What do you use for a feeder and a waterer and how is it set up?

[acissej]

I know that's a really basic question but I'm a newbie! Our chicks aren't ready to go to the coop yet but I'll need to figure this out in a few weeks. How do you have your feeder and waterer set up? What are you using? Could I see pics if you have them? Thanks!

 

[ThePamperedPullet]

Welcome to BYC
See you are from Duvall. Used to live in North Bend for 27 years.
We use 2 gal metal waterers and 11 pound plastic feeders. We hang them about 6 inches off the ground or higher to keep the little darlings from scratching in them. Or littler birds use 3 pound plastic feeders and 1 gallon plastic waterers both hung.

 

[DragonEggs]

Hello and welcome! What a great question! I keep changing around how I feed/water my babies. I started with the basic plastic feeders and waterers that you can buy from almost any feed store but my chickens tipped them over so easily, they were small so sometimes they would squabble over it, and I also noticed that they had a hard time reaching the feed on the bottom of the tray as it emptied.

I tried taking the covers off but this just made it easier to knock over, though there were less fights and the birds were more than happy to scratch around on the ground for what fell out.

I recently bought 2 dog bowls from walmart for about $3.00 each. They're pretty heavy metal and look like giant pie tins so they haven't been able to knock them over yet and there havent been any fights since they are wide enough to offer plenty of feeding space.

I think hanging feeders and waterers that hang outside your pen work best. The worst part about my setup is my seramas sometimes like to sit in the food while they eat and will sometimes poop in it. The silkies do the same in the water.

 

[SouthernChick]

Just be careful using these for water as they can drown easy. I made small wooden stands for the water to be placed on and they walk up take a drink no walking around it no tipping it over.

 

[acissej]

Do you put food/water inside or out in the run or both? How do you keep the water from freezing? Doesn't the water need to be elevated to prevent it from getting filthy?

 

[vickibiro]

I am interested in this topic as well. Our chicks are only a week old and outgrowing their brooder FAST so my husband is working at a feverish pace trying to get the coop done and I am researching the best ways to build laying boxes, roosts and where to put feeders/waterers. I think I will do a feeder hung from the ceiling and a galvanized waterer that I can raise with blocks up off the floor so they don't fill it up with poop/shavings. I hope to find both that can be filled from the top as I am really having a difficult time with my plastic one gallon waterer that needs to be pullled out, turned over, refilled, then you have to find the little tabs and put the bottom back on and turn back over. I really don't want to go through all that with a larger waterer. This is my chore after all and I want something that will make my work go more smoothly.

 

[superchemicalgirl]

This keeps the feeder and waterer very clean.

 

[catdaddy66]

I will have to post pics later, but I have experimented w/ all variety of small to large feeders/waterers. The babies to 6 wk olds use the mason jar gravity set up. I made several gravity feeders and waterers (more difficult!) but once the bugs were worked out they did well! I notice that my third attempt to make them went more smoothly and were better quality. I still am having some difficulty w/ placing something over the topp to discourage perching/roosting on the top/lid. I guess I will need to buy 2 or 3 larger plastic funnels that will fit over the top of 5 gallon buckets.

 

[gritsar]

I have a 30 lb. feeder, set with the basin at the height of my smallest chicken's back. A few feet away from that I have a 3 gallon waterer up on two concrete blocks, so the chickens have to reach up just a tad to get a sip (all but my roo, who is taller). Outside I have two waterers that are actually the basins off of leftover commercial chicken house feeders. One has a hose that drips slowly and constantly into it during the day time; so there's no danger of them running out of water. The chicken much prefer the waterer with the dripping hose.

 

[BankerJohn]

pics worked for me when I was searching on BYC for what to do... Here is what I ended up with: