Waterer for older chicks?

When I have just a few chickens separated, I've used a plastic gallon milk jug with the top quarter of it cut out in front of the handle. It holds a couple inches of water and they have to reach their heads in to drink so the water stays cleaner. I fasten it by the handle to the side of a dog crate with a carrabeaner to keep them from tipping it. Works for feed also.

Lisa
 
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Was this pretty easy to do? I'm contemplating a new waterer to put in the coop as my 5 wk olds have knocked over their qt waterer twice this week. I thought about getting something that hangs but want to leave enough space for them to move around comfortably. A hamster waterer would be perfect I think.

Took me us about 3 hrs. Every 10 mins we forced each chick to the bottle and tapped their beak on the ball so the water came out. One of ours is still iffy on it, but still working on it. the other 2 seem to like it and do it often.
 
I am having such issues in one pen with two hens and two babies, EVERY time I check on them the water is dumped, they have to be doing it on purpose, they have a large space so I doubt they bump it accidently. I fill it full so its heavy and they still knock it over....its the red ones you get from tractor supply, not sure what else to try but they are making a mess and driving me crazy. Then of course when I refill it and put it back the babies are so thirsty so maybe they dump it as soon as I leave and have to wait till I check again later
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I am sooooo grateful the girl at the feed store talked me into getting a large watering can (I think it's 2 gallons). It was so big in their first pen and took up so much room, but now I am glad to have it. My chicks are 6 weeks old and I'm refilling it every day now. It's too big and too heavy to tip over, but the small food dishes are another story. ;-) Oh the lessons we get to learn as we travel this chicken path. Check out the posts here on that subject. I always check out the second-hand stores in my area for great deals and some different ideas. Keep using your imagination and you'll come up with something that you can share with us, too. Good luck
 
I love the galvanized ones they had, but they looked so huge LOL. Maybe next time I'm out there!!! Even if we make an auto system, we will need something different for winter when we shut the outside water off to prevent freezing. It doesn't get super cold here often, but it does happen. I like the buckets with nipples though, just seems so much neater! I guess they can learn to use those this young, huh?

DH will probably just build an auto feeder, they seem easy enough! Luckily so far our girls don't knock it over. They just somehow manage to get the food everywhere, so I don't even dare fill it up or it all gets everywhere and, assumably, wasted.
 
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Was this pretty easy to do? I'm contemplating a new waterer to put in the coop as my 5 wk olds have knocked over their qt waterer twice this week. I thought about getting something that hangs but want to leave enough space for them to move around comfortably. A hamster waterer would be perfect I think.

Took me us about 3 hrs. Every 10 mins we forced each chick to the bottle and tapped their beak on the ball so the water came out. One of ours is still iffy on it, but still working on it. the other 2 seem to like it and do it often.

Great, thanks. I'm going to give it a shot.
 
Quote:
Took me us about 3 hrs. Every 10 mins we forced each chick to the bottle and tapped their beak on the ball so the water came out. One of ours is still iffy on it, but still working on it. the other 2 seem to like it and do it often.

Great, thanks. I'm going to give it a shot.

It takes a little bit of training, but chicks catch on fast. You'll love it! No shavings in the water, so no need to change it out as often. And chicks can't knock it over. Win-Win!!
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I would really suggest you get feeders/waterers from the feed store. But don't get the white plastic jugs that come with them! I used those and the chicks kept knocking them over when the contents got below the jug. Instead buy some glass jars that fit your waterer cuz they weigh more and are harder to knock over. Their nice and they often have measuring lines on them to track how much your babies are eating. I've also wondered if you could get an even larger jar that still fit the waterer/feeder. If I see one I'll get it for sure. The hamster waterer idea seems nice but I don't have the patience to train them.
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Plain old bowls work for a while but they get very dirty quick and waste stuff. Also, with older chicks, I put containers underneath the feeder/waterer to minimize the amount of bedding put inside them. The containers should be cool-whip sized or cookie dough sized (
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