Waterer and feeder ideas for coop?

[anonymous99]

My ducks have this big black pan in their coop for water, unfortunately, they play in it and when they drink it, they splash water everywhere and their bedding gets wet. I built them a feeder that they can’t flip over and so they won’t get feed all over the ground, which doesn’t work so well. I’m about to work on making a divider so I can separate the hens from the drakes. I need a feeder (preferably 2 for feed and oyster shells) and a waterer for the hens. The waterer needs to be not too small or too big bc I don’t want it to take up so much space, but I want them to have enough water to suffice them for a while that I don’t have to refill it so much. I don’t trust gravity waterers or the ones that have holes in them. My ducks will be able to flip over gravity waterers or anything that’s not too heavy to flip over.

 

[Crazy Maizie]

Does it have to go in the coop? I don't put food or water in the coop unless its -70°F and everyone gets locked up during the day. Rubber feed bowls make great water dishes, but probably not in the coop. You could also use them for feed dishes.
Ducks are messy and any water will be a mess especially in the coop.
My oyster shells and grit are in a small container that has hooks (inserted pic below- happy hens, but there are similar ones that can be used) and sits on the fence. The feeder (I'm in the middle of changing) but most likely will just be a feeder or a rubber bowl. But, I have some that we used for goats. I currently have a bungee cord that holds it tight against the fence so they can't spill it. I had a treadle feeder, but contrary to its name, mice were getting in.

 

[anonymous99]

Does it have to go in the coop? I don't put food or water in the coop unless its -70°F and everyone gets locked up during the day. Rubber feed bowls make great water dishes, but probably not in the coop. You could also use them for feed dishes.
Ducks are messy and any water will be a mess especially in the coop.
My oyster shells and grit are in a small container that has hooks (inserted pic below- happy hens, but there are similar ones that can be used) and sits on the fence. The feeder (I'm in the middle of changing) but most likely will just be a feeder or a rubber bowl. But, I have some that we used for goats. I currently have a bungee cord that holds it tight against the fence so they can't spill it. I had a treadle feeder, but contrary to its name, mice were getting in.

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Could i put a pet mat under their feeder? I’m concerned about it getting in their bedding bc i don’t want them sleeping in moldy feed or eating it.

 

[Brooke_R]

Could i put a pet mat under their feeder? I’m concerned about it getting in their bedding bc i don’t want them sleeping in moldy feed or eating it.

I only give them water at night in their coop but the waterer I have can also hold food so it would work the same. This is it:

Then have a flat, square tuber wear similar to this:

I got both from Walmart. The waterer fits in the tray perfectly and the tray catches almost all of the water. And they can’t really play in it to make a mess

 

[HollowOfWisps]

I use 2 gallon livestock buckets from tractor supply with plastic shoe mats underneath (the kind with the 1.5-2" lip). My ducks have water 24/7 and the only time I have an issue with bedding getting wet at night is when I forget to dump the mats. During the day I set the buckets right under the lean-to of the barn. For feeders I have several different types. I use the kennel/cage bowls so I can hook them to the walls, I have heavy ceramic dog dishes and big rubber livestock bowls. As always it's a personal choice to provide water in the coop. I like that my ducks have water at night, but then again I'm also the mom who sets the glass of water on the nightstand for my kids too

 

[Crazy Maizie]

Could i put a pet mat under their feeder? I’m concerned about it getting in their bedding bc i don’t want them sleeping in moldy feed or eating it.

I'd follow the advice given from those who offer feed and water in the coop. I don't. It's my preference and works for my flock.

 

[gtaus]

My ducks have this big black pan in their coop for water, unfortunately, they play in it and when they drink it, they splash water everywhere and their bedding gets wet. I built them a feeder that they can’t flip over and so they won’t get feed all over the ground, which doesn’t work so well. I’m about to work on making a divider so I can separate the hens from the drakes. I need a feeder (preferably 2 for feed and oyster shells) and a waterer for the hens. The waterer needs to be not too small or too big bc I don’t want it to take up so much space, but I want them to have enough water to suffice them for a while that I don’t have to refill it so much. I don’t trust gravity waterers or the ones that have holes in them. My ducks will be able to flip over gravity waterers or anything that’s not too heavy to flip over.

Recommend you update your location, it would help target answers to know if you live in southern California or northern Canada....

When I had ducks, I just used a large black pan for water out in the run. But I live on a lake and just let my ducks out to swim most of the day. I had another pan in the run for feed, but they usually found food in the lake while swimming all day. Ducks are very messy and they splash water everywhere. I did not put any food or water in my duck house as I could never keep the ducks from dumping everything. I live in northern Minnesota, and never carried any of my ducks overwinter. So I don't know what I would have done for fresh food and water when the lake would be frozen over.

I now have chickens. For my laying hens, I have a DIY 5 gallon hanging PVC feeder and a 3 gallon metal water fount with metal heated base in the chicken coop 24/7 365/days per year. Chickens don't make a mess like ducks, so I have no problem with feed and water in the chicken coop. Also, keeping my feeder and water inside the coop, protected from wind, rain, and snow, actually keeps everything cleaner for me and reduces the amount of waste. I don't know if my chicken setup would work for ducks, but you might want to look into it.

 

[ruthhope]

My son and I both have ducks and we both offer food 24/7 and water 24/7 in the coops but the ducks free range during the day. The laying females return to the coops during the day to eat.

We use a large terracotta plant pot saucer for food.

We use deep square plastic tubs for water. These hold 40oz of mixed nuts from Costco or Aldi . We use one for each duck and stand them in a row along the side of the coup -- four for me and three for my son. The water tubs are far enough away from the food saucer that a duck that poops while drinking water doesn't contaminate the food!

I find these square tubs ideal as they are stable and deep enough for ducks to submerge their whole head -- which the Pekins do all the time.

My son occasionally has an overturned water tub when there has been horseplay in the coop [probably sex as the drake is as sex mad as anyone else's] Mine have a flat piece of wood in front of the tubs and a off cut of 4" x 2" to the side; the last tub stands in the corner of the coop. These pots could easily be held to the side of the coop with a strap but as one is so rarely turned over, we haven't bothered to add retaining straps.

Both our coops are 8' x 4' and so there is plenty of room for 3 and 4 ducks respectively. If you have enough room, I recommend using these or similar square plastic tubs

 

[Miss Lydia]

Pics please.

 

[gtaus]

We use deep square plastic tubs for water.

Sounds like the square plastic tubs for water work great for you. Just wanted to mention, once again, to encourage people to put their geographic location on their member icon. Where I live, in northern Minnesota, we have freezing temps for a good 6 months of the year. When water freezes, it would break any plastic tub. This is why I have to spend extra money to buy those expensive black rubber tubs at our local Fleet store. When the water freezes into ice, you simply turn the rubber tub over and give it a good whack to pop out the ice chunk. Then you can refill the tub. Anything plastic, filled with water, is broken with the first freeze.

Little Giant Heavy Duty Rubber Tub Durable Rubber Feed Pan on Amazon.com, different sizes available.

I bought my rubber tubs from my local Fleet store a few years ago when they went on sale. However, their everyday price was less expensive than the same items on Amazon. If OP lives in a northern state where you have freezing temps in the winter, then I suggest considering paying the extra money for these type of rubber tubs up front as they will last for many, many years.

For my chickens fresh water, I use the metal water fount and the metal heated base. It's old fashioned, but I have had fresh water (not frozen) in temps as low as -35F overnight. Mind you, the metal heated base only advertises to keep the water from freezing down to +10F, but I am telling you that my waterer, in the chicken coop, was not frozen even at -35F last winter. I don't know how well those metal water founts would work for ducks, but it might be worth looking into if you have cold winters.

Search link on Amazon.com metal water fount