Waterer suggestions please, I hate my Little Giant waterer.

[Our7Wonders]

yes, it's the plastic octogaon one. I just went down to check the gasket and it's definately at the top. I tried shimming the side opposite the little spout like the PP had mentioned - didn't work. I let the cap off and it still trickled until it flowed over the rim. I'll try a little olive oil on it later, if that doesn't do it then it goes back.

Not meant for hanging? Really? MyPetChicken.com actually advertises them as a hanging waterer. Because of that I just assumed they were meant for that. Maybe I should rethink the whole thing altogether. I was hoping to free up floor space - later, when not too cold, I plan to keep the waterer outdoors, but we aren't letting them out of their coop unsupervised for another month or so (our only daytime threat is from overhead so I want them bigger). Until then the waterer needs to remain inside - where leaking poses big issues.

I appreciate everyone's feedback. It's such a bummer when your best laid plans aren't what you thought they'd be......... such is life, I guess.

 

[cpegram]

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[rocketdoctor]

I have to apologize my previous post was about the automatic waterers so it doesn't apply to this post (hopefully it can help someone in the future who has problems with thier little Giant automatic waterers. How come the jug waterers are better than the nipples in freezing weather, is it just because there is more volume to freeze. just curious I live in california so I don't have to worry about that.

 

[TurtleChick]

i have a little giant too - mine leaks sometimes and not other times (like others said it has to do with the seal - i tend to have to crank mine pretty tightly shut). also make sure there's no grit or anything on the inside of the lid. my dh changed the water for me a few times and was setting the lid on the ground while he was cleaning/refilling and the little bit of gritty stuff that got into the lid affected the seal.

BUT as far as alternative waterers go, i also have a few 3 quart black rubber bowls stashed around my yard and the girls prefer them over the little giant. they're much easier to clean than the little giant. they have the added benefit of being awesome in the winter if you get freezing temps - they don't freeze or get brittle, you just pop the frozen chunk of ice out and refill.

i have been seriously considering just getting rid of my little giant since the girls like the black rubber bowls so much. hope that helps!

 

[Lotsapaints]

I like the rubber tubs too my birds love to go wading when it's hot. I too have that waterer and it does the same things to me yes the adjustment is the top some days I never get it to work right either but then when I refill it it works fine...I have nipple waters too and mine leak a little can't have more than 4 lbs of pressure.. I just bought 3 of the Brower bucket bottoms and set them up tonight I'm using 3 1/2 gallon buckets and they are for back up if the water goes off or freezes they are a pain to turn over because they are big but for making sure the birds don't run out of water they are cheap enough about 10 bucks each because I get my buckets from Von's for free. I thought about getting the 5 gallon buckets but then it would be too heavy for me to do.

 

[CarrieW]

Wow, I must be really lucky!! I have 3 of these waterers, two 3 gallon and one 5 gallon. I have never, ever had a problem with them leaking, and mine are hanging. I have had them for over a year with no problems.

 

[LuvinMyPeeps]

I have the octagon one and I love it, so I bought the round one and I hate that one. I guess it's the luck of the draw with those things.

I really like the idea of theheated dog bowls, I'm going to try those this year. For those of you that have the heated dog bowls, do y'all keep them inside the coop or outside?

 

[Buck Creek Chickens]

with the dog bowls, if your birds like to jump in it, the water will get dirty and if they get wet then they can freeze.

 

[AnnainMD]

For the OP: I updated the pictures on my page so you can see what we did (click on them for bigger shots). So far so good and I converted a seriously annoying water fountain to something more useful. Good luck with your waterer!