Two Questions--Watering and Feeding Chickens in Florida

[TimeSpiral]

Greetings! I'm happy to have joined BYC.

We live in the West/Central part of Florida; hot, humid, lots of rain in the summer. We have a coop and five hens. The coop and run are well ventilated. The hen-house has a wire-mesh floor and is covered.

• Feed is getting wet!

We have a gravity feeder, with a lid, but the lid was poorly designed and screws into the feeder from the top. I think this is letting rain water seep into my feed, causing the whole batch to turn. I am wasting tons of feed. My question is this: with a closed gravity system, do you still get issues with the feed getting wet because of the high-humidity?

• Going to make an auto-waterer with Poultry Nipples

You would want to put a lid on the bucket, but you'd need to vent the lid in order for the water to flow. But in Florida, a standing body of water is PRIME real estate for mosquitoes and algae. Would adding Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) to the water prevent mosquitoes from laying in the water? Would a simple net/mesh do the trick?

I have my ideas on how to solve these problems, but I also wanted to reach out to the community and get some general feedback.

Bonus question!
My hens are not laying in the darned nesting box. We were advised--by the person who sold us the coop--to "wait until you see the first egg before you introduce the nesting box." But they won't lay in that box. Any thoughts?

 

[Rich386]

Greetings! I'm happy to have joined BYC.

We live in the West/Central part of Florida; hot, humid, lots of rain in the summer. We have a coop and five hens. The coop and run are well ventilated. The hen-house has a wire-mesh floor and is covered.

• Feed is getting wet!

We have a gravity feeder, with a lid, but the lid was poorly designed and screws into the feeder from the top. I think this is letting rain water seep into my feed, causing the whole batch to turn. I am wasting tons of feed. My question is this: with a closed gravity system, do you still get issues with the feed getting wet because of the high-humidity?

• Going to make an auto-waterer with Poultry Nipples

You would want to put a lid on the bucket, but you'd need to vent the lid in order for the water to flow. But in Florida, a standing body of water is PRIME real estate for mosquitoes and algae. Would adding Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) to the water prevent mosquitoes from laying in the water? Would a simple net/mesh do the trick?

I have my ideas on how to solve these problems, but I also wanted to reach out to the community and get some general feedback.

Bonus question!
My hens are not laying in the darned nesting box. We were advised--by the person who sold us the coop--to "wait until you see the first egg before you introduce the nesting box." But they won't lay in that box. Any thoughts?

Here is an auto watering system that works for me in No. FL. I have not had to clean it in over two years. The reserve is relatively small so it is always fresh. The setup shown will handle 150 polts or 50 hens. Want more information send me a PM

 

[Rich386]

Greetings! I'm happy to have joined BYC.

We live in the West/Central part of Florida; hot, humid, lots of rain in the summer. We have a coop and five hens. The coop and run are well ventilated. The hen-house has a wire-mesh floor and is covered.

• Feed is getting wet!

We have a gravity feeder, with a lid, but the lid was poorly designed and screws into the feeder from the top. I think this is letting rain water seep into my feed, causing the whole batch to turn. I am wasting tons of feed. My question is this: with a closed gravity system, do you still get issues with the feed getting wet because of the high-humidity?

• Going to make an auto-waterer with Poultry Nipples

You would want to put a lid on the bucket, but you'd need to vent the lid in order for the water to flow. But in Florida, a standing body of water is PRIME real estate for mosquitoes and algae. Would adding Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) to the water prevent mosquitoes from laying in the water? Would a simple net/mesh do the trick?

I have my ideas on how to solve these problems, but I also wanted to reach out to the community and get some general feedback.

Bonus question!
My hens are not laying in the darned nesting box. We were advised--by the person who sold us the coop--to "wait until you see the first egg before you introduce the nesting box." But they won't lay in that box. Any thoughts?

Here is an auto watering system that works for me in No. FL. I have not had to clean it in over two years. The reserve is relatively small so it is always fresh. The setup shown will handle 150 polts or 50 hens. Want more information send me a PM

 

[LoneOak]

Have you considered getting some wooden or plastic nest eggs to put in your nesting boxes. It lets the birds know where they are supposed to lay. They are available at most all the online poultry supply stores like EggCarton's.com.

If you build a water system like what Rich is showing you then you don't have to worry about having a big vent in the bucket, a small hole covered with screen or wire mesh will be fine. I've used steal wool or a brase scrubber before When the level drops the float valve refills the bucket and it generally stays full at least to the level you set when you adjust the float. You can add ACV to the water on a regular basis as well but it is more for the chickens digestive health instead of mosquito control.

As far as the feed don't use a huge feeder and don't fill it slap full. Make sure it is hung under cover and just try your best to keep any moisture out of it, none of the lids are really great except maybe the homemade ones. Your probably throwing away a lot yourself that is still plenty good to feed the birds, chickens will still eat moist feed as long as its not floating.

 

[TimeSpiral]

I created the watering system! It turned out really great. I also solved the problem with the food!

I will post some pics, if anyone is interested in taking a look.

 

[LoneOak]

Quote: Please post those pics , both of the watering system and the feeder!