Rain catchment/nipple waterer and feeder

[hifidelity]

I've been lurking for a while, but finally decided to join yesterday. Anyway...I'd like to share the rain catchment waterer I made for my coop.

Some issues- I'll probably end up painting the bucket black to keep algae growth down, and the leak that's pointed out in the video.

I don't really explain the watering end of the system in the video, but it's a length of pre-made watering pipe (the saddles were already glued on) that I bought at a poultry supply place cut to length. The nipple insert into the saddle, then twist and clip. They're very easily changed out if you get a leaky one. We have 5 nipples for our flock of 12 (which will soon be culled to 8 once they're a little larger). The outlet for the bucket is in the center so that it can be screwed on and off (the overflow isn't cemented so it lifts off) for cleaning.

I made the feeder out of 4 inch sewer pipe (it's thinner and easier to work with). I used a 2.5 inch hole saw to cut the holes, then sanded down the rough edges. I assembled it with screws so that it can be removed and cleaned easily. It's wedged in a cinder block to keep it secure.

Let me know what you think. Comments and criticism are welcome.

 

[jessicaroo]

This is great! We are in the process of building a rain catching watering system for our coop.

 

[Mitchell Farm]

Love it! Both great ideas. I am in the process of making the tube feeder, but had not seen the raincatcher idea before, Thanks for sharing.

 

[hifidelity]

Thanks! Both ideas were stolen/modified from stuff I found here. This forum is a fantastic resource.

 

[hifidelity]

A friend gave me an idea today...use oyster shell in weed cloth as a filter, which will also remove acidity in the rain water, and give the girls a bit of calcium in their water.

I'll be adding this whenever it stops raining long enough to get out there.

 

[Leese]

I've been researching waterer's that can keep water clean, defrosted and resupplied easily. I ran across a you-tube video and they were using a bird bath heater to keep the water defrosted. I though that was ingenious and as I didn't know there was such a thing was happy I found it.

 

[Angelight]

I wonder if the feeder in the video can be used for fermented feed! This is a great idea! Does this come apart easily to clean it out? I'm concerned about mold. Thanks so much for sharing! GREAT IDEA!

 

[Angelight]

I see my questions were already answered. Sorry about that. XD

 

[Angelight]

I wonder if you could use a 25 gallon drum to catch the overflow. You could use that for the days when you're out and there's no rain. Maybe a LOT of ACV in it would keep it good?

 

[hifidelity]

I've thought about catching the runoff, but I haven't gotten to it yet.