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

While I've not used them personally, if you are having a standing water mosquito concern, you can buy the tabs for Koi ponds, skin with a small amount of oil (though it will eventually go rancid), add a lot of vinegar, or make your water source much larger and add fish. Do be aware that the BTI bacteria in the mosquito dunks will also kill blackfly larvae, so if you have a blackfly composter...

 

[RebekahTN]

I'd weigh in here, since I have hot weather and lots of birds, but honestly, I don't know. My poultry nipples leak, and my tote is so big it doesn't matter. Even the month we went w/o rainfall wasn't enough to empty it. Admittedly, I only had 30 birds then, but its a big tote.

One of two. The other is hooked up to the gutters to be filled by rainwater. This one will be, too, as soon as parts are in stock. White paint keeps it cooler and massively retards algae growth.

View attachment 2584643

How do the ducks get to the water bowl? It seems to high. I would imagine just sitting it on the ground or even zip tied to the bottom rung on the cage would work unless I'm missing something.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I used to have it on a CMU for the ducks. Now its up at that height for the goats I don't yet have. Around back of the tote I have a deep square bowl I fill from the spigot at the end of the PVC run. Can't tip a bowl inside a CMU. Can still fill said bowl with mud, however....

 

[aart]

@docdubz did you find the problem or a solution to your watering woes?

 

[pennyJo1960]

I do exactly the same even cone shaped tops that sit inside the lid they cannot knock them of or they bird will drown ..
I have orange buckets with lids from Home Depot

 

[alwaystj9]

How high off the ground are you setting these?
Do you check it: water clean & adequate and all nipples functioning?
How often & is it easy to see the level?
I have 20 or so mixed chickens.