waterer options for tiny coops?

[dftkarin]

What are the best options for keeping water in small coops? I have 4 hens (so they don't need much water overnight) who poop in and knock over their 1 gallon waterer constantly - so I hoped to put a hanging waterer in their coop (where spilled water could be disasterous) but all the hanging waterers I see are 2-3 gallons and really big! Would a big rabbit water bottle be a safe option? What do other small coop people have?

 

[Kathy1]

I have a small coop, and 2 girls, I put my plastic one on a cinder block, it is the right height for them to drink from and nothing gets kicked in, although one did try to sit on it but I put a small stick on the top for a few days and now she doesnt.

 

[patandchickens]

Ha, it's not really a double post if I give the same answer in two different active threads, is it?

To wit:

Try using a 1 gallon plastic waterer, up on a tall block(s) atop a plywood platform as mentioned in another recent thread in order to prevent litter and poo getting kicked into it, and put it in a CORNER where it cannot be knocked over, and do some sort of anti-roost measure atop it (a variety of easy options exist).

With four chickens I'd suggest that's your best option.

For completeness though I will show you my compact very small homemade waterer I was using in my tractor last summer, not as the main waterer (that was outdoors) but just so my 2 ISA Browns did not get too thirsty if I let them out a bit late:

It's vacuum-style; to refill it, I dismount the whole unit from the wall (attached by bayonet-style mount involving screw, and rests on a block for further support), take it out of the tractor, turn it upside down (yeah, some water spills out) then dump and refill the bottle, reinsert into rubber band, and turn back upside down again and replace into tractor.

This is really too small for 4 chickens though (in principle it could be sized up, but I can't think offhand of what materials you'd use so scrounging just the right things could be a real problem). Seriously, I cannot see why a properly-raised non-roost-on-able 1 gal waterer in the corner should not be quite satisfactory.

Good luck,

Pat

 

[KayP]

I'm having the same problem in my coop. I plan to bungee cord the gallon container to the wall to keep them from spilling it. I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[LynneP]

That's clever, Pat!

 

[digitS']

It looked to me that each of my 4 hens was drinking about a pint of water every day during the heat of Summer. That's been greatly reduced now.

Since the onset of cold weather, I need to keep a close eye on the one quart waterer I've gone back to since moving feed and water into their coop. The waterer is from their "chick days" and they seem to have no problem using it. The 3 quart Summer job has been put away. Going to the skinny 1 quart model sure saves on coop space. I've put a wire loop on the wall to hold it and sat it on a brick.

I sometimes need to rinse and refill it both morning and night but that just keeps fresh water in front of them. That's a good thing, anyway.

Steve

 

[CityChook]

My 4 girls were using their chick waterer with a mason jar top up until last week when I started getting nervous about the water freezing and breaking the glass.... I found a heated water dish (don't know if you're in cold country or not) at my local feed store. It's smallish - 1 quart, I think. It's for rabbits or a small caged critter and came with a support "ring" for hanging on the cage. I just used some U shaped nails and nailed the support right to the wall, so it's raised up off the floor. Stays clean and I refill it every morning when I open up their coop. Easy Peasy. Good luck!

 

[windtryst]

Do you have a large water container in the run? If you are looking for a small waterer in the coop, I use a rabbit water bottle. They have always used it even when they were tiny little chicks. That is their nighttime water. In the morning they get to go out in the run and have a large waterer out there.

 

[ldemmert]

I bought 2 rabitt waterers, the kind with bottles and tubes with little balls in them. I put them about at head height so they don't have to bend down; water just runs down their throats, I think is the concept. They like them a lot but I don't know how to winterize them. I keep a regular waterer in the coop too.

 

[AtRendeAcres]

I keep mine outside!