Recommendations for waters...

[RebekahTN]

How big a flock??? I use a rain fed (gutter off the roof) 275 gal food grade tote, to which I've attached PVC at the base and a series of poultry watering cups. But if you only have a couple birds, and a small area reserved for them, my solution is overkill. Likewise if you have access to running water - I don't (easily) at either of my coops, unless I want to hook 275' of garden hose together.

(Photo from before the gutter was attached. The automatic dog bowl is for the goat.)

View attachment 2600466

I have one of these hooked up to my gutter and provides all the water for my flock except the few days a year that I have to deice they duck bowels with hot water. I have been thinking about adding nipples directly to it but havn't yet. I like the idea of the them on the PVC pipe instead of directly into the waterer. How is the PVC connected to the water source? I see it is connected along the metal cage to keep it from falling. But how is the part coming out of the tank connected? Can I get a better pic of the setup coming off of the tank?
Talk about truly automatic!!! You have it figured out.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I attached one of those 2" (i think, might have been 2 1/2") rubber pieces from the big box store used to make repairs to cast iron pipes with the screw turn metal hose clamps at either end.

That goes over the fitting from the tote.

In the other end of the rubber mender, i put a pvc reducer cap down to 3/4" threaded. After that, it was a simple matter of screwing or gluing together pvc cut to length, with some zip ties to provide support. I have hose bibs at either end for clean-outs, filling buckets, etc.

And its set on 6 CMUs (completely optional), just high enough my smallest birds can hide underneath if scared or hot.

Two coats of good white paint keeps the algae minimal, and keeps the water from getting too too hot.

 

[RebekahTN]

I originally used the cups and they tend to get pretty nasty, so I switched to the nipples, way better! My system is hooked up to a 5gallon bucket. Everything gets cleaned once a week easy breezy

I agree on the cups, they get dirty and mine always tried to under or over fill. The nipples both horizontal and vertical are GREAT!! I teach them from the time the go into the brooder to drink from them.

 

[RebekahTN]

Two coats of good white paint keeps the algae minimal, and keeps the water from getting too too hot.

I hadn't thought about paint!! I got mine towards the end of the year last year and hadn't had to deal with that yet. I have a double spigot on mine. One has a partial hose pipe buried going to the ducks small pond and the other I use to fill gallon jugs to fill my waters. It has worked great so far. I'm trying to talk my husband into putting my old 55 gallon drum on the other side of the fence and having overflow go to it. It would save some time and effort and give me an extra 55 gallons of free water on hand.

 

[KingD]

I’m looking for recommendations for a good water for my flock. Something that doesnt leak and noteasily knocked over.

Use anything that can be hung. Prevents rats from drinking from it and also it doesn't allow dirt to be trodden I the water.
I have about 70 hens but I would never ever use a bulky waterer such as an IBC as the water can become algae infested and horrible (nothing against others opinions). A small waterer is also easier to add medication to when needed.

I use something like this but bigger and it is hung from a sheltered area.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I use this. In the winter I use a black rubber bowl. If you set it in the sun it stays thawed even when fairly cold. When it freezes it's rubber so just beat the ice out of it and refill. In summer I try to keep it out of the sun and use a white bowl to keep it cooler. White bowls can be hard to find.

I cut a hole in plywood or siding to make a raised platform that helps keep trash out of it. Then use more siding or plywood for a base and use 2x4's for separation. They will poop in it so you need to empty it regularly, like daily. I want to dump water daily in warm weather anyway, to keep mosquitoes from breeding in it.

It can turn mildewy. When it starts to turn green I wash it with a mild bleach solution. I have a frost free hydrant at the coop so I have running water.

I've tried some of those other gravity feed waterers, they have to be very level to not leak. I even made a gravity waterer from a three gallon bucket once. For me this method turned out to be the easiest. I've never tried nipples so can't comment on those.

 

[RebekahTN]

This is my favorite for the flock. It holds 12 gallons and surprisingly keeps the water cool on hot days. It's pretty well insulated. You can also drop a heater down in it. See that little notch on the lid? That allows a cord to be dropped down in it for the winter months for a heated waterer.

This is the heated waterer I had before the one above. Well, I still have and use it, but this one stays in the barn. In the winter I add the cord and in the summer I take it off. This one I keep in the barn at a lower level than the other one (which is on concrete block) for the chicks and pullets. I put a little brick under the middle one to make it easier for short people.

This is the one I use in my brooder, in the serama cages, and on my chicken tractors. I have more than 1 in case something happens there is a backup. I also have the bigger size of this one for the tractors. WAY less mess!! I also use this on my heat plate in my grow out pen. I don't usually have the heat plate plugged in after the first couple weeks in the grow out pen, but plugged it during the winter at the tallest height (for my comfort more than theirs) and noticed a bonus of it keeping their water from freezing.

These are my favorites. The chickens also have access to bowls of water because I have ducks, but most drink out of the nipples and easily transition from horizontal to vertical. My ducks even drink out of the nipples from time to time. (they learned that from the chickens - not me).

I just bought a second of the top one. I will never go back to the ones you have to fill and flip over. I do still have some of those and use them for backup, but do not prefer them.

 

[RebekahTN]

I use this. In the winter I use a black rubber bowl. If you set it in the sun it stays thawed even when fairly cold. When it freezes it's rubber so just beat the ice out of it and refill. In summer I try to keep it out of the sun and use a white bowl to keep it cooler. White bowls can be hard to find.

I cut a hole in plywood or siding to make a raised platform that helps keep trash out of it. Then use more siding or plywood for a base and use 2x4's for separation. They will poop in it so you need to empty it regularly, like daily. I want to dump water daily in warm weather anyway, to keep mosquitoes from breeding in it.

It can turn mildewy. When it starts to turn green I wash it with a mild bleach solution. I have a frost free hydrant at the coop so I have running water.

View attachment 2600720

I've tried some of those other gravity feed waterers, they have to be very level to not leak. I even made a gravity waterer from a three gallon bucket once. For me this method turned out to be the easiest. I've never tried nipples so can't comment on those.

My ducks have these, along with their small pond. I have run into the issues you have and worked around them the same as you.... The chickens like to stand backwards on these and poop in the water.... as if the ducks weren't messy enough!!!!
I do catch the chickens drinking out of them occasionally, but mostly they use the nipples. The ducks mostly use these and occasionally the nipples. I had hoped the nipples with cups would work good for the ducks.... but not really... except when they were babies raised by hand.

 

[junior67]

I agree on the cups, they get dirty and mine always tried to under or over fill. The nipples both horizontal and vertical are GREAT!! I teach them from the time the go into the brooder to drink from them.

I get my chicks on Thurs and have a nipple waterer for them with a vertical nipple on it for now as I was told they are easier for young chicks. do you just tap their beak against them when you put them in the brooder to teach them how to use it? do you put any other type of waterer in their to start? I was told by some that I should have something else in JIC they don't pick up on the nipples right away.......


(sorry for the thread hijack)

 

[junior67]

View attachment 2600745
This is my favorite for the flock. It holds 12 gallons and surprisingly keeps the water cool on hot days. It's pretty well insulated. You can also drop a heater down in it. See that little notch on the lid? That allows a cord to be dropped down in it for the winter months for a heated waterer.

View attachment 2600750
This is the heated waterer I had before the one above. Well, I still have and use it, but this one stays in the barn. In the winter I add the cord and in the summer I take it off. This one I keep in the barn at a lower level than the other one (which is on concrete block) for the chicks and pullets. I put a little brick under the middle one to make it easier for short people.

View attachment 2600755
This is the one I use in my brooder, in the serama cages, and on my chicken tractors. I have more than 1 in case something happens there is a backup. I also have the bigger size of this one for the tractors. WAY less mess!! I also use this on my heat plate in my grow out pen. I don't usually have the heat plate plugged in after the first couple weeks in the grow out pen, but plugged it during the winter at the tallest height (for my comfort more than theirs) and noticed a bonus of it keeping their water from freezing.

These are my favorites. The chickens also have access to bowls of water because I have ducks, but most drink out of the nipples and easily transition from horizontal to vertical. My ducks even drink out of the nipples from time to time. (they learned that from the chickens - not me).

I just bought a second of the top one. I will never go back to the ones you have to fill and flip over. I do still have some of those and use them for backup, but do not prefer them.

oh what is the name of the first one and where did you get it? I am going to need one for my coop and was just going to build one but really like the looks of that and like that it holds more than a 5 gal bucket!

with the brooder one (that is the one I have) how many would you use for 10 chicks? thought I read 1 nipple for up to like 12 but I am worried that won't be enough.