Waterer question, and vid.

[amarook]

I just got my 10 RIR babies yesterday morning.

I got a waterer from Tractor supply. It's the kind that has a white jar, and a red base.
It leaked all over the place and wet 1/2 the bedding.
My BF said that it was operator error, and I didn't tighten it enough. So he filled it and put it back in. 2 hours later, it was empty. The bedding was totally saturated.

So there I was changing their bedding at midnight because I was afraid of them getting wet, chilled, and sick.

Is there a trick to this thing, or did we just get a defective one?
I set up a water bottle and they seem to have figured that out. Should I just not bother with that waterer?

Here's a link to one of my cheepers.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/amarook/3333396200/

Also, check out my fun blog I made for chicken pictures.
I hope you will submit some pictures.

http://unimpressedchickens.blogspot.com/

 

[gritsar]

If you want to attempt to use that waterer again, try rubbing a small amount of vaseline around the treads on the water reservoir and the threads of the base.
I have a 3 gallon waterer that I absolutely love, but over time it began to lose it's seal and leak. Now every couple of weeks I just add a new bead of vaseline around the threads and no more leaks.

 

[amarook]

Thanks! That sounds like a good idea!

 

[pascopol]

Quote:
If the plastic base is cracked, it will obviously leak.

I never waste my money on "commercial" waterers.

I use glass or plastic jars inverted in any shallow container etc.

If you do not throw away your pickle, jam, spaghetti and you name it jars, you have an unlimited and "free" (recycled) supply.

LOL

 

[amarook]

Now see, that just makes too much sense!
What do you use for full grown chickens?

 

[tim_TX]

Over the years I have purchased 2 plastic fonts with screw on lids, one 3 gallon and 1 five gallon. Both malfunctioned within a month and leaked the entire contents. Its not operator error, its a design flaw. You fill them, tighten the lid just right and get a good seal and then you carry them which tends to break the seal.

I only use the 3.5 gallon flip-over fonts inside the coop now. They are rugged and never leak. For outside in the runs, I use the old style double wall metal fonts and have never had a problem with them either.

If your water font requires a new bead of vaseline or anything else periodically then its junk. Even worse, you are risking your birds running out of water and dying, not to mention the sanitation problems caused by the wet litter.

When it comes to a water font, the old adage "If it ain't broke don't fix it" holds true.

 

[gritsar]

I'm not throwing out a $30 waterer, nor do I consider it junk. I've been using it for 8 months now without another leak. The vaseline trick is what they used alot on this farm for leaking waterers for all sorts of animals. Besides which, I check all my animals water several times a day, which is just being prudent.