Water everywhere!

[redheadfarmer]

I am new to chickens and am definitely learning as I go.

We have the traditional waterers and have the deep litter method in the bottom of the pen. The chicks and the hens keep spilling the water or knocking pine shavings into the waterer. Any solutions out there?

Thanks

 

[flowergirl60]

I put mine up on cinder blocks or something higher where they can't step on them. Hope this helps>

Welcome to chicken world.

 

[tinydancer87]

I like to set mine up on a scrap of 2x6 lumber, or whatever I can find to elevate it a little. I currently have one on the ground directly for some little chicks (and it has to be cleaned out 2x a day). Soon to be graduated to a 2x6 scrap.

The other for the big chickens is actually on an old nest box turned upside down, about 5 inches tall. The big chickens can reach it, and the bantams just jump up to drink.

I have also used cinderblocks.

 

[WoodlandWoman]

Raising the water to the height of the shortest chicken's back keeps it cleaner. It's best not to have a water font sitting right on the shavings. Shavings are a more unstable surface. When you raise it, place whatever you're going to put it on, directly on the floor, instead of on top of the shavings. That will make it much more stable and level. I've often used concrete blocks as a base for feeders and water fonts in my deep litter coop.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Sometimes, the fountain is a leaker too. Check that by filling it and leaving it on a smooth, dry surface, in your garage or the like. If in a hour or two there are signs of water leaking, you'll know you have a bad one. Absolutely agree that waters need to on a higher, watering station, not on the floor.

 

[TN_BIRD]

Lots of folks like the watering nipples

I simply hang my traditional water and that seems to work fairly well.

You can also put some sort of shield or lid to cover the waterer. Make it so the birds have to stick their heads in there to get a drink.

 

[mcjessen]

I bought those big paving stones and have about four stacked on top of each other. I also put their waterer outside of the coop in the run. I've switched over to a heated waterer now since we're below freezing at night.

 

[debid]

We use nipples here -- dry litter, clean water.

 

[petejd]

We use watering nipples. They work great. No mess to clean up. Look for them on Ebay.

 

[SteveBaz]

I have gotten to the point that I place water & food container in a shaving free area. I placed it in the corner on side of the coop door and their food hanging into a pan to catch what the try and peck out. Every morning I pick up all the poop in the coop I see and then push all the shaving they worked on the day before back to the 1/3 of the coop mark. It is 5" deep but away from the water and food.

You get sick of it but it's the way with chickens