Need a better way to water my flock

[alwaystj9]

I have no freeze issues but plenty of mosquito issues. I have to dump everything every 3 days to keep them from hatching.

 

[Barb V]

I have them on cider blocks on a pallet in the run. Check every day and top off as needed. I clean once a week.

They’re pretty easy to see into to check. If the light is right I can see the water level from 20 yards away.

Each waterer has a plug-in heater in winter to keep the water from freezing.

The setup was life changing - no hauling water every day, dealing with frozen water in winter, etc.

You mention that each waterer has a plug-in heater for winter. Did the rent a coop waterer come with the heater?

 

[alwaystj9]

U Stormcrow: do you treat your water or use anything to control algae or mosquitoes?
I saw that you said the white paint helped with algae. Do you do anything else to keep the water not-slimey?

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I use a kiddie pool as long as I don't have chicks around. I clean and fill about once a week with 50+ birds. It can get a little dirty mainly with alge, but chickens really don't mind. It works well here in the winter just breaking the ice off the top, but we don't get that cold. Only down to about 20F.

I've a kiddie pool too, but the ducks swim in it. after a couple days (two, sometimes three) the chickens won't drink it it anymore. I don't blame them.

 

[alwaystj9]

I use the mosquito dunks in my horse trough. I never found the black fish-shaped tabs to be any use whatsoever. I tried using fish a few different ways; some worked well for a while. Depending on the depth of the water, they get cooked in the summer. Depending on who controls the hose, they get overflowed to the ground...but they were great at eating mosquito nymphs. I also tried a small solar fountain and that was kind of neat but the horse kept playing with it.

 

[alwaystj9]

Can you send me a link to that auto waterer?
How did you protect it from the freezes this past winter?
How much pressure does it need?
Wondering if I can run something like that using just the head pressure from a raised water barrel...