Watering probems?

[Alley]

Hi all,
I have 4 girls that free range but are locked up at night. In their run, I have a bucket for water that can't be tipped over but yet some how the bucket is always half empty. I checked the bucket for leaks and there aren't any. I fill the bucket and some times within 20 minutes, the buckets is half empty and the chickens are all there by the bucket. Do chickens take baths? I noticed one of my girls standing on the edge and it doesn't tip, so I know they aren't tipping the bucket over. How can I prevent them from splashing or bathing in the bucket? It's probably a 2 gallon bucket and I know this sounds crazy but I can't figure out why all of a sudden they want to play in the water bucket. Is this normal chicken behavior? Please adivse...

 

[HorseFeatherz NV]

Sounds like you have some thirsty girls. Is the ground/floor wet around the bucket?


Chickens do not bathe in water, they like dirt/sand to bathe in. Now if you have a duck with your chickens - the duck will splash water around.

If a hen should fall into the bucket, some of the water will be carried away by her feathers when she hops out. Are any of the girls wet?

 

[Alley]

I live in a damp area so it's hard tell if the ground is wet. This morning, they are out in the yard, I filled the bucket and 20 minutes later it's half empty and the girls are in the run near the bucket. This is a new problem and I do have one girl that's in molt. Does that cause them to drink more?

 

[FlipFlopFarmer]

there is a guy on here somewhere in the coops section( i know that doesnt narrow it down), but point being, he has a bucket waterer in the corner of his coop and he leaned a bbq grill ( it looks like a square with 3 inch by 1 inch squares made of heavy duty wire), in front of the water bucket so the chickens had to put thier head through the grill to get to the bucket but couldnt get in the bucket itself. You might also achieve the same thing by somehow attatching thin strips of wood to the top of the bucket, like paint stirring sticks, or even if u have the bucket lid, cut holes or stips out in it so the chickens can fit their head and nothing else in the bucket. Good Luck and let us know what works for you..... with pics please.

 

[LynneP]

Your hens are probably balancing on the bucket and causing it to sway. I use this in winter but a similar arrangement might work for you, if you have room and raise it. Or use a small stock bowl, smaller than the one in my run. Be careful with any open water supply with chicks, who can drown easily. Even a hen can get swamped in a bucket and get too heavy to haul herself out. For four, I think a conventional plastic waterer ( 1-2 gal) with a red plastic lip would work.