Waterer frustration!!

[crossl6]

Is anyone else having problems with those darn plastic chicken waterers? I've bought 2 different styles of the Harris Farms plastic waterers (5 gal). I've been raising chickens for over 30 years, so not new at this. We've always used the good old fashioned metal waterers, but decided to try to plastic ones.
#1 They get moldy VERY quickly
#2 They leak & saturate the coops - I'll fill with 5 gal in the a.m. & by evening, they are bone dry. I never have more than 20-25 chickens/waterer. I raise & butcher meat chickens, so have multiple coops, according to age of the birds.
#3 They are a PAIN to fill
I have 50 laying hens & use 2 very old metal waterers for them
I have lost over 50 chickens this year alone & am so frustrated!!

 

[GreenLove]

Is anyone else having problems with those darn plastic chicken waterers? I've bought 2 different styles of the Harris Farms plastic waterers (5 gal). I've been raising chickens for over 30 years, so not new at this. We've always used the good old fashioned metal waterers, but decided to try to plastic ones.
#1 They get moldy VERY quickly
#2 They leak & saturate the coops - I'll fill with 5 gal in the a.m. & by evening, they are bone dry. I never have more than 20-25 chickens/waterer. I raise & butcher meat chickens, so have multiple coops, according to age of the birds.
#3 They are a PAIN to fill
I have 50 laying hens & use 2 very old metal waterers for them
I have lost over 50 chickens this year alone & am so frustrated!!

I hate them! They are so smelly! I have a few of the one gallon ones and I wash it with soap and water everyday, and by the next day when I open it, it reeks! I got mine from TSC. Mine don't leak and I keep it on a cinder block so it doesn't get too dirty. I only use them until my chicks are about 14 weeks old and then I switch to the stainless steel pet bowls (I LOVE THEM)! My chickens will actually run out of the coop in the morning straight to the stainless bowls to drink even though the plastic one was filled with fresh water the night before. Good luck!

 

[21hens-incharge]

Can you post a pic of the ones in question?
I had a 5 gallon water container for chickens and never had an issue in the 5 years I used it. The only time it had any trouble was from freezing in the first winter. (I did not use it in the winter after that due to high cost of purchase and not wanting to split it)

http://www.ruralking.com/agricultur...lon-plastic-poultry-chicken-waterer-ppf5.html

This is the same exact one I used for years. The only time I had it out of service was October through February.

Little Giant is the brand I had and the link is the exact model.

ACV should cut down the ickies in the water. Not sure why the one you are using is getting gross so fast.
If I was losing that many chickens I would put it in the trash and get a new waterer.
Could there be impurities in the water? Heavy metals or something of the like?

 

[Husker Hens]

Chicken nipples are the only way to go in my opinion. Anything else just gets junk in it and then gets gross.

 

[arkwelded]

I have a dirt floor in the run and put the water in the corner on a cinder block so it is up like 6" off the ground. I rinse and fill the waters daily. The pvc pipe with nipple had algae issues too, but is harder to clean. Our chickens also have access to a stock tank and a duck pond in their paddock during the day. I clean them once a week.

 

[MysteriaSdrassa]

I use the small Harris Farms 5 qt size and 7 lb feeder for my chicks and they work fine. I couldn't say what the bigger ones work like. For the bigger hens I prefer the Little Giants mentioned by 21hens. They come in a 3, 5, and 7 gallon size and I've never had a problem with any of them leaking ( I have 8).

 

[Husker Hens]

What what I've noticed is that with any sort of open water waterer stuff can into it just as easily as they can get water out, with chicken nipples it's really only a one way road (you can't really push anything through the nipple and into the water source because as soon as it's open water is coming out flushing out anything that would get in). Now eventually everything needs cleaned, but I put the nipples straight into the bucket so cleaning is the same as any bucket, plus it's easier to put some kind of deicer in there in the winter.

 

[Book Em Danno25]

I hate them! They are so smelly! I have a few of the one gallon ones and I wash it with soap and water everyday, and by the next day when I open it, it reeks! I got mine from TSC. Mine don't leak and I keep it on a cinder block so it doesn't get too dirty. I only use them until my chicks are about 14 weeks old and then I switch to the stainless steel pet bowls (I LOVE THEM)! My chickens will actually run out of the coop in the morning straight to the stainless bowls to drink even though the plastic one was filled with fresh water the night before. Good luck!

x2 we keep ours on a cinder block also. We have used pet bowls in the past. Right now we are using a green plastic dog dowl. it works very well, and its not a pain to fill. you have to scrub it out every once in a while, but other than that, its works great!

 

[21hens-incharge]

I am currently using dog bowls as well. I got mine at the farm supply store for like 5 dollars.



Easy to clean, easy to fill and easy to knock the ice out of. I just tip them over and slowly pour hot water on them and the ice drops out.

 

[GreenLove]

I am currently using dog bowls as well. I got mine at the farm supply store for like 5 dollars.



Easy to clean, easy to fill and easy to knock the ice out of. I just tip them over and slowly pour hot water on them and the ice drops out.

What a cutie! Very photogenic!