Waterers?

[Standard Hen]

Foxtrapper, I am talking about the kind with the handle that screw on the top so you do not have to carry them upside down. I have all three kinds but have another of the ones I am talking about coming in the mail which I purchased on e-bay. Now I might be regretting it! Last month I purchased a 3 gallon galvanized so I will see how long I get out of that. I had one that someone gave me but it was ancient and really rusty so I chucked it. I did not want the chickens drinking rusty water.
Mosier, that will last three chickens quite awhile. In the summer the water gets nasty fast so just keep an eye on it and keep it fresh.
And ChickenGuy I WONDER if that is what is going on with this waterer and all of a sudden it is not holding the seal??? There is just no way it is cracked as it does not move once I fill it and put it down. Hmmmmmmmmmmm, now I wonder???
You must be on the bad batch list, I have never had a leaking problem until now????

 

[wren]

I've only had one good metal waterer (that did not leak) and my favorite plastic waterer is a one gallon little giant that I have to fill 2xs a day to keep up with demand. I just ordered a 4 gallon dura fount and I'm worried that I won't like it either. I need something that I can heat in the winter. I'm seriously considering those black rubberish pans that my horses use.

 

[Standard Hen]

Last year I used heated dog bowls from Wal-Mart and they worked good. I ran an extension cord out from the barn and plugged them in, I was very pleased.
The black rubber horse ones are good too, I keep one out in the yard for the cats and whoever else wants a drink. I never did get a heater base for them and was in Wal-mart and saw the dog bowls. It was the first winter I was not banging ice for the chickens but had to continue with the horses. I purchased them a huge heated bucket for the paddock and they refused to drink out of it. One horse attacked it! I think they can feel the electric pulse in it so are afraid. I tried it all winter thinking they would get used to it but no. Now the chickens were a breeze, they went right to those heated bowls! lol

 

[cookinmom]

I'm happy with my $2.97 kitty litter pan from Walmart. It needs to be scrubbed out on occasion, but I'm always dumping it out and getting them some cooler water anyway, so multiple gallons aren't needed for me.

 

[aran]

i have two of the plastic 1 gallon waterers for my flock...i change the water before and after work each day. I didnt get to it this morning and 1 of them was empty when i got home but the other was half full still. I have had no problems with them.

 

[annrich]

I too have about 4 or 5 of the gallon plastic ones. I just have to fill them alot. The big one is the one thats a pain in the butt. Maybe everyone got a bad batch.

 

[Chirpy]

This is a very interesting thread. So far my five gallon plastic waterer has worked perfectly but my metal one leaks constantly so I can't use it. I'm concerned about this winter also - will my plastic one break? I'm thinking about using one of those heated dog bowls also.

 

[Standard Hen]

Chirpy forget the plastic ones in the dead of winter. As soon as you bang them to get the ice out they are goners. I would try the heated dog bowls or the big rubber livestock pans with a heater underneath.
Last night I yet refilled the waterer again and checked the seal to make sure it was on really tight. I never even thought of that, why I don't know! I am hoping today it is full and that solved the problem! My daughter has been filling them because I have been having shoulder problems so maybe it was not tight enough. I am hoping!

 

[momoftwinsinwi]

So here's my plan, tell me what ya'll think....last year I had a 5 gallon bucket with a "bucket heater" for winter for my dog....this heater plopped right into the bucket and the cord attached to the side of the bucket and I ran the cord outside of the kennel. Worked great, no frozen water.

So I was thinking, I saw another post on here, that said to get a bucket (3 gallon or 5 gallon if you prefer) place it on a plant tray (the water catcher thing you put under a plant) the plant tray must be slightly bigger than the bucket. Drill some holes maybe 2 or 3 about 1 inch from the bottom of the bucket and you can fill from the top and put a cover on it if you wanted...does this make sense??? And you can put a heater in it for winter.....

 

[foxtrapper]

All waterers have to be very level in order to work. Get it tilted just a little, and the water goes over the lip before creating the vacuum seal. So level is the mantra.

I do understand the two types of plastic units. I've had them both. The big one with the screw on lid went back to the dump where I found it, for the same sealing problems everyone else has with that lid. It's actually the lip, not the o-ring that's the problem. It's the same problem that makes plastic gasoline cans leak.

The smaller plastic ones, up to about 3 gallons, require you to carry them upside down to the site. Then you screw on the base (hoping you got all the lugs on), flip it over (splashing everywhere, and frequently unscrewing the base as you flip, dumping all the water out), and set it down.

This works ok with the tiny 1 quart units, but from about a gallon up, it becomes very unweildy and messy.

The metal ones you carry like a bucket, and then shove the lid down on them. But, as you shove the lid down, they tend to squirt a little until the lid covers the plunger hole. And if you don't have the lid lined up correctly for the pin, you dump water as you screw the lid around to get it down.