Plastic vs Galvanized Waterers

[Rooster Cogburn]

I'm shopping for a three gallon waterer. I can't understand how a plastic waterer can cost $25-$30 but I like the kind that can be filled from the top, (little giant). Anyone have problems with plastic waterers cracking in winter? Wondering if galvanized would be better.

 

[chickenlady08]

Well first of all I would guess it would depend on you weather or your temps. If it get very cold there then stick with the galvanized waterers and you can buy a heater made for setting the galvanized waterer on top of and this keeps them from freezing. I use galvanized waterers inside of my coops all year. Summer time I use some plastic ones put around in different areas so they can always be able to have water and don't have to travel back to the coops to get some. Also if you ever put ACV or other meds inside the galvanized waterers they will corrode them and you will have to go but more. Trust me I did this and they aren't cheap. And another thing is that I don't feel 100% comfortable with the plastic waterers on the heaters even though some are made specifically for that purpose. Plastic and heat worry me just a bit.

 

[Rooster Cogburn]

Chickenlady, thanks. I was wondering about plastic waterers on heaters. It does get below freezing here and I'll need to deal with that. It seems that it's a wash between rusting galvanized and freezing plastic waterers.

 

[chickenlady08]

Quote:
Total agreement with you on this one. I would love to one day have the auto watering system set up. Don't know if it will ever happen but it is a dream, but would prob have to use the waterers in the winter because the winters are getting worse around here.

Good Luck and hope I helped ya out at least a little bit.

 

[StupidBird]

Good topic, I have also wondered. The galvanized one is a year and a half old and already rusting in the water trough part. red and black rust must be scrubbed off every couple days. I have not used acv. It froze solid several times last winter.

Between freezing, rusting, heater damage, and cleaning issues, how does those nipple water system stack up?

 

[Casey3043]

Yes, galvanized waterers rust out and have to be replaced every two or three years, but you can place them on a heater and it works great. Love to see that steam rising from the waterer on a cold morning.

I have several plastic ones that I seldom use any more because they get algae inside and are hard to clean. Also it's hard to screw the top on tight enough to keep them from leaking.

I had been using an old dog bowl that held about two gallons out in their yard, but with 30 chickens now, it was going dry too quickly. I bought an automatic waterer from McMurray. It's a long trough with a hose connection at one end and a float valve to shut it off when it is full. It has anti-roost wires on top. I like it, BUT.....the first one leaked at the connection and also the trough itself leaked. I called them and they sent another one.

The connection still leaks a little, but not enough to stop using it. What I do is turn the water off at night (the trough is out in their yard) to keep from wasting so much. There is a constant but slight trickle of water at the hose connection. This winter I will take it apart and see whether I can really fix it. It was around $100 with shipping. Trifle overpriced in view of the poor performance. Just IMHO.

 

[Rooster Cogburn]

Wow, I'm not seeing any rave reviews about any waterer.

 

[Sweetpeaswan]

Auto waterers really can be a big help, again it all depends on your weather conditions like everyone has said. i can tell you
that in Arizona...the plastic ones algae up very quickly, the galvenized work better in the summer and we put ice in them.
again in the winter the water stays cool but doesn't tend to freeze in the Valley. Little Giant and Miller make a few different
auto waterers, one is a called the auto doggie waterer and it actually works well out in our pens...just see what kind suits
your area and weather.

 

[crtrlovr]

I had an extra dog bed -- the kind that is a hard plastic platform with a fleece cover on it. My cats were no longer using it, so I took it out to the chickenhouse and set the waterer on it. It kept the water from freezing, and didn't get hot enough to melt anything or start a fire. Even if I spilled water or water got under it, there was no way for it to short out because water couldn't get to the elements or the wire. It worked with both the galvanized and plastic waterers, and there was room to put 2 on there at the same time. I also have one of the heated metal bases, but it raised the height of the waterer too much for some of my littlest ones at the time. I will probably use it for the ducks this winter, and stick with the heated dog platform for the chickens.

 

[Ohhhdear]

Wasn't it on BYC I saw pix of someone who'd taken an old round cookie tin, drilled a hole for a lightbulb socket and put a 25 watt bulb in the can. Then they set their gallon plastic waterer on top of the cookie tin lid. I think they used a candelabra bulb or whatever was handy, and a ceramic socket? You could probably get away with using a 15 watt bulb, just enough to keep the cookie tin lid warm.