- Jul 10, 2009
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When I built my Coop 20+ years ago, I incorporated a rain-gutter system to a stock tank. It has worked fine, but I obtained some 55gal plastic barrels and decided to try an upgrade to a raised enclosed system. My idea of an enclosed system was to prevent debris and insects and raised to be able to gravity fill. The raised platform is made of "Rammed Earth" in tires using a mixture of dirt and cement packed hard with a sledgehammer. The platform has to be solid because water weights 8 pounds per gallon so a 55 gal barrel will weight:

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