Waterer problems - wet, wet, wet!

[SunnyAlberta]

This is my waterer for three birds. I refill it twice per day and add a capful of apple cider vinegar. I think its only 1 gallon, a good size for me.


My problem is that when I set it on the floor of the coop, the girls fling their bedding into it which wicks water into a very large space. Today I had to remove a big section of bedding because it was soaked and its cool and rainy today, so little chance of it getting fluffed and dried anytime soon.

I have tried setting the waterer on top of a small tote or bucket, but the girls like to sit on top of the waterer and knock it off its "stand".

Can you recommend another SMALL waterer that won't give me a lot of spillage? Floor space is limited in my 12 square foot coop and when weather is bad the girls don't go in the run often. Thanks in advance.

 

[chicmom]

Are they full grown yet, or almost? I just use a black rubber bucket, and fill it to the top. They can't knock it over because, once it's full of water, it's too heavy.

 

[SunnyAlberta]

Thanks for your post. Do you mean your birds drink out of an open black rubber bucket? Yes, they are almost grown, but I imagine them flinging bedding into the bucket... or am I too worried about their water staying clean?

 

[Rock Home Isle]

My problem is with ducks. Ducks and a waterer inside a chicken coop is just a big wet disaster...they soak the whole inside of the coop.

It's like a frat party every night...

Solution: Take a 6" deep hog pan and build a 2 x 6 wooden frame around it and staple down a screen of 1 x 2 welded wire over the top. Rest the waterer on top of this and any water that they spill out will drop through the wire screen and into the hog pan (catch basin). When you change the water in the waterer, dump out the hog pan. Changed my whole world.

 

[chfite]

Setting it on a couple of bricks might raise it enough to keep it clean and provide a wide enough base to prevent toppling. I did not worry about pine shavings in the water so long as there was water to drink. The pine shavings are something they eat anyway.

Chris

 

[SunnyAlberta]

Setting it on a couple of bricks ...

I must get me some bricks. Thanks!

catch basin

I like it.

 

[Mskayladog]

I use an old plastic sled with river rock placed in it and set the waterer on top of the rocks. Keeps the ground dry and the chicks don't mind the rocks.

 

[SunnyAlberta]

My coop is too small for a sled.

 

[Attila]

Can you hang it?

 

[SunnyAlberta]

This one doesn't have a handle to hang it from. Are there SMALL, hanging waterers?