water bucket with nipples

[clarence t]

[one rhode island red, one speckled sussex, one australorp, one black sumatra, one buff orpington, one buff chantecler, one barr rock, and one silver laced wyandote] how long will water be fine in bucket until I need to replace with fresh water, the bucket has a lid and water is clean

 

[gryeyes]

Well, I have a 5 gallon bucket with three drinking nipples and many more chickens, which DO have access to other sources of water since they range freely... However, when they were confined to the run, I had to clean the algae out of the bucket more than I had to refill it. I topped it off every few days in the hot weather just to ensure a constant supply, but it never got below one-third full in any case. A 5 gallon bucket lasts quite a while. Every two weeks I'd dump and clean it to get rid of the algae.

Hope that helps!

Try to put yours in a shaded place and if you have something other than a WHITE bucket, that would be good too. It will help keep the algae from growing. (So will the addition of a small amount of organic Apple Cider Vinegar.) Mine is placed in the sun, unfortunately, but I put a small yard umbrella up to help shade it.

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

Wow Linda, I didn't think enough light would penetrate through the white plastic! Thanks for that bit of info. I'm getting ready to make some patterned after the pics I saw of yours. To say that our AZ sun is intense would be an understatement and even the little translucent plastic inverted waterers put in full shade get algae (might be cyanobacteria) if I didn't change it every day. I wonder, is the plastic the same in different colored 5 gal buckets? BTW, Welcome to BYC Clarence t!

 

[FinsUp]

I think Lowes has a darker bucket than HD. Dark silver I believe. Just remember to not put the lid on tight - just as a cover or you will create a vacuum.

 

[gryeyes]

Quote:
Solved that vacuum problem by punching a hole in the lid. Actually, I installed a bit of plumbing fixtures (PVC) to vent the bucket and provide a place to stick the hose to fill it, without taking off the lid. Only take it off to clean the insides.

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

Quote:
Solved that vacuum problem by punching a hole in the lid. Actually, I installed a bit of plumbing fixtures (PVC) to vent the bucket and provide a place to stick the hose to fill it, without taking off the lid. Only take it off to clean the insides.

I thought your pvc vent-re-filler was smart.

 

[Boo-Boo's Mama]

My kitty litter bucket is white and thus far no algae but it is in our run which has a roof so well shaded.

Since I live where it is hot more months than it is cold, I put 6 frozen 1 liter bottles in mine to chill the water and if it needs water added I use the water that has thawed then wash/refill bottles for the freezer.

I use sand in my run so occasionally I have to rinse the bucket out because the fine sand has gotten in.